Contract Logistics: Imports – Inbound handling

The import process is the first and one of the most important steps in managing third party products. Synergy undertakes on behalf of the depositor, the management of a specific process of expected deliveries, which includes the unloading and the quantitative and qualitative control of the products before they are accepted for entry into the Company’s Warehouse Management System (WMS), and consequently informs the depositor about the proper reception of their products. In addition, the Company carries out sample inspections so as to verify the product’s adequacy and to compare them to the standards, so that in case of failure, the depositor be informed immediately in order for the necessary actions to be taken. Finally, information such as the volume and the weight of the products received, is also confirmed.

The Company handles any type of cargo, palletized or in bulk and can handle different units of measurement such as kilo, cubic meter, box, pallet, collo, drum, IBC etc. The depositor receives updates at every step from the arrival of the truck to the finalization of the entry in the Warehouse Management System (WMS) as well as for the issue of relevant documents.

In order to fully ensure the inbound procedure of the goods, during the first reception of each particular item code in the warehouse, the “First Time Sampling” procedure is applied, in order to confirm the item data provided by the depositor for the expected delivery.

Reception takes place in accordance with the time limits agreed with the depositor and in this way, we safequard our customers’ purchases.

Reverse Logistics is just as important, as it essentially requires the reverse process of that of the execution of an order, based on specific instructions from the depositor and within a specific time limit. Here too, particular attention is required and of course the staff involved must be properly trained.

 Warehousing & Inventory Management

Synergy undertakes the temporary or long-term storage of its customers’ goods, putting emphasis on the particular circumstances of each project in terms of item types, packaging, form of the goods and how fast-moving each item is. Based on these data, the optimal storage model and the appropriate storage space is selected and the WMS is calibrated to the needs of the project.

An, undoubtedly, important factor for the Supply Chain industry is the quality of the premises where the products are stored and of the equipment used, which affects decisively the proper execution of every project.

At its storage facilities are placed devices, measuring the storage conditions (temperature, humidity) as specified by the relevant Quality Assurance Procedure.

Depositors are managed using Synergy’s WMS system that ensures efficiency and accuracy, whilst enabling the tracking of inventory by storage area and position, for each depositor individually.

Furthermore, Synergy can handle expiration dates, batches, shelf-life, serial number, color-size etc. while the inventory can be monitored on FIFO, FEFO, LIFO basis etc. depending on the respective needs.

Synergy’s employees cooperate closely with the customers so as to fully understand the requirements and the particularities of each project.

We have established multiple stages of audits during the stock management as well as both circular and regular inventories counts, in order to ensure the accuracy of the inventory. This information is reported to the customer on a regular basis in order to take the right decisions for the planning of their purchases and of the replenishment process.

Export – Order management – Outbound

Order management is the next step, in which the depositor entrusts the 3PL provider with the execution of its sales and their management up to the final location. The process involves inventory inspection per order line, picking, packing, shipment preparation and inspection and finally loading for delivery to the final recipient. During its execution, every order goes through three stages of inspection, so as to ensure the accuracy of its execution and to minimize the chances of a failure.

The management unit of each depositor may be: collo, sub-packaging, box, pallet, IBC, canister, drum, etc. Synergy can handle any type of product and to customize the entire Supply Chain process so that all parties involved are aware of the different unit they are called upon to manage each time.

Synergy provides tailor-made services, adapted to the specific characteristics of each depositor. The methodology followed is very specific, through a series of sequential processes, which are fully described in the relevant SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of the project, in order for the staff involved to be adequately trained and fully aligned with the needs of each depositor.