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REV’IT! streamlines logistics in new DC

May 31, 2021 4216 Views

Foto impression new dc REV’IT! Oss

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Interview with Ivan Vos, Managing Director of REV’IT!, by Mark Dohmen

REV’IT! moved into its new European distribution center (EDC) in 2020. The new facility was urgently needed to facilitate the company’s growth ambitions. REV’IT! enlisted Groenewout’s support with the logistics design and equipment in the EDC. “We’d never have been able to pull this off without their experience and expertise,” states Managing Director Ivan Vos.

REV’IT! is specialized in the design, development and production of motorcycle clothing. “We’ve been active since 1995,” says founder and managing director Ivan Vos. Back then he was managing an Oss-based company that imported motorcycle clothing. He realized that the industry offered only two choices: low-priced but poorly designed and poorly made items, or well-designed products with a premium price tag. He founded REV’IT! to fill the gap by offering high-quality yet affordable design, and the collection has been continuously expanded ever since. Today, REV’IT! supplies a comprehensive range, including top-quality gear for even the most serious bikers.

New home

REV’IT! is a high-profile and successful brand with a key strategic focus on design, performance and innovation. The company’s average annual growth rate is around 15%. “Our revenue doubles every five years, and our clothing is sold in more than 70 countries worldwide,” states Vos. REV’IT!’s logistics operation is based out of two centralized distribution centers (DCs): one in New Jersey for sales to the USA and Canada, and the other in Oss for the rest of the world.

“However, the situation in Oss was becoming increasingly challenging due to our continued success,” explains the managing director. “Our operation was spread across three buildings, which created lots of process inefficiencies – both in the offices and in the warehouses. For example, we had two order-picking locations which meant that we had to continuously manage the staffing levels. And sometimes orders were split and sent to our dealers as part deliveries. In other words, it was high time for us to find a new home.”

Expertise from outside

REV’IT! had previously asked Groenewout for help in 2007 as part of a project to design and equip a new logistics center based on a greenfield situation. “But when the financial crisis hit in 2008, we decided to put the project on ice, simply because we didn’t know what the future would bring and whether the crisis would affect our business,” he continues. As it turned out, the crisis had little impact on REV’IT! and the company soon bounced back to double-digit growth. In 2017 REV’IT! dusted off the existing feasibility study and re-approached Groenewout, who validated the study and re-assessed the old plan in light of the new situation. “Needless to say, a few things had changed in the space of a decade,” recalls Vos. “The most important change has been the sustained growth of our product range; the number of SKUs has risen by 40 to 50% over the past ten years. So we asked Groenewout for their advice again, this time based on our current product portfolio, the logistics flows and processes, and also our own analysis and forecasts.”

Groenewout also prepared a distribution network design plan for REV’IT!. The plan revealed that Oss was still a suitable location, not least thanks to the good transport links to the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp as well as to the European hinterland, helping to safeguard short lead times and fast deliveries. “Besides that, our roots lie in Oss and staying in this region would enable us to keep the REV’IT! team together,” he adds.

A specialized task

The company moved into its new centralized European distribution center and headquarters last year. The building – which was designed by architecture firm Cepezed and constructed by Berghege – has been specially designed to facilitate REV’IT!’s future growth ambitions. The management of the entire new-build project was outsourced to VR Bouwmanagement. “We managed the project to equip the DC ourselves, but we definitely needed support with the logistics part. That’s a very specialized task that demands the right experience and expertise,” continues the managing director. “And we could depend on Groenewout for that experience and expertise.”

Groenewout drew up a Program of Requirements for the logistics equipment and prepared a longlist and subsequent shortlist of potential suppliers. Ultimately, Jungheinrich took care of all the warehouse fittings, supplying not only racking sprayed in the company’s corporate color but also a mezzanine and a whole new fleet of material handling equipment. “We made a conscious decision to work with a one-stop-shop supplier so that we would have a single point of contact and short lines of communication,” says Vos.

Countless benefits

The new facility offers REV’IT! countless benefits. First of all there is a lot more space for storing the growing number of SKUs. Whereas there used to be a total of 4,000m2 of space across three different sites with a storage height of eight meters, the company now has a single 5,000m2 logistics center with a storage height of 13 meters.

Besides that, the streamlined logistics processes are more efficient. Many products were stored in a suspended system in the old system, but REV’IT! has now opted for flatpack storage instead. “This eliminates extra handling plus it frees up around 25% extra storage capacity,” he states. “Moreover, this has reduced our requirement for temporary workers by as much as 30% and we no longer have to split orders, which has helped us to save on outbound transport costs.”

Professional partner

During both the contract phase and the construction phase, REV’IT! could continuously rely on professional support from Groenewout, such as in the case of any questions related to the proposals or any problems during the realization. “We collaborated with various Groenewout consultants, each with their own specialized knowledge. They all clearly knew their stuff, which is one reason why working with Groenewout was a very pleasant experience,” recalls Vos. The project was completed within the intended time frame and in line with all of REV’IT!’s requirements.  “We would never have been able to pull this off without Groenewout’s experience and expertise. We are now back on track, plus we still have some space for further expansion. We will definitely contact Groenewout again when the time comes,” concludes the managing director.

About the author

Mark Dohmen has been a journalist in the logistics sector for 25 years. After his degree in logistics management, he worked as an editor of the Dutch trade publications Transport+Opslag, Logistiek and Logistiek.nl and he was chief editor of Logistiek Totaal and Warehouse Totaal. Nowadays he works freelance, including to produce articles and videos for logisticsinside.nl and logisticsinside.eu.

More information

If you would like more information about this project, please contact Wendel Dijker at dijker@groenewout.com or call tel. +31 (0)76 533 04 40. For more information about REV’IT!, visit www.revitsport.com

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