Urban Outfitters supports growth with Manhattan Associates’ warehouse management solution

Atlanta Urban Outfitters has moved the fulfillment and call-center activities of its direct and wholesale channels to a facility in Trenton, S.C., and implemented Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution from the Manhattan Scope Distribution Management solution suite to optimize its distribution network. To support the chain’s European retail operations, Warehouse Management was also implemented in its London retail distribution center.

"With our continued growth and increasing sales straining our network, we decided to transform our supply chain processes with a long-term solution that could support operations across all of Urban Outfitters' multiple channels," said Ken McKinney, executive director of Logistics, Urban Outfitters. "We needed the capacity to handle high volumes, increase process efficiency, improve supply chain visibility and obtain meaningful performance measures."

In addition, the retailer plans to implement the warehouse management solution in two additional U.S. retail facilities in Gap, Pa., and Reno, Nev., by the summer of 2011.

“Urban Outfitters obtained a significant return on its investment with Manhattan Scope solutions," McKinney added. "We achieved increased productivity and supply chain visibility along with improved collaboration with trading partners and product flow."

Since implementation, Urban Outfitters has experienced benefits, including 35% reduction in total labor, 80% reduction in manifesting and invoicing processes, 66% reduction in turn time through receiving -- from three days to less than 24 hours -- and a 60% rise in putaway efficiency.