Ellos - A case study in operations management and packaging logistics

Abstract

This thesis deals with Packaging Logistics and Operations Management at the mail order company Ellos in Borås. Since 1997, Ellos belongs to the French group Pinault-Printemps-Redoute and is the largest mail order company in the Nordic countries. Today, four different brands, Ellos, Josefsson Josefine, La Redoute and Catalog Mail Outlet are handled and distributed from the facility in Borås. A fifth brand, Enjoy, also belongs to the group, but has a separate distribution department.

The handling of four different brands has made the packing area full of packaging material and there are also a lot of movements involved. This makes the utilization of the floor space critical. The purpose of our thesis is to optimise the flow of packaging material and the surrounding routines in order to create a better utilization of the floor space.

To reach our purpose, we have used different methods such as observations, interviews, own practising, experiments and simulation. We have found connections to our field within theories of Operation Management, Packaging Logistics and Simulation.

We have found options to re-design the packing area and the surrounding routines. This involves changes in the batch processing, optimising packaging varieties and reducing movements.