The retailer has completed the roll-out of a workforce management system from RedPrairie to its two Milton Keynes distribution centres. The system went live at its Stevenage centre last year and its Northampton site in 2006.
John Lewis managing director, distribution, Dino Rocos told Retail Week that the system has already delivered an average 16 per cent productivity improvement at Northampton, with some functions seeing much larger improvements.
Rocos said that, during the retailer’s last peak trading season, it was able to keep staffing costs in the Northampton distribution centre flat, despite dealing with rising volumes. Similar cost improvements should be possible at its Milton Keynes sites this year.
Beyond that, Rocos said John Lewis is now focused on the opening of its semi-automated distribution centre at Magna Park next year. This site will not adopt the RedPrairie system, but will operate using separate warehouse management software to the retailer’s other distribution centres.
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