Dr. Gab’s installs Easy WMS in its craft beer warehouse

Dr. Gab’s: more than 20 years of craft beer production

Dr. Gab’s is a craft brewery based in Switzerland. It was founded in 2001 by three friends: Gabriel, David and Reto. The business, which started as a small project in one of their garages, stands out for its focus on quality and innovation. Dr. Gab’s offers a wide array of beer varieties, ranging from the most traditional to bolder experimental brews. It uses the finest ingredients and often tests different combinations of hops, malts and yeasts to create unique flavours. Dr. Gab’s is also renowned for its commitment to sustainability. Mindful of its environmental impact, it adopts green practices in its production processes. Moreover, it selects local ingredients and employs energy-efficient brewing methods. Founded in 2001, the company has a team of over 35 employees.

Dr. Gab’s brewery started out producing about 20 litres of craft beer in the kitchen of one of its founders. In just over two decades, it has become one of the leading manufacturers in French-speaking Switzerland. The numbers speak for themselves: the company moved to Épalinges in 2004, when it manufactured 6,000 litres annually. By 2010, it had already reached over 80,000 litres of production.

In 2018, the brewery relocated to Puidoux to double its manufacturing capacity. Dr. Gad’s currently makes over 1.8 million litres of beer a year. Its new facilities include a production and storage zone, a reception and tasting area and a shop for direct sales.

Dr. Gab’s warehouse serves a dual function: it supplies production with raw materials at the right time and receives finished goods ready to be shipped to customers. The company was compelled to modernise its logistics operations to keep pace with the increase in sales. “Our primary need was to monitor all our SKUs in terms of quantity, location and expiry date. We decided to digitalise our warehouse to have a more reliable and real-time view of all our products,” says Reto Engler, Production and Supply Chain Director at Dr. Gab’s.

The beer manufacturer has installed Mecalux’s Easy WMS warehouse management system. This software optimises logistics processes, coordinating inflows and outflows of goods. “We chose Mecalux to digitalise our warehouse because its solution adapts to our needs. Plus, as Easy WMS is scalable, it will accompany our future growth,” says Engler.

Easy WMS was integrated with Dr. Gab’s AUBEP ERP system to transfer data and information in real time on pallets leaving production and orders to be shipped. This has resulted in increased productivity and the complete assurance that warehouse operations meet the goal of fulfilling customer requirements.

Real-time traceability of beer

“We’ve obtained major benefits with the installation of Easy WMS. A prime example is warehouse inventory. Before, the process would take us from one to two days. Now, we can complete it in one to two hours,” says Engler.

Dr. Gab’s has boosted its supply chain with the Mecalux software. “Prior to implementing Easy WMS, we managed our products using an ERP system. This approach involved lots of manual tasks and a high risk of error. Today, our stock management is more rigorous. We have a better FIFO strategy, and the team doesn’t have to do as much manual work,” says Engler.

For companies to stay competitive in the current logistics landscape, it is practically obligatory to be equipped with tools that record information quickly and accurately. Easy WMS is a software program that provides exhaustive, real-time tracking of goods that enter, remain in and exit the warehouse. The system knows all product details: size, batch, weight, characteristics, production/expiry dates and inspection checks undergone.

Traceability consists of monitoring product manufacturing, processing, and distribution, from the supply of raw materials for production to the shipment of finished goods. Dr. Gab’s warehouse manages over 140 SKUs. Some — mainly hops and yeast — require temperature-controlled storage. “Currently, we use Easy WMS to monitor all our finished goods but only a portion of the raw materials. The next step will be to incorporate all our stock into the Mecalux software,” says Engler.

Goods that leave production arrive stretch-wrapped and labelled to ensure their traceability. Easy WMS identifies the pallets as operators read them with RF scanners. Once the pallets are recorded in the system, the Mecalux software assigns each one the ideal location. To do so, it makes calculations considering their SKU type, demand level and the number of empty slots.

Dr. Gab’s warehouse ships around 90 daily orders, each consisting of four lines. To that end, Easy WMS assigns an outbound order to a specific dock. As directed by the software, operators locate the products that make up each order and deposit them on the corresponding loading dock, where they await distribution. “Easy WMS has numerous capabilities that make it highly competitive. For example, it can automate shipping in line with the FIFO strategy. This has made delivery preparation much faster,” says Engler.

Monitoring every process products go through in Dr. Gab’s warehouse has reduced errors. Furthermore, it ensures that the business fulfils orders accurately and on time.

Future-ready digital logistics

With the help of Easy WMS, Dr. Gab’s knows the location of its goods in real time. The software has also been instrumental in making the business’s logistics processes more efficient. The company can now satisfy the needs of its manufacturing plant and supply its customers as quickly as possible.

Since it was founded in 2001, Dr. Gab’s has embraced innovation and progress to achieve the quality, productivity and sustainability goals it pursues in all its production processes. Its plant in Puidoux — capable of producing 1.8 million litres of beer a year — has become a benchmark in the sector thanks to the digitalisation of its logistics processes.

We’re extremely satisfied with Mecalux’s Easy WMS. It’s a software program we’d recommend to any business looking to obtain total traceability of its products.