Information Systems Selection & Implementation

Darice is a privately held company selling craft and accessory items to major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Joann’s Stores, and Michaels. Darice also operates 23 retail stores of its own under the name Pat Catan’s Craft Center, centered around Darice’s Strongsville, Ohio headquarters.

Due to supportability issues and greater functional needs, Darice believed a new WMS would better sustain their continuing business growth Darice partnered with Sedlak to complete a WMS vendor selection. The resulting decision to implement Manhattan’s ILS.net product led to a continuation of Sedlak’s services. Support was provided to the Darice team through design and testing, creating and executing the system test scripts to validate system configuration and overall functionality

Big-box retailer Kmart needed help coordinating the integration of a new warehouse management system simultaneously in four distribution centers, each with complex inbound operations requirements. Most challenging was the aggressive schedule they had set.

We managed the project by configuring the software and maintaining version control across all sites, as well as guiding Kmart associates through system and integration tests. Along the way, we redesigned a fully integrated proprietary inbound system. We trained Kmart associates to operate the system and troubleshoot problems so they could fully—and independently—use their new system.

Red Envelope is a direct-to-consumer supplier, whose products are available through seasonal catalogs and the Internet. With increased warehouse activity levels, RedEnvelope asked us to help them in bringing distribution in-house rather than using a third-party logistics services provider.

We assisted in the implementation of a WMS, improving efficiency and gaining service improvements. We served for the entire project as the overall management team, for operations design, MHE sourcing and implementation, WMS implementation, and training.