Bringing manufacturing operations in-house is always daunting, even for well-known companies like complete-nutrition brand Huel.
Cleverly, a capable network from the start was at the top of Huel’s operational shopping list.
The 71,800 sq ft site at PLP MK in Milton Keynes produces Huel’s Powder and Hot & Savoury ranges for customers across the UK and Europe, while also supporting increased Ready-to-drink output.
Located within the UK’s first carbon net-zero logistics and manufacturing park (a fitting location for a brand that puts sustainability at the heart of everything they do) this facility represented an £8 million investment.
A modern warehouse might look the part, but it cannot run effectively on fancy manufacturing equipment and ample storage infrastructure alone.
Reliable connectivity is essential for the products, people and processes to move efficiently through the building.
Huel chose the team at Performance Networks to design and install a secure local area network and warehouse-grade WiFi infrastructure, all to be ready and working before the first pallet arrived.
Designing for the finished warehouse
Warehouse WiFi challenges are different from the everyday problems you might find in an office or hospitality space. With tall metal racking affecting signal and continuous changing stock levels altering the physical conditions within the building. Loading bays, equipment and large open areas also all create different requirements.
A design based on an empty warehouse would have performed very differently once the racking, machinery and stock were added.
The Performance Networks team have years of experience in this sector, so the network was well planned for Huel’s final operational environment rather than the initial conditions visible during the initial fit-out.
Using Ekahau software, Performance Networks engineers completed passive and predictive WiFi surveys based on the proposed racking layout. The design model took into consideration metal interference, signal reflections within aisles and the routes that forklifts, handheld devices and employees would follow throughout shifts on the site.
The survey information was used to produce annotated heatmaps, access-point mounting point suggestions and a detailed cabling plan. This gave the team clear information about where equipment and network connections needed to be installed and reduced any risk of changes or reworks later in the project.
Creating a full network infrastructure
The company delivered a full-stack Cisco Meraki network, including wireless access points, switches and firewalls.
The design included secure segmentation and authentication to separate production systems from any corporate traffic, which now helps to protect different outputs while giving the IT team visibility of all the devices and applications using the network.
During installation, the engineers configured and optimised the complete network to support coverage and device roaming throughout the facility. Testing was carried out using the actual devices that would be used every day, which meant the team could assess the network experience from the perspective of the workers rather than just on theoretical coverage figures.
Plenty of experience in the sector has shown the Performance Networks team just how important this exercise is in operational environments. A device may show that it is connected to WiFi while still experiencing delays, failed transactions or interruptions as it moves between access points. Testing roaming behaviour and application performance can show any issues that a standard coverage check may miss.
Ready before production began
Timing was another important part of this project. The team at Huel wanted to be completed and signed off before the site went live.
Delivering the work during the fit-out meant that cabling, access points installs and any other supporting infrastructure could be installed causing little disruption. It also meant that any potential connectivity problems could be addressed before they affected production schedules or customer orders.
This completed warehouse network now provides reliable coverage across the racking aisles, loading bays and manufacturing areas of Huel’s warehouse. Seamless roaming supports forklifts, handheld equipment and pick routes as users move through the building, while network segmentation keeps production and corporate traffic appropriately separated.
This infrastructure was also designed with future growth in mind. Access-point density, cabling and switch capacity were planned to accommodate any additional production lines, more product ranges, plus device and employee additions without requiring the network to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Supporting the network after installation
Performance Networks continues to support Huel’s infrastructure, supported by a fully managed service. Proactive firmware lifecycle management and access to a UK-based helpdesk working to defined service-level agreements are also included in the network support.
How Performance Networks worked with the team at Huel shows the value of treating Warehouse WiFi networks and connectivity as part of the warehouse’s core infrastructure. It should be centre stage, not just for IT teams but operational teams too.
If you’re a warehouse operator reading this planning a new facility, expansion or network upgrade, involving specialists at an early stage can help you prevent dead zones, roaming problems and expensive changes in hind sight.
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