Although Wincanton and Kraft Heinz had a strong partnership, it evolved further in February 2019, with the two forming an even more collaborative operation.
Despite the success of the relationship, portions of the operation were divided between the two, creating barriers that led to duplication of responsibility.
Creating ‘ONE Team’
‘Project Anoles’ – named after a lizard known for adapting to its surroundings –streamlined the way Wincanton and Kraft Heinz work together.
Although both worked collaboratively some portions of the operations remained divided. This led to barriers that slowed processes, siloed key information and led to duplication of responsibility.
To change this, Wincanton and Kraft Heinz built ‘ONE Team’ of senior dedicated supply chain professionals working across both businesses. This resulted in increased efficiency across labour and operational processes. On top of this, training methods for new and existing staff boosted colleague engagement scores.
This project was the winner of the ‘Team of the Year’ accolade at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2020.
Robust COVID-19 response
COVID-19 dominated 2020. The pandemic altered everyone’s lives and Kraft Heinz experienced a massive increase in demand for its products.
In week one the Wigan NDC experienced a 15% increase in volume. This continued through the following six weeks, peaking at a record-breaking 2.7 million cases despatched in a single week. This was a 42% un-forecasted increase.
The foundations laid by ‘Project Anoles’ facilitated this response. The operation was able to meet these huge volumes with minimal disruption, while also introducing safe working measures to protect the health and wellbeing of all colleagues.
By optimising warehouse flows and onward transportation through alterations to customer order assembly, processes were made as efficient as possible to support increased volumes.
Testimonial
Laura Kussler, Head of Distribution UK&I at Kraft Heinz, said:
“It’s exciting and rewarding to be recognised not just for what we’ve accomplished in partnership with Wincanton, but for how we got there. We’re all so proud of the collaborative relationship both companies have, which has built a team that really delivers for our customers.
“It’s been a challenging year for everyone, so to know that we’re on the right track is truly rewarding. We’re full of energy and are excited to continue to accomplish great things.”
2.7m
cases despatched in a single week
42%
un-forecasted increase
15%
increase in volume
