WARE UK adopts Easy WMS to scale Knowsley facility

WARE UK is rolling out Mecalux's Easy WMS warehouse management system at a new distribution facility in Knowsley as it expands its order fulfilment and dispatch operation in northern England.

The wholesaler supplies cleaning and catering products to organisations in the hospitality and facilities management sectors. The company said it plans to use the system to manage stock traceability and day-to-day warehouse processes as it grows its distribution and eCommerce activity in the Liverpool area.

Stock control

WARE UK said the new site will handle a broad range of stock keeping units across janitorial products, tableware, glassware and packaging. The company positioned the software deployment as part of a wider approach to scaling warehouse operations while maintaining control over inventory.

"We need to guarantee traceability for our SKUs, which include janitorial, tableware, glassware and packaging solutions. With Easy WMS, we'll gain complete stock visibility, allowing us to control inventory with greater accuracy," said Jon Crossfield, Operations Manager, WARE UK.

The Easy WMS platform will record goods movements across the facility. WARE UK expects to receive 10 to 12 lorry deliveries a day, according to details provided about the planned operating model. The system will classify inbound goods by product family as they enter the warehouse.

WARE UK also plans to use cross-docking for a share of inbound volume. The company said this approach will reduce handling time for goods that do not require storage before dispatch.

Picking pressure

Picking sits at the centre of the site's daily workload, given the volume of customer orders and the number of product lines involved. WARE UK said the software will manage picking activity and align it with dispatch requirements.

"We fulfil multiple van loads of orders a day for the hospitality and facilities management sectors," said Crossfield.

WARE UK said Easy WMS will integrate with its transport management system. The transport system automatically assigns carriers based on delivery destination. The company framed the connection between warehouse and transport systems as part of its plan to speed up dispatches.

Workforce planning

WARE UK will also implement Mecalux's Labour Management System module as part of the project. The module extends Easy WMS and analyses warehouse performance. WARE UK said it will use the tool for resource planning and to balance workloads across operations.

The company has operated for more than 60 years and is based in Knowsley. It lists a catalogue of more than 40,000 products, ranging from kitchen utensils and professional tableware to disposable takeaway containers and janitorial supplies.

Mecalux develops warehouse technology and intralogistics software. The company also makes storage systems and metal racking. Mecalux said it has 12 manufacturing plants, seven research and development centres and a workforce of more than 5,500 employees.

The Knowsley deployment adds another UK warehouse technology project for Mecalux as logistics operators and wholesalers invest in systems that improve inventory visibility and coordinate inbound, picking and dispatch tasks. WARE UK said the software will track the flow of goods through receiving, cross-docking, storage and order preparation at the new facility.