Major housebuilder, Taylor Wimpey is benefiting from improved stock accuracy and customer satisfaction following a warehouse process review carried out by leading logistics consultancy, Davies & Robson.
Taylor Wimpey is one of the largest housebuilders in the UK, operating from 24 regional offices across England, Scotland and Wales. The in-house logistics operation, Taylor Wimpey Logistics (TWL), operates from a national distribution centre in Newmarket and supplies products to all 24 regional housebuilding businesses across the UK. TWL receives, stores and delivers, in build sequence, a diverse range of products including skirting, architrave, soffit boards, fascias, internal doors, door furniture and lintels.
The operation in Newmarket provides an effective service to the 24 regional housebuilding businesses and has been growing strongly over the last three years. The nature of the business and diverse product range means that conventional storage systems, APR and shelving represent a relatively small element of the overall storage requirement. The majority of items are block stacked, loose stored, stored outside or against warehouse walls and cannot be easily differentiated from each other. The warehousing systems provide basic functionality through manual receipts and despatch updates.
Each year the six-monthly stock-takes show a significant amount of discrepancies, suggesting that warehouse processes are weak and inconsistent and that service levels are lower than should be expected. Stock losses could also go unnoticed.
Davies & Robson undertook a detailed process mapping and investigation as well as a review of the base functionality of the warehouse systems, making a series of practical recommendations to improve efficiency, customer satisfaction and stock accuracy.
These included the introduction of improved receipt, put-away and picking processes, the use of numbered locations even for floor or outside storage, clarification of roles and responsibilities within the warehouse and purchasing team, a new role of stock controller, the introduction of a weekly performance dashboard and the introduction of regular performance based team briefings for warehouse staff.
Peter Matthews, MD at Taylor Wimpey Logistics, said: “We provide an effective and valuable service to our customers, the 24 Taylor Wimpey regional housebuilding businesses, which we regularly review as part of our commitment to continuous improvement. Davies & Robson worked efficiently, without causing any disruption to our ongoing operations, and were able to deliver a full set of recommendations that will not only improve our stock accuracy but will also help improve customer service, pick accuracy and overall customer satisfaction. I would have no hesitation in working with them again.”
With more than 85 years experience, Northamptonshire-based Davies & Robson specialises in all aspects of supply chain management, working with domestic and international businesses across a range of industry sectors.
The company provides a complete range of services including supply chain and logistics strategy, warehouse design and efficiency, transport strategy and optimisation, outsourcing and contractor management, benchmarking, process improvement and information technology application.
Davies & Robson
Tel: 01327 349090
Email: info@daviesrobson.co.uk
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