Hauni’s new Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) system helps minimize purchase costs and streamline order processing, freeing up capacity for other more important jobs. VMI also gives the manufacturing process a far greater degree of dependability as your OEM supplier works with you to optimize inventory-controlled materials procurement.

Many Hauni customers already view the Hauni Webshop and the EDI link as important elements in their purchasing routine. Now, Hauni has a professional VMI solution to offer which not only makes the logistics of ordering spare parts even simpler for the customer but actually benefits buyer and seller alike. 

“Our new VMI service goes a step further by fully automating the replenishment process for fast moving parts,” service operations manager Heiko Geißler explained. “That means we not only supply the spares but also actively manage the customer’s inventory including the parts ordering process, and we also suggest ways to improve materials planning parameters. It all makes spares easier for clients to procure whilst benefiting them financially.” 

VMI is controlled via a secure system which communicates daily with the customer to transfer warehouse data. If stocks of a particular part are found to have reached the defined minimum, the program will automatically initiate a replenishment process. The steps involved at both ends in processing an order can actually be automated as far as 100%. Additional parameters can be defined to optimize shipping costs. The entire process is designed for maximum transparency both to the customer and to Hauni. Inventory parameters can be modified to ensure the optimum level of tied capital at any given time, allowing factories to respond swiftly to any change in the manufacturing situation. 

“Customers stand to benefit in a variety of ways,” Geißler pointed out. Minimizing stocks, he continues, also releases tied capital. By discussing and repeatedly reviewing the inventory parameters, warehouse stocks can be reduced to the necessary minimum whilst taking precautions to avoid stockout situations. 

“We see to it that required parts are always available, therefore allowing the customer to rest assured that they are safeguarded from production downtimes caused by spare part shortages,” said Geißler. 

And at the customer’s end, staff resources can be better utilized as most of the stock auditing work is taken off their hands. 

“Running out of parts is not the only risk. Sometimes a factory can lose track of stocked items which lie on warehouse shelves till they no longer fit on current machine models and end up having to be scrapped,” Geißler remarked. Those are expenses which can be avoided. Now that customers in various parts of the world have expressed great satisfaction with this service, Hauni hopes to be able to provide it to many others, raising customer satisfaction levels still further in the field of e-commerce. Consumer goods companies have been using a similar principle for some time, and today there is hardly a supermarket chain where shelves are not automatically refilled by the supplier. 

 “More and more customers will come to appreciate the advantages of the VMI system,” predicted Geißler.

And as of March 21, 2011, the new Hauni Webshop went live. The Webshop is easier to use, fresher, with new functions and a more stylish look. 

“We have taken on board feedback from surveys and daily contact with customers, and used these bright ideas to revise the contents and appearance of our online services,” according to Hauni. “In practice, this means articles are now shown with product details, for instance format, weight and material, plus minimum order quantities and customs regulations. Track-and-trace information, such as the tracking or delivery note number of a shipment, is also available.”

A novel feature now offered in the Webshop is the machine documentation. This enables you to view digital exploded drawings, making it simpler to find individual parts. 

“These changes complement the existing Webshop design and will greatly improve its user friendliness,” Hauni said.