SME Business Support

Successful small businesses can often find they hit that glass ceiling all too quickly. Increasing growth can lead to a business having to contend with many issues. These can include stock outs, renting outside storage, now managing a number of sites, excess overtime and mounting costs while maintaining or improving service levels and stock availability to meet the demands of your clients. Growth in your business naturally throws up challenges. Some you may have encountered before, others will be new. But they all raise questions of what are the right decisions for the business now and for the future.

It is often commonplace that, while an SME is managing and delivering on its business plan, that the focus and planning of the business narrows to the immediate future and does not consider the longer term. Pressure points are temporarily relieved, issues dealt with but the constraints to the business be they physical –property, equipment, technological – inventory management for example, are still there.

LPC has the skill sets and experience of working with many SME businesses to deal with the here and now while helping plan for the future. Our expertise has enabled us to work with companies that have either just moved through their initial growth spurt and have realised that their existing logistical infrastructure is constraining day to operations, or have moved on from the initial growth stage and have scaled their business to multiple sites.

Operational Improvement and cost reduction

Planning for Growth and Expansion

New Equipment Selection and Procurement

IT Systems and Processes

Training

Business Support

There are many challenges in running an operation which can be made worse by poor layout of the facility and equipment used. If you suffer from any of the following we can help:

Are your storage systems appropriate for the stock being stored and picked?
Are you being forced to double handle or search for items?
Or to spend too much time on tasks like walking and looking rather than picking and packing?

LPC can quickly audit your operation and advise you on how you can improve your efficiency and reduce your costs. We will identify the actions required and how to implement them.

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Warehouse Management System

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Planning for growth doesn’t necessarily mean moving. LPC has extensive experience in space planning and optimising the use of floor space and height in a facility. If new premises are required we can advise on size and requirement as well as providing costs of fit out and operation, that will enable a business case for the investment to be developed.

A new facility is an opportunity, but without the right planning and forethought in the initial design it can be a constraint later. LPC can

Turn your plans into a flexible layout to take account of potential future developments
Maximise the utilisation of footprint and cube
Optimise your material flows
Advise on the availability of equipment, technology and systems
Produce schemes and budget costs

New Equipment, Selection and Procurement

In the normal course of their business most companies are not regular buyers of storage equipment, materials handling equipment or many specialised items.

LPC with their in depth knowledge of logistics, operational requirements, mechanical handling equipment and suppliers in the market place has helped many companies with their procurement, enabling them to identify their needs and purchase the right equipment at the lowest cost.

LPC can:

Determine / confirm identify the operational needs
Produce a specification setting out the requirement
Identify Suppliers and Prepare ITT/RFQ Documentation
Assist with Procurement
Advise on Commissioning and Handover

IT Systems and Processes

In the normal course of their business, most companies are not regular buyers of a warehouse management system (WMS). Many companies do not have dedicated WMS but use their ERP or paper based systems.

If your current system no longer supports your business or is inefficient LPC can help you:

Assess your needs
Scope your Project
Select your Supplier
Assist with Implementation and Commissioning

Training

LPC can provide bespoke training courses for how to lay out your warehouse or operation to maximise efficiency and how to improve productivity. Each training course is a mix of classroom instruction covering the principles of design and operation and opportunities related to your industry followed by time ‘on the warehouse floor’ in your facility focusing on your particular challenges.

Among the topics that can be covered are:

Storage design
Pickface layout and SKU location
Picking and packing systems
Operational improvement

Business Support

Our aim is always to add value, whether it is in the design or the delivery of a project, or the improvement of an operation. We use our expertise to compliment yours. We do not seek to do what you can do, but to work with you to do it better and to provide skills and resources to enable you to concentrate on your running of the business. We can undertake specific tasks on an ad-hoc basis.

LPC can provide:

Programme management
Project Management
Procurement assistance
Contractor liaison
Commissioning and equipment sign off support

A Holistic Approach To Supply Chain Optimisation

These components need to be considered holistically and not as an individual entity. if you do not the result will almost guarantee a sub optimal supply chain entailing hidden costs with a lack of visibility and total understanding within the various components of the business.

The aim should be to reduce complexity and drive growth whilst being flexible enough to be able to adapt to change influenced by customers, economics or technology.

LPC draws on its detailed knowledge of the individual supply chain components to build up an accurate picture of cumulative costs and service level implications.