The challenge
DHL Global Match wished to address the congested and challenging work environment in its London mail consolidation facility, with a view to enabling the business operation to continue successfully for the next three years.
o&i consulting provided logistics and parcel distribution expertise to help the operator to make best use of the available capacity in its consolidation facility.
Our role
To become familiar with the Global Match facility, the o&i team analysed historic data provided by the client as well as collecting our own data and spending time observing the live operation. We analysed all parts of the warehouse operation involved in receiving, sorting and despatching mail bags, parcels and containerised goods, evaluating flows through the facility, efficiency of the operation and total capacity.
As a result of our analysis and assessment of the product flow and building layout, o&i consultants identified a number of areas that were contributing to constraints and presented opportunities to improve processes, infrastructure, equipment and layout. Based on a set of design principles, we proposed alternative layouts that would help to optimise flows, allocate warehouse space more appropriately by operational area, create a structured consolidation environment, and improve overall performance.
As part of this project, we helped the client to design an optimised cage flow, better utilise and optimise storage capacity, and identify the most appropriate mechanical handing equipment to optimise utilisation.
The Outcome
o&i consulting provided DHL Global Match with a set of strategies to maximise its existing capacity and meet demand requirements for the next years without requiring infrastructure change and expenditure.
