Motos Bordoy: logistics at full throttle

Mad about motorbikes since 1971

In business for over 50 years, Motos Bordoy accounts for 7.5% of Spain’s motorcycle market, making it one of the most relevant businesses in the two-wheel sector. Since it was founded in 1971, it has grown and evolved continuously, in lockstep with the expansion of the industry itself in Spain. Nowadays, brothers Albert and Jordi Bordoy — the sons of founder Jaime Bordoy — are at the helm of this business made up of more than 60 professionals. 

Motos Bordoy is a Spanish importer of the SYM and NIU brands. Since 1999, it has marketed its own brand, Macbor. Additionally, in Barcelona, it is the exclusive dealer for MV Agusta, Indian Motorcycles and Husqvarna (both motorbikes and e-bikes). The company has two centric sales outlets in this city, with a 1,500 m² showroom. 

Meanwhile, its headquarters are located in Rubí (next to Barcelona). The premises span an area of 9,000 m² and house the Marketing and Sales Management, After Sales and Spare Parts departments, as well as two warehouses: one dedicated to spare parts and the other, to motorbikes (each bike is stored disassembled in large boxes). According to Jesús García, Head of the Spare Parts Department, “We supply the shops and our partners from both facilities. We work with over 200 associates, supplying them with motorbikes and spare parts when necessary. We can deliver orders to our partners near Barcelona in just three and a half hours, and in the rest of Spain, we strive do this within 24 hours.” 

To achieve this, the firm needs to have an efficient logistics system. In the beginning, Motos Bordoy organised all the goods and operations in its two warehouses manually, entering the data in the Siniwin ERP system. “However, this wasn’t enough. The ERP system is very useful for billing and the organisation of our business, but what we really wanted was to streamline the working routes in the facility, ensuring effectiveness in picking tasks and absorbing the increased order volume.” 

The company used to manage 10,000 SKUs. Jesús García notes, “Now, we handle more than 26,000. We wouldn’t have been able to organise all of them with the ERP alone because this software can’t distribute the products strategically, taking into account ABC calculations. We considered adding new functionalities to the ERP, but it just didn’t make sense; we were determined to take a qualitative leap when it came to our service by completely computerising our supply chain.” 

WMS installation

Set on optimising operations at its two facilities in order to supply its customers in the less time, the firm realised a WMS was a must. 

“After comparing four proposals, we chose Easy WMS, the warehouse management system from Mecalux, because we noticed a clear difference compared to the solutions of other providers. We felt it was the best option for our business. Plus, the team that presented us with the offer was the most professional,” notes the Head of the Spare Parts Department. 

First, the company deployed the warehouse management system Easy WMS in its spare parts facility, then, in the motorcycle warehouse and, finally, in both shops. “Rolling out the WMS in all facilities at once would have been chaotic and stressful. We wanted to do it step by step to adapt comfortably to Easy WMS’s functionalities. We’re extremely satisfied; without this tool, there’s no way we’d have been able to cope with the volume of movements we now have,” contends Jesús García. 

Easy WMS has been integrated with the Siniwin ERP system at Motos Bordoy to provide more accurate control of the logistics processes. Thus, the ERP system notifies the WMS of the orders placed by customers so that the operators in the corresponding facility can prepare them without delay.

The integration between the ERP system and the WMS has made goods management more rigorous for Motos Bordoy. “Before, all the delivery notes were manual, which took a lot of time and made for a high likelihood of mistakes. With Easy WMS, we can more strictly monitor the products we’ve received as well as those we’ve dispatched. We know where each SKU is at all times,” affirms Jesús García. 

A day in the Motos Bordoy facilities

The organisation of work and tasks in Motos Bordoy’s two warehouses is designed to streamline the distribution of orders and prevent interference that could lead to errors. Jesús García explains, “We’re extremely strict about keeping to our timetable: orders must be dispatched by 1:30 p.m. at the latest. This way, we can be sure they’ll reach customers in the Barcelona area that afternoon and the following day in the rest of Spain, dedicating our afternoon to replenishing stock.” 

To do so, the spare parts facility has two clearly differentiated flows that act concurrently: entries and exits. “Depending on the volume of work, we assign either more or less staff to one operation or another. So, we never reduce our service level, even though we have a high number of entries,” enthuses Jesús García. 

Meanwhile, the warehouse for motorbikes has three flows: incoming, outgoing and concessions. In practice, these operations are similar to those of the other facility, the difference being that the concessions are motorbikes that the company lends to other dealerships to display for a certain period of time. Before being dispatched, the motorcycles have to go through an assembly area. 

Easy WMS has optimised operations with the aim of making product inflows and outflows much smoother: 

Goods receipt and storage

Whenever a pallet arrives, operators read the label with their radiofrequency scanners so that Easy WMS then checks whether the model, quantity and characteristics match those previously reported by the Siniwin ERP system. Next, Easy WMS assigns the pallet a location. 

The WMS distributes the motorbikes and spare parts in both warehouses following ABC criteria, that is, based on their turnover. Hence, items with a higher turnover are placed in more accessible areas to facilitate their entry and exit. Jesús García indicates, “ABC is based on sales. We have zones in which we place the products we sell the most and other areas for those we sell the least.”

The motorcycle facility in particular is composed of a multitude of areas that serve as buffers (temporary storage zones), where motorbikes of a similar turnover are grouped together, stacked on top of each other. “This organisation is essential for us. We have 3,500 bikes in stock, and there’s a distance of 250 metres between the storage area and the docks. The operators walk dozens of kilometres every day (which accounts for a lot of time); however, with the help of Easy WMS, their movements are optimised to ensure they travel the shortest distances.” 

By digitising all entries, exits and movements, the WMS controls stock and knows the exact location of each product in real time. “To check the actual stock in the facility against that recorded in Easy WMS, we take inventory cycle counts every three to four months. The advantage is that this process doesn’t interrupt the other warehouse operations, and we can provide service to our customers and partners 365 days a year. Likewise, every three to four months, we once again classify the SKUs as A, B or C according to sales and distribute the goods based on that,” says Jesús García. 

Order picking and dispatch

Order preparation is one of the main operations at Motos Bordoy: approximately 1,650 orders are dispatched on a daily basis. In just five years, the company has ramped up the number of orders it prepares in its two warehouses and that are sent to shops, customers and associates. The Head of the Spare Parts Department acknowledges, “Logically, our volume of work has risen because of the natural growth of the business, although Easy WMS has helped us to deal with it effectively. Without this WMS, we’d need to hire more staff to prepare all the orders. Our productivity has gone up by 30% because, with the same number of employees, we’ve been able to take on this increase in orders.” 

The orders are prepared in waves because, Jesús García points out, “this is the way to optimise work times and prepare more orders.” Each operator is assigned to a wave, meaning he/she can prepare various orders at once in a single warehouse run. 

Order picking itself is very similar in the two facilities, with some particular features in each case. Items in the spare parts warehouse can be handled more easily (these comprise any type of motorbike part, including chassis, fairings and bolts). To do so, operators use containers divided into locations (each corresponding to an order). As they find and remove the goods from the racks, they sort them into orders, following instructions from Easy WMS. 

On the other hand, in the motorcycle facility, workers use forklifts to move the bikes, as they are stored in larger boxes. Besides order picking, another process takes place there: motorbike assembly. “We distribute the bikes in two different ways: pre-assembled, on two wheels, to the entire Barcelona network, and to the rest of Spain in boxes,” highlights Jesús García. 

Thanks to the supervision from Easy WMS and the organisation of the work, the operators are much faster than before, and they make fewer mistakes. 

Two shops with Easy WMS

The Motos Bordoy shops in Barcelona not only sell motorcycles and accessories (gloves, helmets, jackets, boots, etc.), but also distribute motorbikes and spare parts as needed to the entire network of dealers and garages in Barcelona and the surrounding areas. There’s also a small garage where occasional repairs are carried out. 

In both establishments, Easy WMS controls goods inflows and outflows. For entries, the WMS enters the products in its database as they arrive at the shops. As a result, it knows what merchandise is available (in terms of both the bikes on display and the accessories and spare parts in the warehouse and garage). 

For exits, the moment a sale is made or goods are distributed to other dealerships and garages, the WMS removes these items from its catalogue. “When a customer purchases an item at one of our shops, the WMS informs Easy WMS, which removes it from the available stock. This allows us to have greater product control,” emphasises the Head of Motos Bordoy’s Spare Parts Department. 

Bike lending under control

One of the particular characteristics of Motos Bordoy is that it lends some of its motorcycles to other dealerships for them to showcase the bikes at their points of sale. After a certain period of time, these bikes can be sold or sent back to the company’s warehouse. Therefore, the exact location of these products must be carefully monitored. “The reason is obvious: this stock belongs to us. We’re not invoicing these vehicles to the dealerships — we’re lending them,” points out Jesús García. 

Easy WMS controls the bikes lent to the dealerships in real time. To do so, it knows which models were lent to each dealer and maintains those items in stock. “Without the absolute control we have with Easy WMS, we’d have serious customer service issues,” asserts Jesús García. 

Present and future expansion

Motos Bordoy is a company with a clear commitment to service, constantly changing to adapt to new mobility trends. Its spirit of tenacity and improvement drives it to seek effective solutions that meet its partners’ and customers’ needs. “They all know that we’ll always be by their, ready to help them out,” states Jesús García. 

“I have to say that, despite the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 wasn’t such a bad year: we were able to grow, in part, due to the rise in individual mobility,” remarks the Head of Motos Bordoy’s Spare Parts Department. 

In the coming years, the firm plans on expanding in Spain and internationally. Jesús García adds, “We’re looking forward to starting our European venture. Over the next few years, I’m sure we’ll see Motos Bordoy warehouses in Madrid, Valencia, Porto and other European cities.” 

How will the firm do this? With the help of Easy WMS, the warehouse management system that provides Motos Bordoy with optimal management of its 26,000 SKUs, total control of all of its motorbikes and spare parts, and agile operations that ensure rapid distribution of the goods. Without a doubt, digitisation and Easy WMS will speed up Motos Bordoy’s expansion.

Easy WMS from Mecalux has improved accuracy and agility in our work in both the facilities and the shops. Now, we’re able to keep the vehicles and the spare parts we have in stock under strict control.

Advantages for Motos Bordoy

• 160% more SKUs managed: Easy WMS knows the exact location of the 26,000 SKUs Motos Bordoy has in stock in its shops, its two warehouses and at the dealerships. This accounts for a 160% increase over the 10,000 SKUs it managed previously.
• Control over movements: Easy WMS monitors and checks all goods movements between the facilities and shops, as well as transfers of motorbikes lent to dealerships. Under the WMS’s supervision, these transfers are much safer and more secure.
• Optimisation of operations: proper distribution of the products based on their turnover minimises operator travel in the warehouse. Consequently, the company has ramped up productivity in picking by 30%.