History of VARGO® and the History of Waveless

VARGO® was the first company to use a continuous flow, or waveless system, and the company’s history is intricately woven with the history of waveless fulfillment processing.

Since 1971, VARGO® has supported the operational needs of high-volume direct-to-consumer companies, retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers through our unique approach to complex fulfillment solutions. This graphic highlights a few of our milestones.
History of Waveless Order Fulfillment

1971:

Vargo Associates is established in Columbus, Ohio, to meet the rising demand for efficient, cost-effective material handling equipment for local and national businesses.

1976:

VARGO® engineers’ first continuous flow implemented at Warner Robbins Air Force Base.

1977:

VARGO® engineers’ first continuous flow Warehouse Execution System (WES) system was commissioned.

1992:

Global apparel retailer opens its Atlanta fulfillment center with a continuous flow system.

1995:

VARGO® acquires an integrated systems company.

1999:

First fully waveless facility installed by VARGO® engineers opens in North Hampton, UK, for Levi Strauss’ European distribution.

2004:

VARGO® deploys continuous flow system in an L.L. Bean facility.

2006:

American Eagle Outfitters awards Vargo Integrated Systems Inc. and ADS Specialists, Inc., of Austin, Texas, a significant contract to integrate COFE® waveless ordering processing into its new fulfillment center in Kansas.

Vargo Integrated Systems Inc. acquires ADS Specialists, Inc.

2012:

VARGO® installs waveless systems in the fulfillment center of a leading national distributor of pharmaceutical products.

VARGO® deploys COFE® waveless solution and all supporting automation equipment in a West Coast fast-fashion retailer fulfillment center.

2013:

VARGO® installs a COFE® order consolidation module and complete equipment solution in the distribution center of a Columbus, Ohio-based leading, direct-selling company.

2014:

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., builds a new direct-to-consumer fulfillment center in Hazle Township, Pa., equipped with VARGO®’s COFE®® (Continuous Order Fulfillment Engine) warehouse execution system, a technology that uses waveless order processing for order fulfillment.

2015:

American Eagle facility adds retail inventory to its Hazle Township facility, making it the first known waveless, omnichannel facility.

VARGO® introduces its COFE®® Software as a Service (SaaS) with a West Coast startup custom apparel retailer.

VARGO® receives second commission in Pennsylvania from a West Coast-based fast-fashion retailer.

VARGO® partners with a major 3PL to install VARGO®’s COFE® warehouse execution system in an e-commerce facility for a large, leading, well-known retailer.

2016:

Napa Valley wine distributor specializing in direct-to-consumer wine sales breaks ground on California distribution center that will be driven by COFE®.

VARGO® partners with another leading 3PL to install COFE® in a leading toy retailer’s distribution center that will be commissioned in 2017.

2017:

VARGO® partners with another leading 3PL to install COFE® in a leading toy retailer’s distribution center that will be commissioned in 2017.

VARGO® introduces COFE® mobility and analytics features that allow users to measure, visualize and manage operations from anywhere.

Become another success story on our timeline and discover the power of COFE®, the WES software that does for fulfillment what Lean did for manufacturing.

To learn more about VARGO®‘s role in the history of waveless, read the White Paper

History of Waveless White Paper

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