DHL has become a part of EMI Music France’s ensemble. For the next five years, DHL will beresponsible for orchestrating the logistics for EMI’s CDs, DVDs and point of sale advertising
materials. More than 30 million albums will make it into the racks each year thanks to DHL ExelSupply Chain.EMI already has a long-time partnership with DHL Express for small parcel distribution and thisrelationship has supported this new contract with Exel Supply Chain. DHL Exel Supply Chain alreadyknows its music. The logistics expert has been working in the cultural goods sector for over 30years. Its many years of experience make it a known value and counted in its favour when EMI MusicFrance issued its invitation to tender.
Production and packaging of the CDs and DVDs from the record company’s 12 labels destined forthe European market is centralised in Uden, in the Netherlands. The logistics expert has taken overEMI’s logistic processes, which until now were managed by another provider at the site inSaint-Ouen-L’Aumône, and integrated all 52 employees.
Once the products have been delivered to the site, DHL Exel Supply Chain comes into play, andthe process of unloading, checking, stocking and order preparation begins. Every item is locatedwithin the 8,500 sqm warehouse, via its barcode. ABC Tool, a WMS (Warehousing Management System)software package, analyses and optimises the warehousing and order-preparation operations. This isan essential tool, as on average, 6600 CD references and 300,000 orders (equal to 30 million items)are handled each year, and in order to guarantee the five to ten record launches a week, 120,000items are prepared on average every day.
To maintain this rhythm, DHL Exel Supply Chain uses a semi-automated production line that canachieve a rate of 500,000 items and 30,000 order lines a day. Each order is automatically weighedon the production line. If its weight does not match the integrated reference value, it drops outof the line and is checked manually. An additional 35% of orders – chosen at random – are alsochecked manually, to guarantee perfect reliability.
DHL Exel Supply Chain also carries out promotional packaging and value-added logistic servicesfor EMI such as special and regular packaging, labelling the CDs, DVDs and boxes when they aredelivered with an embargo date, as well as preparing the displays (assembled or not). DHL alsomanages all returns to Saint-Ouen-L’Aumône.
