Grand Rapids, Michigan, Monday, February 16,2004 – Provia Software, a leading provider of supply chain execution software solutions, announced that Wireless Retail, Inc. (WRI), one of the nation’s top five retailers of service-based consumer electronics products, has gone live with Provia’s ViaWare warehouse management system (WMS), and ViaView event management and decision support software products at the company's new 175,000 square foot National Distribution Center (NDC), located in Southaven, Mississippi.
WRI, founded in 1994, has experienced tremendous growth in revenue, doubling annual revenues each of its first five years of operation, and continues to rapidly grow. The NDC provides WRI's national direct-to-store and direct-to-consumer fulfillment, as well as fulfillment of non-inventory components to the company’s over 2,500 locations nationwide.
Provia’s ViaWare WMS manages WRI’s national inventory tracking as well as managing the traditional warehouse functions (receiving, picking, packing, shipping). The end-to-end serial number tracking functionality of ViaWare is integrated with WRI’s existing systems, so serial number level tracking is available throughout the sales and product supply cycle.
In order to maximize operations, the NDC has a Value-Added Services (VAS) build-to-order area enabling WRI to customize outbound products, which is a great benefit to WRI's retail partners and customers.
According to Paul Elliott, WRI Chief Operating Officer, WRI selected Provia because of Provia’s experience in helping companies in the high-tech industry better manage inventories and improve customer satisfaction. “We see our services positioned for capitalizing on our industry’s changes in 2004 through 2006, and Provia was the best choice for WRI to help us manage our growth and supply chain complexities," said Elliott.
Wireless Retail worked with St. Onge Company, a consulting and engineering firm specializing in the development, design and implementation of lean manufacturing facilities and high performance distribution centers around the world, to assist in the selection process. St. Onge also assisted Wireless Retail on re-engineering and the implementation of WRI’s distribution and inventory systems.
“In the high-tech consumer electronics industry, it is imperative that a company such as WRI have warehouse management capabilities that it can mold to what it truly needed,” said Alan Reigart, Principal, St. Onge. “Due to the nature of this project, and the continual growth pattern of WRI, it was important to go with a highly configurable solution that could handle the complex, expanding needs of WRI.”
Adding Wireless Retail confirms Provia’s strength in offering a functionally rich supply chain execution solution for high-tech industries. “We’re glad to be working with Wireless Retail, a company that recognizes the importance of a best-of-breed technology, since it is the nature of their business as well,” said Paul Crist, VP of Sales and Marketing, Provia Software. “This reinforces our dedication to supplying the high-tech industry with solutions to optimize their supply chains. At the same time, we remain committed to actively partnering with all of our customers with our Knowledge Transfer program, empowering our clients to be both active participants and leaders in implementing and using Provia’s solutions.”
