VARGO® adds mobility and analytics modules to COFE® WES software

- Press Release

New capabilities provide real-time views from mobile devices

COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 4, 2017) — VARGO®, a leading provider of warehouse execution software, material-handling system integration and equipment solutions, today announces two new COFE® modules available for both mobility and analytics.

The new modules, which enhance the capabilities of VARGO®’s Continuous Order Fulfillment Engine (COFE®), give decision makers access to real-time information about their distribution centers from anywhere, on any device.

The COFE® View Mobility module will give distribution center managers access to operating performance from their smart devices on the floor, according to J. Michael Vargo, president of VARGO®. This will provide managers the opportunity to better supervise and direct their employees because they will be able to quickly identify what is happening operationally and see what people are doing at the same time.

The COFE® View Mobility module has several key features, including:

  • Forecasting and variance analysis: Managers can set production goals for the day and track performance against those goals by shift.
  • Labor planning tools: COFE® View Mobility will assist with anticipated labor requirements based on production goals, and it will recommend functional allocation of actual staff using historical production rates maintained in COFE® for a client’s specific operation.
  • Intuitive alerts based on performance: The system will provide early warning on performance and production issues, in an easy-to-understand format, allowing managers time to react.
  • Access to equipment and processing controls: Managers will be able to turn on (or off) equipment, and enable or disable workstations, etc., right from a device, without having to return to a desktop or a control room to do that.
  • Browser-based access: Managers can access system information from anywhere, anytime, allowing traveling executives or shift supervisors access to view in real time what is happening in their distribution centers while they are away.
  • Responsive and intuitive: Works on any device and in any orientation — landscape or portrait — and various screen sizes, providing users the freedom to access information the way they want it.
  • Smart device RF integration: In some instances, an employees’ devices will replace the need for expensive RF devices by providing the same RF functionality except it will be accessible through a smart device.

The COFE® View Analytics module provides managers with all of the features of the Mobility package as well as the ability to measure, visualize and manage operations in real time to a much more granular level. It also offers flexibility to build individual custom statistical and analytical reports, Vargo said.

The COFE® View Analytics module has several statistical tools and interactive visualization features that allow decision makers to:

  • View visual presentation of operational data in a much more in-depth way.
  • Drill deeper into data for more granular details.
  • Track and evaluate key performance indicators, discover trends and draw comparisons.
  • Develop online dashboards and visualizations to optimize processes. Aggregate information from other industry-standard database sources in conjunction with distribution center operational data. This reduces the dependency to sift through multiple external reports and the need to export data from various systems into some other application to build to cross-system reports and analytics.

“While our first-generation COFE® View product served us well, its PC-based nature tied a supervisor to a PC or laptop,” Vargo said. “Our new COFE® View Mobility and Analytics modules provide the freedom to manage on the floor and take full advantage of the intuitiveness of smart devices.”