The Situation
Inventory waited in inbound queues before becoming pickable, delaying sellable availability.
Receiving, putaway, and fulfilment operated as disconnected activities with avoidable travel and handoff delay.
Fulfilment speed was measured late in the process while the biggest bottleneck sat upstream.
What We Did
We redesigned receiving, putaway, and fulfilment as one linked operating flow.
- Integrated inbound and fulfilment design into a single process architecture.
- Restructured putaway to make inventory pick-ready faster.
- Optimized picking paths and pick-to-pack methods.
- Removed delays between receiving, storage, and fulfilment steps.
The Results
Carton-to-rack turnaround dropped from 6.4 to 1.2 days.
Orders per worker improved from 123 to 188; pick-to-pack improved from 90 to 59 seconds.
Overall order processing time reduced by 81%, making stock sellable in about a day.
Strategic Takeaway
- The real inbound metric is speed to sellable stock.
- If fulfilment feels slow, inspect how long inventory waits before it is pickable.
Contact Gemba Concepts
Need Help Solving Similar Execution Gaps?
Connect with our consulting team to discuss your current operational challenge and the outcomes you want to achieve.
Bengaluru
Ram Leo, 59/4, Market Rd, Basavanagudi, Karnataka 560004
Ahmedabad
World Trade Tower, Near Sarkhej Sanand Cross Road, Gujarat 380051
Share This Article
Found this useful? Share it with your team and peers.
