Southgate Global, a leading specialist in servicing, is helping warehouses and fulfilment centres cut costs and their carbon footprint. Southgate’s White Paper outlines the benefits of repairing instead of replacing key equipment used in moving goods around a warehouse as well as the receiving and storing of inventory, picking and packing of goods, shipping of orders, and handling of returns at fulfilment centres.
Major shifts in power, significant overhaul of economic policies and global conflicts so far in 2025 have influenced the international supply chain, leading to increased costs, delays and even shortages of certain goods and raw materials. As a result, organisations are looking for ways to streamline operations to best mitigate these impacts and keep goods flowing.
Maintaining operational efficiency in both the warehouse and in distribution centres now plays a crucial role in business profitability. However, rapid SKU turnover and seasonal volume surges mean damaged carts, cages or trolleys can quickly bottleneck operations, leading to unexpected downtime and slowed operations.
Recognising this, Southgate Global’s latest White Paper is helping organisations understand when to repair instead of replacing damaged equipment, and the importance of regular servicing in pre-empting equipment failure.
Last year alone, Southgate repaired more than 200,000 carts and trolleys that would otherwise have been written off, helping its customers extend the life of their equipment, minimising downtime, and substantially reducing their CAPEX. Its repair-first maintenance programme also created £40 million of CAPEX savings in a single year for one customer and made a real contribution to that customer’s sustainability targets.
This is the latest in a series of industry-leading White Papers produced by Southgate aimed at helping businesses create a more resilient and cost-effective operation. It sets out the seven key benefits of repairing equipment, a checklist process for organisations to use, and provides a calculator to enable businesses to work out when repairing is the most cost-effective option over replacement.
Titled ‘Repair or Replace? A Southgate Global White Paper on the ESG and CAPEX advantages of extending equipment life for 3PLs’, the White Paper focuses on helping organisations identify when to repair or replace damaged parts and machinery. It also encourages them to think more broadly about the type of equipment that can be efficiently maintained and repaired, through a scalable servicing package and proactive maintenance tailored to contract-critical operations provided by Southgate Global.
John Maher, Head of Fulfilment Servicing at Southgate Global, explains: “Carts and trolleys, indeed any manual handling equipment, are integral to every warehouse operation, no matter the sector. But they’re often perceived as low value and, as a result, are frequently replaced at the first sign of wear.
“There is a danger when taking this approach. Often, the financial cumulative cost of replacements is not factored in. For example, replacing equipment incurs not only the capital cost of new assets but also additional expenses related to transportation, downtime and integration. Repairing damaged trolleys, either brakes, wheels or general servicing, is far more cost-effective than purchasing a whole new unit. We proved this to ourselves and our customers time and time again in all our calculations. With more than 40 expert technicians maintaining and repairing over 5,000 items of packing and material handling equipment each week across the UK and Europe, we’re in a strong position to know.”
The frequent replacement of equipment not only adds to an organisation’s costs but can also massively undermine its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments. Prioritising repairs over replacements helps to extend product lifecycles, minimise resource consumption and lower an organisation’s carbon footprint.
To download Southgate’s latest white paper to help reduce CAPEX and improve sustainability, visit: southgateglobal.com
Comments are closed.