Kenco partners with University of Tennessee on warehouse best practices study

Kenco, a leading provider of integrated logistics solutions, real estate services, and material handling equipment, has partnered with the University of Tennessee (UT) to publish a report focused on warehouse best practices.

The report, entitled “The ABCs of DCs,” is the fifth in UT’s Game Changing Trends in Supply Chain series.

The supply chain management faculty at UT Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business surveyed more than 200 companies, and gathered input from Kenco’s many industry experts. The research collected in “The ABCs of DCs” identifies best practices for modern distribution centers across 11 key functions.

“This study outlines the most significant challenges we’ve seen our clients facing over the past few years, and it conveys creative solutions to meet the growing demand on warehousing providers for information technology and value-added services,” said David Caines, chief operating officer at Kenco. “It’s worth noting that the trends identified in the study cut across virtually every warehouse business model.”

The research concludes that distribution centers must be dynamic to meet customer expectations as Internet orders increase. Cost can no longer be the sole motivator for warehouse management. Distribution centers must adopt modern tools like advanced-shipping notices and warehouse information systems to maximize accuracy and efficiency; and should routinely seek to optimize their networks.

“Logistics professionals who operate distribution centers are expected to improve customer responsiveness, decrease cost, and manage higher volumes every year,” says Paul Dittmann, executive director of UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute. “We found that the most efficient DCs found innovative ways to meet all three of these demands rather than suboptimizing one of the three.”