A fit for the future network, from design to implementation

The issue:

This client had outgrown their existing warehouse facilities. Stock was spread across eight sites, making for an inefficient operation.
The head office was an uninspiring workplace, bolted onto an old warehouse which didn’t match the design-led ethos of the business.

Our objectives:

• Develop a business case showing capital and operational expenditure to move from the existing, eight site, network to a single DC
• Manage operational design and lead all procurement activity for fit-out packages. Develop a programme of detailed design
• Work on-site as the client’s project manager to deliver a fifteen-week office and warehouse fit-out schedule

What we did:

• Crunched the data to establish how a single DC would look, entering “what if” scenarios into a bespoke modelling tool
• Redesigned operational processes
• Property and land research and insight
• Central project management and governance
• Led the project from end-to-end, coordinating with all 3rd parties on behalf of the client

How we did it:

After establishing our objective to get our client to a single site by summer 2019, we really got to work.

• Through one-to-one interviews, focused meetings on specific subjects and day-in-the-life-of workshops, we developed a detailed design layout and budgetary cost
• We created a clear business case illustrating timelines and capital and operational costs of change which we presented to the client’s parent company for approval
• After sign-off we developed a detailed solution with sign-off with the operational team at every stage. The signed off solution was the starting pointing for our RFQ-based procurement process. This involved distinct packages, which we managed and negotiated for the client
• We then developed a fit-out programme with twelve main contractors and worked on-site throughout the fifteen-week fit-out programme delivering on-time and to budget