Thanks to the gradual digitalization of the warehouse, Ovečkárna can process 3x more orders

In our campaign for understandable digitalization, Crack the Digital Chatter, we interview Czech entrepreneurs and ask how they got started with digitalization . One of them is the owner of the Ovečkárna e-shop, where they used to pick orders or handle returns in a way that is now hard to believe.

When an order came to Ovečkárna a few years ago, the warehouse worker first printed it out, walked around the warehouse with paper in hand , and picked the order one by one. Once he was finished, he placed the goods, including the paper order, on the floor, where another warehouse worker picked it up, printed out a shipping label, and took it to the dispatch center.

Even more difficult was processing returns. Ovečkárna employees manually copied bank account numbers from complaint protocols into the information system, to which the company then refunded customers. However, many times, an error occurred when copying the numbers and the money was not sent, which unnecessarily delayed and complicated the processing of returns.

Gradual digitalization up to triple warehouse performance

The company therefore decided to gradually digitize the warehouse. First, it introduced barcode readers, which storekeepers have all the information about orders in. This way, they no longer have to print out received orders and run around the warehouse with paper, but can conveniently read everything from the reader's display .

After further partial steps, Ovečkárna is now switching to a warehouse system (so-called WMS ), which takes the level of warehouse digitalization even further . For example, the warehouse system guides warehouse workers to the desired goods using the shortest possible route or allows them to pick several orders simultaneously. Thanks to this, the company is able to pick many times more orders with the same number of people.

"So far, we have managed to prepare 30 orders per hour, now we want to reach 100 orders per hour with the same number of people. Our company is growing rapidly and we are convinced that WMS will help us withstand and manage this growth without unnecessary additional costs," adds Martin Bernátek, the executive director and founder of Ovečkárna.

Ovečkárna is another example of how starting with digitalization doesn't have to be difficult and doesn't mean turning your company upside down right away. All you need to do is identify a few processes or activities that are taking up too much time and think about whether they could be solved differently. Gradually, more and more processes can be added. For even more inspiration, check out other stories from Czech companies or tips on how to get started with digitalization.