Matalan, the fashion and homeware store, has successfully upgraded its supply chain technology platform with a multi-site roll-out of the latest version of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management system. The recent project builds on the successful long-term partnership that exists between the two companies.
The system upgrade has involved the retailer's three UK distribution centres (DCs), spanning over 1 million square feet and provides Matalan with the supply chain flexibility it needs to support its store expansion programme as well its multi-channel retail plans.
The Manhattan Warehouse Management solution (WMS) is part of the Manhattan SCOPE portfolio of supply chain optimisation solutions and has a long track record of success serving many of the world's leading brands in the retail and fashion sectors as well as a wide range of other industry verticals. Through a low-risk, rigorous deployment approach, Matalan and Manhattan Associates upgraded the supply chain software in the retailer's Skelmersdale, Knowsley and Corby DCs to set up an end-to-end solution for managing stock moving from DC to store.
During the upgrade go-live, there was no drop-off in service levels and the Manhattan WMS handled the required volume throughput from day one. The enhancement project included upgrades to reporting interfaces, making them more flexible and giving access to more users. Matalan has log-ins for 750 people and 250 users who can access supply chain data at any one time, in real-time.
Pete Trainer, IT and logistics director at Matalan Retail Ltd. commented, "The quality of Manhattan Associates' software is excellent and we have experienced a very smooth implementation in our key warehouses in the UK, without any interruption to the business a particularly impressive feat at a time of year when we're going into peak season. The testing process was vigorous as it was important to get the implementation right, rather than be rushed and risk any fulfilment inaccuracies. The level of organisation and detail we now have on stock stand us in good stead for further expansion into e-commerce as well, where Manhattan will be able to help us cost effectively manage order volume increases and support our multi-channel operations."
Steve Smith, senior vice president at Manhattan Associates, added, "The Manhattan WMS is designed for optimal order fulfilment in a range of environments, and we're delighted to see Matalan benefitting from the technology's ability to process high throughput volumes and excited that it will in the near future support the retailer's multi-channel commerce operations. To be a success in new markets, retailers need to have clear visibility of the highest value capital in the business the stock and our software brings inventory optimisation to the warehouse staff's fingertips, allowing them to make smarter business decisions."
Manhattan's Distribution Management solutions are fully scalable and include other optimisation tools such as Labour Management, which enables the warehouse workforce to be more productive and Slotting Optimisation, which determines the best picking profile for the warehouse as order patterns change.
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