Warehouse Management System for B2B Wholesaler

From individual shipments of small parts to consolidated goods and full container shipments, the Hamburg-based office communication expert supplies over 3,000 resellers in 67 countries with a range of more than 6,000 original items, including toner, ink, printers, copiers, and spare parts. For its planned expansion and the extension of its service portfolio in the Logistics-as-a-Service (LaaS) sector, AXRO requires an adaptable WMS that can manage both the individualized picking processes of highly diverse orders and the new AutoStore system with 78,000 bins. The focus was not only on fully customizing the software but also on providing comprehensive training for employees, ensuring that future configurations and adjustments can be carried out in-house.

Custom Programming, Workarounds, and a Test Warehouse

“The product portfolio of AXRO is very extensive in both breadth and depth,” explains Pascal Ostermann, Head of Logistics Projects at AXRO. “In addition, the orders vary significantly in volume and product type. While one customer might order tiny spare parts for express delivery, a major client might order 500 multifunction printers. Consequently, we needed to adapt LFS to these specific characteristics in the flow of goods and the picking processes. To achieve this, the close and collaborative partnership with EPG and the simulation of all processes in a test warehouse beforehand were extremely beneficial.”

Simultaneously with the go-live, AXRO established a fully equipped test warehouse. The processes of the existing warehouse were replicated exactly, including a pallet storage area, a shelving system, a goods receiving area, and a buffer zone. In this test warehouse, the project team had the opportunity to adaptively adjust the necessary processes to meet the warehouse management needs. This ensured a smooth go-live.

Flexible, Scalable, Transparent

LFS collects and visualizes all process data of the wholesaler’s internal logistics in real time. Through a user-friendly logistics cockpit, future logistics operations such as goods receipt, order status, and picking will be transparently displayed. This allows for the early identification of process optimizations and warehouse potentials, as employees at control points receive proactive alerts about possible bottlenecks. The interface between LFS and AutoStore significantly increases volume utilization, picking speed, and system availability for the Hamburg-based wholesaler. The solution communicates with the data from the small parts warehouse and provides it to LFS in real time. This ensures optimal information exchange between the warehouse control center, AutoStore, customers, and suppliers, effectively reducing process costs.

In-House Expertise for LaaS Expansion

Another focus was on the extensive training of AXRO's employees. Starting in 2025, the Hamburg-based company aims to offer a comprehensive service portfolio in the LaaS sector. Therefore, independent configuration and management of the WMS were integral parts of the project. This in-house expertise enables AXRO to respond quickly and flexibly to market changes and individual customer requirements without relying on external support. With the new WMS and the expanded business model, AXRO is positioning itself sustainably as an innovative and flexible partner in the global B2B wholesale market for office communication products.