Autumn 2007

The Works, a leading UK retailer of value books, crafts and gifts, has introduced the workforce management solution from RedPrairie in a bid to enhance productivity at its Sutton Coldfield distribution centre.

The company is already using RedPrairie's warehouse management system at the site, and says this has brought a 25 per cent improvement in picking efficiency. It is hoping that it can increase these gains further by extending the RedPrairie reach with the new system.

The signs are good. The company says the workforce management product has already produced a further 25 per cent improvement in operator productivity. The system offers dynamic workforce reporting functionality via a PC-based user interface, which is said to deliver accurate expectations for picking tasks, taking into account preferred work methods such as travel distances, weight and environmental factors.

Real-time monitoring enables team-leaders to measure the up-to-the-minute performance of individuals or teams and alerts them to potential problems before they disrupt warehouse operations.

The Works has annual revenues of £100 million and employs 2,500 people. It stocks items from 500 suppliers and introduces around 100 new product lines every week at its 300 stores.