Hardanger bestikk increases efficiency and accuracy with new WMS

About Hardanger Bestikk

Hardanger Bestikk is a renowned manufacturer of high-quality stainless steel cutlery. The family-owned company has won several design awards over the years and is known for its iconic products designed in collaboration with some of Scandinavia’s best designers. Hardanger Bestikk focuses on combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology to create durable and aesthetically pleasing products.

INDUSTRY

Production

IntegraTIon

Visma

EMPLOYEES

7 in stock

LOCATION

Kinarvik, Bergen

ESTABLISHED

1958

the challenge

Increasing demands necessitated a WMS

Hardanger Bestikk faced growing demands from both customers and retail chains, who expected more extensive documentation, customization, and high delivery reliability. Their existing system was primarily focused on production and could not handle the new, more complex requirements.

This led to challenges with inventory accuracy and difficulties in optimizing production processes. Their previous system resulted in inefficient inventory management and the need for large safety margins to meet customer demands. There was an urgent need for an advanced solution that could integrate both production and inventory management flexibly enough to meet the specific needs of their customers.

"We haven’t focused much on logistics before, but we can feel it becoming more and more important. Our customers demand more from us regarding documentation and customization. Previously, as a manufacturer, we could largely set the terms, but now it’s more influenced by the demands of the large chains, and we need to meet those."

Oddbjørn Pedersen-Rise, Operations Director

the solution

Strong project management and fixed price made the difference

After a thorough market analysis, Hardanger Bestikk chose to implement Apport WMS. Apport was selected due to their strong project management and fixed-price concept, which provided certainty regarding the project’s budget and timeline.

The implementation began in February 2014 with weekly project manager meetings and adjustments over the summer and fall. Apport WMS included inventory management and support for the production process, requiring extensive changes in the company’s work processes. One of the most notable adaptations was the introduction of pick-by-voice, which proved to be highly effective even for employees with hearing aids.

"We focused a lot on how they proposed to carry out the project. We don’t have internal resources to manage it ourselves, so we were very dependent on finding a supplier capable of delivering on time and at the agreed price. When talking about project management, it’s also about chemistry, and through our meetings with Apport, we felt confident they were the right ones to help us."

Oddbjørn Pedersen-Rise, Operations Director

the future

Efficiency boosted by 40-50 percent

With Apport WMS, Hardanger Bestikk has seen a significant increase in efficiency, especially in picking efficiency, which has risen by 40-50 percent. Employees quickly adopted the new system, and the increased control over inventory has enabled the company to optimize purchasing and production. Although work is still ongoing to fine-tune the registration routines in production to ensure more accurate inventory balances, the results are already very promising.

"There’s no doubt about it. Individual employees have much greater capacity than before, and if we look solely at picking efficiency, it has increased by 40-50 percent. It’s worth noting that some tasks previously performed by pickers are no longer their responsibility, so the net efficiency gain is slightly lower. These are mainly replenishment tasks that used to take up some of the pickers’ time, but with the new system, we have been able to optimize our workflows, leading to better preparation for picking.”

Oddbjørn Pedersen-Rise, Operations Director

Going forward, Hardanger Bestikk plans to continue improving the system to utilize its full potential and further enhance delivery reliability. The company is optimistic about the future, expecting to deliver even better service and products to their customers, supported by the improved inventory management and production control brought by Apport WMS.