Evides Waterbedrijf supplies drinking water to Zeeland, the South-West of Zuid-Holland and the Brabantse Wal. Ensuring the availability of water to a customer base of 2,5 million people and the local business community is a huge responsibility. In order to succeed, the logistics of Evides covering the construction and management of water pipes and the supply of drinking water to the port area is crucial. Spare parts for the pipeline network are stocked on several locations in their operating area. “Districon supported us in the centralization of the warehouses” says team leader Willem van der Schans.
Customers in Rotterdam and in the Zuid-Holland area can rely on Evides for their high quality drinking water demand. Additionally, Evides delivers industrial water with specific requirements. Willem van der Schans, team leader of logistics and DWS (Drink Water Schepen), is responsible for the flow of materials. His teams, consisting of a group of skippers and warehouse staff, make sure that all the materials are delivered to the contractors and mechanics on time. Furthermore, the teams manage the systems for emergency water supply.
Logistic expertise
Willem: “Why did I chose Districon as supporting partner? The Oud-Beijerland storage site closes in 2022. I immediately initiated the centralization of warehouses; moving supplies to the centralized locations, aggregating the Oud-Beijerland stock to Kralingen and redesigning the warehouses situated in Kralingen. We were looking for a partner who could support our team during all phases of this large-scale project. There was an instant click with Districon consultant Tom Vermaas and senior consultant Wouter Nering Bögel. Their analyses showed us the benefits of outsourcing 80% of the order line items for Metering, one of the components eligible for integration. This led to shortening the supply chain with one link; transferring orders and storage of components to the contractor. A detailed process description and framework contract with the contractor made it possible to outsource these activities.
Prepare to install
One of the first Districon employees, senior consultant Ed Slegtenhorst advised us in the reorganization of the warehouses. All aspects and parts of the warehouses, from storage racks to the offices were considered. This thorough inventory led to the detailed process descriptions and budget plan” says Willem.
“We managed to achieve so much, due to a very strict schedule. Examples are the redesign of the current warehouse in Kralingen, moving 140 trailer loads from the external location to the warehouse allocated to cases of calamity, phasing out Conline and moving PVC-pipes into the new designed storage racks in Kralingen. But that is not all. We also moved the stock of steel pipes to CCI Moerdijk, the warehouse of Oud-Beijerland to Kralingen and we mapped 6 live drop-points. These drop-points are currently rearranged (completion expected by the end of 2019), just like the warehouse allocated to ‘project- and monsterkasten’.
We also work together with Districon on the transition from WMS-system AX2009 to Microsoft 365 in order to improve the speed and efficiency of our logistic processes. Districon Consultant Ilona van Vliet supports us in this trajectory. Her detailed analysis of warehouse processes and possible improvements gain as input for the new software. We also expect to finish the development of the cloud-version by the end of 2019.
Synergy
Willem continues: “Working with Districon provides energy”. They make optimal use of their in-house expertise. For instance, the Districon Business Intelligence consultants who realized our planning module and the tailor-made application we use for tracing steel pipes. Districon consultants always look for opportunities and solutions. I totally affiliate myself with their vision: ‘Nothing is impossible’.
