Find out the latest updates, insights and news from BoxLogic Logistics Consultants

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AUTUMN 2023 NEWSLETTER

Dear <<First Name>>

It is exciting to finally launch our very own newsletter, which aims to keep you up to date with news and insight from (hopefully) your favourite warehouse and logistics consultancy. Like us, I am sure that you have busy inboxes and already struggle to separate the important from the irrelevant.

So, we have decided to limit ourselves to four newsletters per annum. We hope that you value our communications, but should you wish, you are free to unsubscribe at any time. With that in mind, let’s talk logistics.

Industry Update

Businesses are suffering from a bitter cocktail of sticky inflation, high interest rates, low consumer confidence and tight labour markets. As businesses adjust to the changing conditions, those that have been proactive in investing in their supply chains over recent years are able to step back and utilise the capacity built into their operations.

Others are finding it more challenging with high borrowing costs putting investments under greater scrutiny. This is creating a gloomy catch-22 situation; where rising labour costs demand investment in more productive technology but the cost of borrowing weakens or prohibits the business case of any investment.

There are some positives for businesses that are still expanding though. Competition for new warehouse space appears to be easing, allowing deals to be struck, in some geographies at least. As 3PLs have led the recent charge for new industrial space, we expect the 3PL market to respond with increased competition over the coming months.

It’s a challenging time, especially as brands gear up for the Black Friday and Christmas peaks. But if there is one thing that we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s the need to manage the immediate disruptions as well as build flexibility into our plans, so that we can be ready for whatever the world throws at us.

Recent Insights and News

RECOGNITION

BoxLogic was named as one of the top UK consultancies in the supply chain service space by Consultancy.uk.

CUBE STORAGE

An overview of one of the hottest technologies in warehouse automation, outlining the pros and cons of the solution.

EVENTS

Nish and Matthew exhibited at Tomorrow's Warehouse event in Coventry in June and will be going back for more in 2024.

Latest Projects from BoxLogic

The BoxLogic team has been busy delivering some exciting projects so far in 2023. As always, these projects have included the optimisation and modelling of distribution networks, the design of manual and automated warehouses and the selection of new warehouse management systems. Some of our highlights have been:

Producing a concept design and business case for an automated warehouse redevelopment and expansion for a global publisher's UK operation

Leading a functionality review and supporting the selection of a new WMS for a UK education and publishing business

Assessing the cost and service implications of setting up a European DC to fulfil mainland European volumes for a distributor of IT hardware

Completing the detailed design of an AutoStore system, following on from a concept warehouse design for a wholesaler and distributor of pet products

There have been some really valuable learnings throughout these projects:

Despite the growth in new warehouse technology (e.g. AMRs, Exotec, AutoStore), traditional automation solutions still compare well for the largest operations, especially when you consider the developments in 2-dimensional shuttles over recent years.

Operators are exploring innovative changes to their existing facility or entire distribution network to stay within design capacities and avoid the high costs associated with the build and fit-out of new premises.

High borrowing costs are making it much more difficult, although not impossible, to achieve attractive returns on investment. However not investing is simply not an option for those operations with technology reaching end-of-life.

There have been rapid increases in the costs of both warehouse equipment and services over recent years, making it all the more important to obtain up-to-date cost benchmarks as inputs to any business cases.

And that concludes our first newsletter. We hope you enjoyed it and we look forward to keeping in touch in a couple of months time.

GET IN TOUCH

Do you have a project that you would like to discuss? Then get in touch

Call us on +44 118 309 4030 or email enquiries@box-logic.co.uk

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5 Merchant Square,
London
W2 1AY
United Kingdom