Infor has announced a new partnership with Zona Franca de Iquique (Zofri), a center of commerce and industry in South America, to enhance the firm’s logistics operation. Infor’s WMS system is to be introduced to improve customer service across the entire supply chain and upgrades will be implemented by Cerca Technology, Infor’s Latin American partners.

With over 2000 worldwide companies operating across its sites, including industries such as electronics, automotive, textiles, household items and more, Zofri contributes to 45,000 direct and indirect local jobs. It offers outsourced logistics services (3PL) to customers that operate under the free trade regime, taking care of the process from the arrival of the merchandise to the Port of Iquique until its dispatch to the final destination, anywhere in the world.

Previously, the real-time inventory of its clients was unknown, due to the use of multiple warehouses for the storage of merchandise. Therefore, having updated status was a task that demanded a lot of time. In addition, the process of tracking the entry and exit of goods was carried out manually, which decreased efficiency and created delays.

Zofri was seeking a software tool to manage the flow of goods without the need for manual recordings. To improve its logistics operation, with commercial repercussions impacting the level of customer service, Zofri looked for a WMS solution.

Implementing Infor’s WMS is the first step on Zofri’s development roadmap, with automating the supply chain its first goal. The new change aims to increase efficiency in manufacturing processes and improve customer response times.

Moreover, to Zofri, visualizing the warehouse in 3D is a “real plus” capability of Infor WMS. It has enabled stakeholders to see a prototype of how the management of orders from its warehouses would be in real-time.

These digital upgrades look to help Zofri offer better services to competing entities in the Chilean Market. Felipe Alfaro Pizarro, deputy operations manager of Zofri S.A, said: “We had the objective of implementing a software solution that was a leader in the market and that would help us to jointly manage the warehouses, spaces and storage of the different merchandise of our customers.”

Alberto Costoya, senior channel sales manager at Infor South Latin America, said: “Infor WMS met Zofri’s requirements, as it is a world-class solution that can be applied to B2B and B2C business models. The solution combines advanced functionalities, data analytics and ease of use, which helps Zofri meet its objective of improving customer service.”