For Release Thursday, October 11, 2001
Port of Seattle Live with Provia Software
Company
Using Provia’s Integrated ViaWare Suite to
Increase Inventory Accuracy, Speed Order Throughput, and
Increase Overall Efficiency of Operations
Grand Rapids, Mich.– Provia
Software, a leading provider of order-to-delivery fulfillment software
solutions, announced that Port of Seattle, the port
authority responsible for the inbound and outbound distribution of goods coming
into and out of Seattle by ship and
the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has gone live
with Provia Software.
Port of Seattle is using
products from Provia’s integrated ViaWare suite, including WMS (warehouse
management), OMS (order management), YMS (yard management), SPS (small parcel
shipping), and Gateway (standard host and ERP interface) to increase inventory
accuracy, speed throughput of orders passing through the facility, and increase
overall efficiency of operations. In addition to Provia’s ViaWare, the Port of Seattle implementation
includes interfaces to the company’s major customers as well as Port of Seattle’s own
PeopleSoft ERP System.
With a
multi-facility campus of over 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space, Port of Seattle serves
several global accounts, storing a diverse range of customer products including
machined goods apparel, toys, electronics, motorcycles, housewares, and
recreational equipment. The company also offers refrigerated and cold storage
space to house fresh fruit and other perishables.
The high level
of integration between the Provia suite, Port of Seattle’s PeopleSoft
ERP, and the company’s client systems allows customers to send order
information to Port of Seattle’s order
management system, where it’s reviewed and then sent to the warehouse management
system. The WMS picks, labels, and ships the orders and sends the ship complete
data back to the OMS where it is sent to the customer.
“With this high
level of integration between our OMS and WMS we can keep better track of our
customer’s inventory, increase our utilization of labor, and maximize space
management, all of which becomes immediate bottom line savings,” said Joan
Black, Port of Seattle’s warehouse manager.
(more)
One of Port of Seattle’s biggest
customers is a large retail company, who required the software be up and
running smoothly before the busy holiday season was in full force. “Two weeks
after we implemented ViaWare, we were already at full production,” continued
Black. “With Provia’s ViaWare, we’re accurately keeping track of critical
inbound and outbound order information and getting products out the door, and to customers quickly.
Centek Associates Inc., a West
Coast based consultant and
integrator of supply chain execution systems, worked with Port of Seattle to
select and implement Provia’s software.
“Provia was
the only vendor able to offer Port of Seattle the advanced
level of functionality they required in an integrated solution,” said Ty
Hansen, Principal at Centek Associates. Port of Seattle is also using
IBM as an E-Business Consultant for the seaport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Provia
implementation is part of a larger e-business initiative for Port of Seattle. The
installation of Provia’s ViaWare WMS is the first success story for the Port's
e-business initiative.
For Provia, Port of Seattle represents
yet another leading 3PL provider taking advantage of Provia’s robust
functionality and the benefits it brings. “With our ViaWare suite, Port of Seattle will be able
to offer customers better service, better value and increased visibility to
inventory and order information,” said Ken Lewis, Provia’s president and CEO.
“While being able to offer a solution that can handle the demanding
requirements of third party logistics illustrates our strength in the 3PL
industry, it also brings increased value to our existing and future customers
who choose to keep their distribution activities ‘in house’, as our ability to
meet the demands of 3PL make our entire suite stronger.”
About Provia Software - With over 500 global installations, Provia Software delivers The Power
of Delivery™ for such enterprise and third-party logistics (3PL) clients as
Canadian National, Gillette, Spencer Gifts, Lanier Worldwide, and Ferguson
Enterprises. Provia’s ViaWare
Fulfillment Execution and ViaView
Fulfillment Collaboration suites include warehousing, transportation, order and
yard management products seamlessly integrated together with Web-based
visibility, decision support and event management tools, creating a real-time
end to end supply chain fulfillment solution that creates a competitive
advantage for clients. For more information, visit www.provia.com, or call toll-free 1.877.PROVIA1 (1.877.776.8421).
About Centek Associates - Headquartered
in Seattle, Washington with offices
Northern and Central California, Centek
Associates’ mission is to assist distribution, manufacturing, and third party
logistics companies in their efforts to automate order fulfillment operations
through the application of supply chain execution systems and dependent process
improvements. For more information call 425.413.1090 or visit
www.centekassociates.com.
Contact Info:
John P. Clark
Manager, Corporate Communication, Provia Software
5460 Corporate Grove Blvd SE, Grand Rapids, MI
49512-5500
616.974.8689
john.clark@provia.com
Ty Hansen
Principal, Centek Associates
23419 SE 217th Place, Maple
Valley, WA 98038
425.413.1090
tyhansen@gte.net