Simplifying Warehouse Management Processes

Introduction to the Client

Brakes Group is a leading wholesale food and beverage distribution company in the UK. It provides delivered wholesale supplies and contract logistical services to the UK catering industry. Brakes initially engaged with Bluestonex to facilitate a design thinking workshop addressing challenges in warehouse management processes and exploring opportunities offered by investment in SAP user experience technology.

Business Challenges

• Complexity of existing warehouse management screens.
• Risks associated with user data entry errors and rectification.
• Lack of an intuitive SAP user interface.
• Negative perception of overall SAP usability by business users.
• Frequent entry of redundant and duplicate data administration.
• Time and resource-intensive warehouse management processes within SAP WM transaction execution.
• Training costs associated with employee onboarding.
• Cost associated with bespoke system development & service desk support.
• Transactional data entry dependencies on key administrators across the supply chain network.

Engagement Overview

Workshops were conducted by Bluestonex with business representatives and key stakeholders during a two-day period. Iterative design thinking methods were employed to address operational challenges faced by users during SAP warehouse management processes. Bluestonex utilized a re-framing exercise to explore solutions and gather insights, working closely with operational experts to validate requirements and assess SAP best practices. Metrics were benchmarked to quantify improvements in warehouse management processes.

Collaboration with Bluestonex

The Bluestonex team quickly demonstrated how automating keystroke steps in warehouse management processes could improve efficiency across the supply chain. A prototype was developed based on wireframing exercises with input from the operations team. The intuitive user interface design provided insights into building a comprehensive solution. Bluestonex’s focus on people, processes, and technology helped Brakes understand the importance of improving their SAP user experience while benchmarking quantitative benefits for optimized warehouse management processes.

Engagement Benefits

• Realization of potential monetary and productivity value of user experience.
• Visual perception of SAP user experience technologies.
• Re-framing and innovative insights into existing business challenges.
• Formulation of value cases and use cases for SAP user experience.
• Enhanced understanding of SAP user experience technology from a business perspective.

Final Thoughts from the Client

“We engaged with Bluestonex as we required user experience advisory services regarding warehouse execution. Their design thinking approach coupled with a deep understanding of SAP helped us realize the value of UX & how to improve our existing SAP solution.”
— Chris Whinfrey, Brakes Network Implementation Director