Warehouse technology revolution for optimal after-sales customer service
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Renault Group, through its Parts and Accessories Logistics Division (DLPA), continues to innovate in order to modernize and optimize its activities. Here’s an example from the Villeroy warehouse in France, where the Group is working with Exotec to automate its logistics flows.
Warehouse robots for strategic and tech collaboration
DLPA's mission is to guarantee the timely supply and delivery of parts and accessories to our delivery centers and dealerships, as close as possible to the end customer. It currently delivers 290,000 part numbers worldwide from 25 warehouses. In an ever-changing environment, where logistics performance is essential to meet growing customer expectations, warehouse automation offers many advantages. For example, since the end of last year, Renault Group has been working with Exotec, a French start-up specializing in industrial robotics, to modernize its Villeroy warehouse, the Group's largest in the world with a surface area of 152,000 m2. The initiative, dubbed ReVA (Renault Villeroy Automatisation), is based on the integration of 191 Exotec Skypod® logistics robots, which ensure automated management of the flow of parts from receipt to dispatch. This 100% French collaboration is a first for a car manufacturer, and marks a new stage in Renault Group's technological transformation. With numerous benefits for operators, the Group and its customers alike!
Automated logistics, numerous benefits for all stakeholders
The automation of logistics activities improves working conditions in the warehouse, by performing all handling operations at height and delivering parts to operators without the risk of falling. It's no longer the operator who fetches the part, but the part that comes to the operator, in a solution known as "goods to men"!
Another advantage of logistics automation is the significant improvement in productivity. The Skypod® system can process up to 4,000 order lines per hour at peak times, reducing order processing time by a factor of six, from 120 minutes to just 20! The installation has enabled the company to increase its activity by 25%, while continuing to grow its workforce.
Less energy-intensive than handling equipment, warehouse robots also cut the site's energy consumption by 30%. The use of 65,000 recycled plastic bins for parts storage at the facility also contributes to the Group's objective of reducing its impact on natural resources.
Finally, the integration of Skypod® robots has a direct impact on customer satisfaction. By centralizing more than 80% of its French business in a single warehouse, Renault Group is significantly reducing order processing times and guaranteeing faster deliveries. Parts ordered by 5:30 p.m. are now dispatched for delivery by 8:00 a.m. the following morning. This speed and precision in order management optimizes the customer service rate, as well as satisfaction levels.
By working with Exotec and equipping our supply chain with Skypod robots, we are positioning our after-sales logistics, and our Villeroy site in particular, at the cutting edge of innovation. Thanks to this solution and the teams in place, we will be able to increase the number of orders served by 25%, and reinforce our commitment to customer satisfaction, which remains a priority for all of us.
By integrating Exotec's Skypod® robots into its Villeroy warehouse, Renault Group is improving working conditions for its teams and positioning itself at the cutting edge of logistics innovation to provide a tailor-made response to its customers' needs and requirements.
One million lines served
After a ramp-up phase in January, the ReVA logistics solution can now process up to 4,000 order lines per hour. On June 19, it delivered its millionth order line. The Villeroy site celebrated this symbolic milestone with an internal event.