Growth by acquisition, cost by accident.
Brightway Logistics bought five regional operators in six years. Each warehouse kept its own layout, shift pattern and KPIs, and the cost of fulfilling an order rose faster than revenue.
- 14warehouses with separate ways of working
- +23%cost per order in three years
- 4.6%of orders picked incorrectly
Customers were noticing. Two retail accounts had put Brightway on formal improvement plans, and peak season meant hiring 900 temporary staff who each needed different training depending on the site.
Leadership wanted lower cost without putting service at risk — no site could miss a delivery window while the changes went in.
One standard, fourteen sites.
We started small in one warehouse, proved the model on the floor and then rolled it out site by site with Brightway's own team leaders in charge.
- 01
Design the standard
In the Coventry pilot site we rebuilt slotting, pick paths and shift handovers, cutting walking distance per pick by 35% in eight weeks.
- 02
Rebalance the network
Demand modelling showed two sites could close and three could specialize. Stock moved in eleven waves, each timed around customer peaks.
- 03
Train the floor
We trained 120 team leaders as lean coaches, so daily problem-solving runs without consultants on site.