Schwing America

Challenge

Schwing America used a legacy barcode solution in its primary 40-acre manufacturing plant located in St. Paul, Minnesota. This system managed several critical daily operations that the team couldn’t afford to perform manually. But as the barcode system aged, it became less and less reliable.

“We also had a big latency problem,” explained Ken Meyers, Director of Information Systems at Schwing America. “After a scan, you might have to wait five or six seconds for it to respond.” In addition, company growth demanded new functionality but lacking a development platform meant continually going back to the software provider.

Solution

After evaluating several solutions, Schwing America selected RFgen Mobile Foundations for SAP, an SAP-certified mobile barcoding solution that automates inventory operations with real-time data. The RFgen team conducted an on-site Business Analysis Workshop (BAW) to gain detailed knowledge of shop floor processes to maximize the effectiveness of the new solution.

“RFgen provided a clear understanding of the applications coupled with a well-structured project plan,” recalled Meyers.

Schwing America’s new solution was then delivered after a short implementation and phased rollout.

“RFgen did a great job from start to end,” said Meyers. “They put the right people on the project.”

RFgen provided a clear understanding of the applications coupled with a well-structured project plan.

Ken Meyers

Director, Information Systems | Schwing America Inc.

Results

RFgen helped Schwing America step into the 21st century with state-of-the-art mobile barcoding. As a result, the company experienced an immediate acceleration of materials management through rapid scanning and instant data exchange with SAP. The ability to conduct work at point-of-scan created huge efficiency gains in receiving and on the shop floor. In addition, RFgen’s built-in low-code mobile app development platform enabled the team to manage and expand their solution in-house and on their own timeline.

“That is a win-win,” said Meyer.

Benefits included:

99.8% picking accuracy (world-class)
42% increased picking efficiency
Boosted productivity and speed
Automated mobile cycle counting
Empowered growth with in-house mobile app development

RFgen did a great job from start to end. They put the right people on the project.

Ken Meyers

Director, Information Systems | Schwing America Inc.

An Intelligent Warehouse Without WMS

Schwing America’s strategy also included creating a smarter warehouse. By adding advanced warehousing capabilities to their mobile solution, the company gained performance tracking and intelligent directed movement for put-away, replenishment, and picking without the complexity and cost of a separate WMS.

Now workers can enter receipts into SAP from mobile devices, then pick up materials at staging and put them away based on automated suggestions. Consolidated picking paths for production and sales orders condensed multiple picks into one pass through the warehouse, which was a big leap
forward for Schwing’s warehouse efficiency. Additionally, data insights collected from mobile devices also enabled the company to identify trends and optimize labor utilization.

Our workers rave about being able to see availability on their wireless devices. Before, they had to go back to a centralized workstation. It was an absolute win for our company.

Ken Meyers

Director, Information Systems | Schwing America Inc.

Schwing America is a member of the Schwing Group, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative, high-quality concrete construction equipment. With production facilities on four continents, Schwing America is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota and handles distribution throughout North and Latin America.

Download Case Study