Warehouse Management Solutions are one of the key tools to help an operation to increase efficiency and drive savings. Typically acquisition and implementation headaches prevent most businesses from using this important tool.
Snapfulfil SaaS WMS is “a better way.”
Snapfulfil is a comprehensive “Tier 1” WMS, complete with included RF/Barcode scanning equipment and sophisticated functionality, but with NO CAPEX required!
Delivered by the UK’s leading SaaS WMS Provider, you can be certain that Snapfulfil SaaS WMS is a comprehensive WMS from a proven provider, delivered to your desktop in the most efficient way.
With specialist WMS experience spanning over 30 years, delivering solutions for companies such as Coca Cola, Huhtamaki, UTL, Vodafone, SCA and DHL, you can also be certain that we can use our experience to help you to make the most of our WMS.
Warehouse & Logistics News – First of all, what does your role involve day to day? Has your role changed since last year?
Looking after the sales and marketing efforts for the business, I spend most of my day on different aspects of those key business activities and while I find them interesting, it make for very dull viewing for the readers, so I won’t continue! I’m very lucky in many respects, as my role involves a wide range of different responsibilities and business goals, which while still requiring a systematic approach, and some routine, it helps to ensure that each day still contains variety and new challenges. (some more welcome than others!)
WLN – ‘2012: how was it for you?’
2012 is on target to be a record year for Snapfulfil!
The uncertainty surrounding the Euro and the ‘double dip’ recession all lead to a reduction in overall enquiries and a noticeably lower turnout at trade shows and other business meetings. However, it appears our combination of no capital investment and lower risk implementation process, has helped companies that were looking for the support of a new system, but wanted to avoid the long term commitment inherent in most WMS implementations, to make the move for a new WMS. We have been very busy throughout the year and are on target to achieve the most signed contracts in a year since we launched the system in 2007.
WLN – Did your company provide any of the warehousing and logistics services for any of the major public events this year?
Yes, we helped one of the major sponsors for London 2012 to manage a short term contract shipping over 9 million items to virtually everybody connected with the games, from Games Makers & VIPs to the Athlete’s themselves. It was a very exciting time, with enormous volumes being picked and shipped across the UK and Europe.
WLN – Have you noticed any lasting effect after these events?
No, sadly we have not. Once the event finished, then it became very much ‘business as usual’ for all of the people that we deal with on a regular basis.
WLN – What effect did the major snow falls at the end of last year, the lack of summer, and the Olympic Games have on your company?
The periods building up to and during the Olympic Games were incredibly busy for us, due to the contract we were supporting. The snow and generally dreary weather from the summer was less of a challenge directly, but did cause some issues for our clients, which when you are a Service provider means you have to help wherever you can to alleviate their problems. Our Software as a Service model means we try to share the load wherever we can.
WLN – What is your particular proposition for customers in the warehouse & logistics sector? Has that changed since last year?
We are the UK’s leading provider of ‘Software as a Service’ Warehouse Management Systems. We provide a sophisticated, Real Time, RF hardware based solution to our clients, but with no requirement for capital investment and only requiring a short 12 month subscription.
We have clients in virtually all business verticals and turnover ranges and can help operations to benefit from the years of experience we have helping warehouse operations to save money and improve customer service.
Our proposition has been unique in the UK and US since it was launched in 2007 and while the system has been developed, upgraded and improved enormously, we have used our increased buying power to limit the impact that increased costs and high inflation has had and retained the same pricing since launch.
WLN – How has your business sector been performing in 2012?
Despite our continued growth in new business and overall turnover since 2008, we can see some consolidation and acquisitions on the horizon in our industry as many of the companies that have failed to invest in future technologies are now struggling, or have been acquired by larger businesses.
According to the latest report by business analysts, the UK WMS market has had some mixed results:
• 8 WMS vendors are in financial danger and will struggle to survive
• 15 companies named in the report would make excellent acquisitions
• Competitive pressure is now so intense, a third of companies are making a loss
• 8 companies increased their debt & yet..
• 19 “strong” companies are beacons of success, with improved profit margins, increased sales and half of these with greater than 10% growth.
WLN – What do you see as the most important recent developments?
We are certainly seeing a lot more SaaS and Cloud offerings on the market, with some being described as Hybrids. This blend of older technology with a different payment model can often be made to look like a ‘Software as a Service’ offering, but with few of the real benefits available to their users.
2013 will see increased use of tablet and Smartphone hardware to access key business systems, with the new Windows 8 also driving the market towards this rapid access approach for all users.
WLN – You are a major supplier in the ‘WMS’ category, what proportion of your business is this? What else can you offer?
We are specialists in WMS and the development, support and implementation of WMS is 100% of our business, both here and in the US. Warehouses can be very challenging and using the software to make the best use of the resources within them is our focus and that of our clients across the markets.
WLN – What was your biggest investment to improve your business in 2012?
As a service provider, our most significant investment is our people. To support our continued growth and expansion, we have added additional expertise to our senior management, client services and sales teams this year.
Tony Dobson is our new Operations Director, with over 18 years experience as an Operational and IT Director for businesses such as Microlise, Kewill, eBuyer.Com and Play.Com.
We also opened a new office in Chicago and added to our US sales team with an experienced software solutions sales person. This work further demonstrates our commitment to expanding our US operations and belief in the strength of the Snapfulfil product and its unique business model.
WLN – How are your existing products and services doing?
Snapfulfil has added more new clients each year since 2007 and this year is on target to be the best ever.
WLN – What’s been your company’s single biggest achievement in business this year?
I think being selected to support a global brand and helping them to meet their targets for London 2012, against a very tight timeframe, combined with adding record levels of new business to our own client base have made 2012 a fantastic year.
WLN – Do you operate in any other countries besides the UK? How are you getting on there?
Yes, we have two offices in the US. One in Charleston, South Carolina and one in Chicago, Illinois. These offices provide sales support, client and implementation services across the USA and Canada.
Despite the high number of established vendors in the US, we have won some significant business this year, including some very big names in the market, across the e-commerce, 3PL and retail verticals.
WLN – Have you won any awards in 2012, or been accredited to any new industry standards during this time?
We were listed in the Gartner Warehouse Management Software ‘Magic Quadrant’ as Visionaries this year and having grown our business and developed our solution since that listing, are very hopeful of being listed again for 2013.
WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in? What applications do people use your (products) for? Have you seen a shift in industry sector demand during this time?
We have clients across a wide range of verticals:
• E-Commerce
• Manufacturing
• Distribution
• Retail
• Third Party
• Construction
• Public Utilities
The power and flexibility of the system has always attracted the 3PL providers, from the smallest to the largest, but we have noticed a shift to e-commerce in the past few years. These businesses are now experiencing such growth they are taking on people who are experienced in logistics and supply chain, rather than previously where they only recruited technical expertise. This attention to more professional distribution, along with many of these businesses also bringing in-house previously out-sourced operations, has created a real lift in the amount of business from these dynamic companies.
WLN – Do you sell your (products) direct or through distributors? Has that strategy changed in the last year?
No, we only ever sell direct. In order to provide the first class service and rapid implementation process that we have proven across the world, we have found that working directly with our clients is the best way to achieve the best results.
WLN – Have you developed your web site in the last 12 months? Are you making use of social media in your marketing?
Yes, we recently launched our new website, which has all of the usual Social Media connectors, plus we have created a number of groups and forums online for our current and prospective clients to engage with us and in future, each other.
WLN – How do your forward orders compare with last year?
We already have secured contracts for delivery in January, February, April and May of next year, with more contracts currently under review so things are definitely up on last year.
WLN – Which trade shows did you exhibit at in 2012? How were they and which shows are you at in 2013?
We exhibited at all three of the Logistics Link shows last year, with several deals closed as a direct result. One contract was signed only 4 weeks after the show, so trade shows will continue to be one of the main channels we market Snapfulfil through in 2013.
For next year, we have already booked for Promat 2013 in the US and both Logistics Link and IMHX for Qtr 1 next year. It’s already looking like a very busy start to 2013!!
AND FINALLY…
WLN – What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
When we propose our SaaS WMS solution, against the best of the rest in the UK and USA, to a prospective client and following their review they choose us, it’s hard NOT to get excited. It’s the reason that most of us keep coming to work.
Snapfulfil
Tel: 0845 463 7627
Email: info@snapfulfil.com
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