Space and movement
Travel distances across picking routes were unnecessarily high, with excessive zone switching and redundant walk paths, and high-frequency SKUs were not prioritised spatially.
Case Studies / Retail & E-commerce
Unlocking Peak Warehouse Efficiency with WareBee
A major UK home-improvement retail group with hundreds of physical stores and a strong e-commerce presence, whose national distribution centre supports daily store replenishment, next-day click-and-collect and online fulfilment.
- 13.5%Higher pick rate
- 18%Denser shipments (picks per asset)
- 14%Fewer locations per pick route
- 16%Less replenishment distance
The approach
WareBee deployed its AI-powered digital twin to mirror the warehouse. By ingesting historical and real-time data, the customer's team ran scenario-based simulations to surface inefficiencies, generate recommendations and validate the business impact before any change was made on the ground.
What we found
The inefficiencies hiding in plain sight.
Underused assets
Containers and roll cages were underutilised, with picking density well below potential, and tote usage lacked optimisation logic, raising handling effort per shipment.
Process blind spots
The team had limited visibility into pick density, route efficiency and SKU-placement performance, so improvement decisions were reactive rather than simulation-tested.
Storage-policy compliance
A few hundred items sat in non-compliant locations. Some zones were fully compliant while others deviated by up to 45%, causing misaligned workflows.
Replenishment inefficiency
Frequent replenishment into sub-optimal locations increased handling time and walking distance.
Picking inefficiency
Excessive locations visited and a sub-optimal layout led to longer routes, while low-velocity SKUs held prime real estate in high-turnover zones.
What we did
Changes tested in the twin, then made on the floor.
Layout simulation and validation
Modelled multiple pick-path and zone configurations on real data to reduce travel and congestion.
Zoning high-turnover SKUs
Re-slotted 5,000 SKUs by velocity, pick correlation (affinity) and ergonomic accessibility.
Shipment asset optimisation
Analysed pick-to-container density and restructured SKU grouping to increase fill efficiency.
Continuous monitoring
Activated automated alerts for slot degradation, route friction and high-variance locations.
Operational benchmarking
Quantified baseline performance and simulated improvements before committing physical changes.
Policy compliance monitoring
Scanned for violations across 13 product rules and visualised non-compliance by zone.
The outcome
WareBee delivered ROI within three months: picker walking time down 10%, the average pick route needing 14% fewer locations, and throughput up 13.5% with no system or labour changes. Shipment density rose 18%, replenishment distance fell 16%, and storage utilisation rose 9%.
Why WareBee
WareBee's digital twin lets warehouses test layout, slotting and process changes in simulation before making costly decisions. With rapid onboarding and proactive monitoring, this operation uncovered hidden inefficiencies and implemented sustainable improvements at scale.
Want numbers like these?
Bring a data export to the demo and we'll build the first view of your own warehouse, not a canned one.