Case study: Global Freaks

A comprehensive solution for an e-commerce warehouse

Country: Spain

BUY

Global Freaks is an e-commerce retailer specialising in collectible action figures. Headquartered in Igualada (Barcelona,
Spain), the firm is undergoing a growth phase with promising prospects for future expansion. Accordingly, it has
digitalised and modernised its warehouse in order to provide improved service. Mecalux has delivered with a
comprehensive solution consisting of picking shelves and the Easy WMS warehouse management system (WMS), along
with three supplementary modules. These add specific features to meet the needs of this e-commerce warehouse and
include the recently launched Marketplaces & Ecommerce Platforms Integration package. Thanks to all these technologies
and to the growth of the business itself, Global Freaks has tripled the number of orders it can dispatch on a daily basis, from
90 to 300 on peak days.
A wide selection of collectible Global Freaks Manager Daniel Vizcarra ex- direct access makes it easier to handle the
figurines plains, “Previously, we handled all man- goods.”
Global Freaks started doing business in agement manually, without any IT tools,
2017, when it began marketing import- and we knew the location of the figurines Nevertheless, to improve its supply chain,
ed Dragon Ball figurines. Little by little, it by heart. However, when the number of what the company really needed was a
grew, expanding its product catalogue SKUs and orders began to grow, we found warehouse management system. Global
with the aim of offering an increasingly ex- this working method to be lacking. We re- Freaks installed Easy WMS, the WMS by
tensive and varied range of action figures. alised that we needed to computerise the Mecalux, because “it can provide com-
installation. We wanted to map it out to plete product control and traceability,
Nowadays, more than an online shop for represent its layout graphically and mon- from the time the goods arrive at the in-
collectible action figures, Global Freaks itor the locations and SKUs easily and ac- stallation to their dispatch. This was some-
has become a meeting point for fans curately.” thing we didn’t have before,” highlights
of manga and anime (Japanese anima- Daniel Vizcarra.
tion) series such as One Piece, Naruto, With this in mind, the company sought the
Doraemon, Sailor Moon and Dr. Slump. support of Mecalux. Vizcarra says, “It was Mecalux also implemented three modules
Expanding its number of SKUs has led to the only warehouse management system that add to the features of Easy WMS, en-
an increase in sales and, thus, order num- provider that allowed us to integrate with abling this e-commerce business to dis-
bers. It was of vital importance, therefore, the marketplaces where we sell our prod- patch all the figurines ordered by custom-
for the firm to improve its logistics sys- ucts (eBay and Amazon), as well as with ers in the shortest amount of time and
tems. Global Freaks wanted to complete- the PrestaShop platform to manage our without making mistakes:
ly revamp its installation in Igualada (just website.”
50 km outside of Barcelona), equipping • Marketplaces & Ecommerce Plat-
it with new technologies that would get E-commerce logistics solutions forms Integration. This recently
more out of all the operations. After analysing Global Freaks’ needs launched module connects Easy WMS
and operations, Mecalux recommend- with the major marketplaces in which
From its 2,000 m2 warehouse, the com- ed fitting out the warehouse with 4-me- Global Freaks sells its action figures (eBay
pany distributes its action figures to hun- tre-high picking shelves. According to and Amazon) and with the PrestaShop
dreds of customers worldwide (most- Daniel Vizcarra, “We chose this solution e-commerce platform. The app makes it
ly in Spain). Currently, it manages 6,000 because it seemed like the perfect combi- possible to sync warehouse stock across all
SKUs (a number which is growing with nation between domestic shelves and in- platforms in real time and automate pick-
the launch of new action figures) that can dustrial racks. This is because their height ing to ensure quick deliveries.
be purchased on eBay, Amazon or direct- and depth make it possible to store all the
ly through the firm’s own website (www. action figures. The locations can also be • WMS for Ecommerce. This is tasked
global-freaks.com) via the PrestaShop adapted to the various sizes and particular with reducing order preparation and dis-
e-commerce platform. characteristics of the products. Plus, the patch times. To do so, it sorts the figurines
in the warehouse in a logical, orderly way
to facilitate the work of the pickers. It also
organises the preparation of orders based
on whether they are single- or multi-unit.

• Multi Carrier Shipping Software. This

app is designed to simplify and streamline
the order packaging and labelling process-
es in line with the standards maintained by
the transport agencies with which Global
Freaks works (mainly Correos Express for
shipments in Spain and Portugal).

With all of these solutions, “we’ve gained

in flexibility and can process three times
as many orders as before. This summer, in
spite of the difficulties brought on by the
pandemic, we broke sales records. This
tells us that, in the future, our number
of daily orders will continue to increase.
With Easy WMS from Mecalux, we’ll
be able to prepare and dispatch them in
the shortest time possible,” notes Daniel
Vizcarra.

The figures speak for themselves: on ex-

ceptional days with a higher workload,
such as Black Friday, the firm used to close
a maximum of 90 orders. Presently, how-

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ever, it ships up to 300 orders (even more,
if necessary).

The firm also experienced a change in

Daniel Vizcarra
trend. Before, Mondays were the days Manager at Global Freaks
with the largest volume of orders. Now,
most orders arrive mid-week. Easy WMS “The Marketplaces & Ecommerce Platforms Integration module
is a system that governs the entire ware- connects the WMS to Amazon, eBay and PrestaShop. On the one
house. hand, the inventory on these platforms is regularly updated with
the stock available in the warehouse. On the other, Easy WMS
As such, it is prepared to organise and
knows which orders have been placed and arranges for them to
optimise operations, easily adjusting to
changes in demand. Easy WMS has driven be prepared immediately.”
Global Freaks’ supply chain as follows:

Coordination. The stock appearing on be below 1%, while delivery delays cannot
Amazon, eBay and Global Freaks’ web- exceed 4%. Integration is key for Global
site is automatically updated as customers Freaks’ logistics systems. Amazon, eBay
place new orders. and PrestaShop notify Easy WMS of the or-
ders placed by customers, and, simultane-
Communication. Amazon, eBay and the ously, the WMS updates the inventory in
Marketplaces & Ecommerce Platforms Global Freaks website can inform custom- real time. To do this, it relies on the physical
Integration: online shops linked ers about their orders (dispatch status and units present in the warehouse, disregard-
to the warehouse scheduled delivery). ing orders (both those already paid for and
Users can buy Global Freaks’ action fig- those paid in instalments). This invento-
ures on Amazon, eBay or directly from Easy WMS communicates directly with ry also includes pre-sale items (purchased
global-freaks.com via PrestaShop. “To the three e-commerce platforms without between six months and two years prior to
adapt our logistics operations to the cur- the need for an ERP. “Our entire catalogue release).
rent scenario, Marketplaces & Ecommerce is on the Global Freaks web page; from
Platforms Integration from Mecalux cen- there, we share it with eBay and Amazon When a customer orders an action fig-
tralises the three platforms in a single pan- via Easy WMS,” indicates the Manager. ure, Easy WMS arranges for it to be pre-
el, providing us with detailed information pared immediately in the warehouse
on available stock and customer orders,” Moreover, Marketplaces & Ecommerce and dispatched as quickly as possible.
says Daniel Vizcarra. Easy WMS communi- Platforms Integration helps to meet the Simultaneously, Easy WMS notifies the
cates continuously with these three plat- specificities and requirements of Amazon, corresponding marketplace that prepara-
forms (potentially more in the future) with eBay and PrestaShop. For instance, in the tion of this order has begun so that it can,
two basic objectives: case of Amazon, the order error rate must in turn, inform the customer.

LOGISTICS PROCESS WITH MARKETPLACES & ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS INTEGRATION

. Catalogue synchronisation
. Order management
. Order status
. Tracking number
n d s to c k s y n c h r o n i s a
Marketplaces lo g ue a ti o n
C at a
Online purchase

Order Order

Order status E-commerce Order status

platforms
Warehouse

Order delivered

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WMS for Ecommerce: preparation
of online orders
Global Freaks’ Manager points out,
“We’re an online shop, so we needed a
WMS module for e-commerce to consol-
idate our sales and dispatches with the
management of our warehouse.”

This module deals with the preparation of

online orders by efficiently organising the
goods receipt area. The WMS coordinates
This is where products arrive from the (pri-
the immediate
marily Asian) suppliers so that Global Freaks preparation and dispatch
can then market them.
of orders, regardless of Daniel Vizcarra
Following instructions from WMS for whether they are from Manager at Global Freaks
Ecommerce, operators remove the boxes
from each pallet received and read their Amazon, eBay or “The WMS for Ecommerce
barcodes using radiofrequency termi-
nals. The WMS then automatically tells the
Global Freaks’s own module from Easy WMS is
vital for our online sales
workers where to store the pallets. website via PrestaShop
business. This system
Easy WMS assigns them a location based controls the inventory and
on various criteria, including SKU and de- cation of each action figure in real time. plans order prep based
mand level. Daniel Vizcarra stresses, “We This strategy also prevents certain areas on available products and
use chaotic storage, that is, products are from becoming overloaded and takes ad- pending orders. As a result,
not always put in the same place.” vantage of free space more effectively. we’re much faster, and
“When management was manual, we or-
we prepare more orders
Despite the paradoxical name, the chaot- ganised everything by series (for example,
without errors.”
ic storage system follows a very strict or- one aisle for Dragon Ball, another for One
der in that Easy WMS knows the exact lo- Piece, etc.). Now, Easy WMS decides on

LOGISTICS PROCESS WITH WMS FOR ECOMMERCE

Warehouse

GOODS RECEIPTS

Multi-unit DISPATCH
orders PUTWALL

Packaging
Single-unit
orders

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the location and, even though everything LOGISTICS PROCESS WITH
seems haphazard, it’s actually well-or-
ganised and better leveraged,” adds the
MULTI CARRIER SHIPPING
Manager. SOFTWARE

Once all the products have been identified

and stored, order prep begins. According Multi Carrier Shipping Software: ORDERS
to Global Freaks’ Manager, “We tend to dispatch organisation
prepare the same number of single- and Order dispatch is the last operation that
multi-unit orders, although during certain takes place in the Global Freaks ware-
peak times, such as Christmas, we usual- house. As such, it must be optimally or-
ly dispatch more single-unit parcels pur- ganised and planned. Before loading the
chased through Amazon.” orders onto the delivery lorry, the opera-
tors package and label them and print the
To do this, operators move around the necessary documentation for the carrier.
warehouse following instructions from PACKAGING
Easy WMS. This system tells them which Multi Carrier Shipping Software is a mod-
locations to go to, which item to pick and ule specifically designed to manage all of
in what quantity. these processes automatically. To start
with, it sends precise instructions to op-
“Before, if the workers put the wrong erators on how to package the action
product in an order, no one knew until it
was delivered to the customer. Now, on
the other hand, this doesn’t happen,” as-
serts Daniel Vizcarra.

Multi-unit orders are placed in putwalls,

where the various SKUs that make up an
order are brought together. Once this has Daniel Vizcarra LABELLING

been completed, the WMS tells the opera- Manager at Global Freaks
tor to remove all the items from that loca-
tion and bring them to the packaging and “Multi Carrier Shipping
dispatch area. Software has enabled us to
automate dispatches,
The putwall is also used as a temporary
eliminating possible
storage zone. Certain orders, whether sin-
gle- or multi-unit, are placed there await- mistakes stemming from
ing dispatch (these are most often orders manual management. This
paid for in instalments for which payment software is integrated with
is outstanding). the transport agencies
DOCUMENTATION
we work with, which FOR THE CARRIER
Meanwhile, in terms of single-unit orders, streamlines order handling
once they have been removed from the
and distribution.”
shelves, they are brought to the packaging
and dispatch area.

DISPATCH
Correos Express

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figures (for example, it tells them whether
to place them in one or more parcels).

The next step consists of labelling the or- Daniel Vizcarra

ders, whereby Multi Carrier Shipping Manager at Global Freaks
Software prints a label for each package.
The software knows in advance which
“Easy WMS is the ideal warehouse management
agency will distribute each package and,
hence, generates a personalised label for system for our e-commerce company. We’ve reduced errors
each one. This label includes, among other and done away with stockouts. Moreover, we have total
parameters, the tracking number, which traceability, from the time the items arrive at the warehouse
is especially useful so that customers can until they are dispatched, and we can handle more orders
monitor their orders. per day. I must say that this software is highly intuitive, and
its implementation has been seamless — despite the added
Global Freaks works with the express de-
challenges presented by the pandemic — thanks to the
livery firm Correos Express to dispatch or-
ders to customers in Spain (excluding the
commitment shown by Mecalux’s operational teams. We now
Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla) and have a modern installation and a sophisticated logistics system
Portugal. When orders need to be sent to cover our current and future needs.”
elsewhere, the company contracts the ser-
vices of other carriers.

“With this module, all dispatches are com- to the lorry. The carrier, likewise, has all the ed e-commerce, and we’ve benefited
puterised, and labels are generated auto- information it needs, such as orders to pick from this expansion: both our turnover
matically. This saves us a lot of work. Now, up, number of parcels and destination. and number of orders have risen,” af-
two operators do the same work that firms Daniel Vizcarra. Mecalux’s ware-
three used to do,” enthuses the Manager Work and play house management system has helped
of Global Freaks. Global Freaks’ warehouse is a veritable to increase the productivity of this e-com-
paradise for lovers of films and cartoon se- merce retailer’s installation.
The WMS comes integrated with the major ries. Every day, the operators strive to dis-
transport agencies in each country, such patch as many orders as possible to satis- With Easy WMS and the Marketplaces &
as UPS, DHL, TNT and Correos Express in fy customers who eagerly await the arrival Ecommerce Platforms Integration, WMS
Spain. The module automatically creates of action figures of their favourite charac- for Ecommerce and Multi Carrier Shipping
the documentation required by the carrier ters. Hundreds of customers in Spain and Software modules, the company can
(the commercial invoice, the transport in- around the world connect every day to monitor its 6,000 available SKUs and its
surance and information on where to de- Amazon, eBay or Global Freaks’ own web- orders in real time regardless of origin.
liver the orders, among other data). site in search of the collectibles they wish
to purchase. The warehouse is organised down to the
Then, the packages are arranged in the last detail. Easy WMS orchestrates and op-
dispatch area so that the carrier merely has “Our present situation is very good. The timises all goods movements while elimi-
to pick them up and quickly load them on- pandemic and the lockdown have boost- nating any possibility of error.

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 Advantages for Global Freaks
- Digitalisation and traceability: Global Freaks has gone from manual management of its goods
and orders to completely digital management. This not only eliminates errors but also streamlines
picking.
- Integration with marketplaces: Easy WMS connects automatically to the marketplaces where
Global Freaks sells its products (eBay and Amazon) and with the PrestaShop e-commerce platform.
- Rise in orders: the WMS for Ecommerce and Multi Carrier Shipping Software modules have tripled
the number of orders that can be prepared in the warehouse.
- Dispatch control: the goods packaging, labelling and dispatch processes are all in check with the
aid of Multi Carrier Shipping Software. This app communicates with Correos Express, Global Freaks’
main carrier.

Technical data

2018 2020 2022 Forecast

No. of SKUs 1,500 6,000 12,000
No. of orders prepared/day 30 150 300
Max. no. of Black Friday 90 300 2.000
orders

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