In August 2019 we incorporated the pick, pack and delivery of groceries from the London warehouse to branded service station outlets across London and the South East. With the retailer continuing to expand its footprint across the region, the additional service requirement amounted to a 25% increase in the number of convenience stores receiving deliveries every night of the year. 

The Wincanton team identified where efficiency and performance improvements in the London warehouse would increase picking accuracy, reduce costs and raise safety levels for colleagues. This process resulted in a major change in the layout of picking zones in the warehouse. It also saw the introduction of a one-way ‘horseshoe’ picking route to reduce congestion and streamline the picking process.

The changes took five-days to implement, during which the warehouse team continued to run the operation with no disruption.

Changing the workflow and working practices in the warehouse meant that more orders were processed on-time and with improved accuracy.  The efficiencies driven by the layout change also resulted in significant decreases in labour costs, as the warehouse now requires fewer working hours-per-week to meet service level targets.

The increase in picking activity in the warehouse, as a result of the expansion, was also causing congestion in picking zones, meaning that safety issues needed to be addressed. Changing the warehouse layout and picking process optimised space and resulted in a 93% fall in on-site accidents and a 65% reduction in near miss incidents.