Customer Story - Building a Stronger Logistical Network
A Wisconsin-based workwear and accessories company aimed to strategically position itself for logistical strength to support projected growth over the next decade. The company sought to enhance its supply chain capabilities to manage increasing demand more effectively.
Call for Help:
- Faced with the challenge of restructuring its logistical network, assistance was needed in organizing internal resources and managing the design and construction of a new fulfillment center.
- The company struggled to organize the large team to meet deadlines to get the new facility up and running to handle the demand of the upcoming holiday season.
- The unknowns of the new facility, new technology utilizing robotics, and a sophisticated warehouse management system prompted the company to seek assistance.
Farwell Advisor Support:
- Services provided included program and project management, strategy development, requirements analysis, and organizational change management.
- Collaboration with leaders and team members to understand the priorities of the initiative that led to formalized plans of action on an aggressive timeline.
- Roadmaps were created and the project was segmented into smaller, more manageable tasks, reducing its complexity.
- Management of vendor partners to provide necessary training, including supervisor training and day-in-the-life/tools-of-the-trade training.
- Facilitation of an action team to determine the correct level of inventory to move and when to move for facility capacity.
Results:
The new fulfillment center was completed under budget and ahead of schedule.
- Cross-trained over 50 staff members to work across the facility. This led to an efficient operation and flexible resource planning to support increased demand.
- Developed six inventory management strategies each tailored to optimize the flow and organization of stock.
- Developed custom slotting logic that strategically places tools and items in locations based on usage patterns, size, and retrieval efficiency, ensuring streamlined operations and improved fulfillment speed.
- Created a labor management system (LMS) dashboard to display activity and employee level. By providing actionable insights, the dashboard helps optimize labor allocation, reduce downtime, and ensure that staffing aligns with operational demands, ultimately leading to improved efficiency and lower labor costs.
