Pet Food Retailer Uncovers $2.7M in Direct Benefits and Clear Path Forward for Distribution Technology and Network Design
Context
The private equity–owned retailer had recently moved into a new distribution center with a significantly higher cost structure, while also navigating a recent acquisition and substantial leadership turnover. At the same time, the company needed a more robust supply chain and technology foundation to support its growing store network across the Southern United States.
Leadership engaged The Poirier Group to quickly evaluate how the new DC was performing relative to competitive benchmarks and to explore alternative logistics network configurations that could better support current and future retail expansion.
What We Discovered
The initial assessment revealed a combination of visibility gaps, process uncertainty, and technology constraints that were limiting performance and decision-making:
- Limited clarity on operational performance
- Key stakeholders lacked a clear view of how the new distribution center compared to the previous facility.
- The organization did not fully understand the value or impact of different improvement opportunities within the new warehouse.
- Benchmarking and performance gaps
- Leadership and DC teams had limited exposure to industry benchmarks, making it difficult to gauge how far current performance lagged behind where it should be.
- Within-the-four-walls and network-level issues
- The assessment highlighted specific “within-the-4-wall” opportunities inside the DC itself through detailed logistics network scenarios.
- Warehouse Management System (WMS) limitations were identified via root cause analysis, showing where technology was constraining efficiency.
- Technology and capacity uncertainty
- There was no unified understanding of the current technology challenges, capacity constraints, or thresholds that should trigger future network or technology decisions.
These findings underscored the need for a structured roadmap that combined operational, network, and technology improvements.
Results and Impact
As a direct outcome of the assessment, the client:
- Identified $2.7M in direct benefits, tied to operational improvements and network optimization opportunities.
- Gained clarity on capacity limitations and thresholds, enabling more informed, growth-based decision-making about when to adjust the network or facilities.
Achieved greater visibility into WMS issues, including specific root causes and trade-offs, and alignment on the recommended technology direction.
What We Did
The Poirier Group conducted a rapid but comprehensive assessment focused on:
- Benchmarking DC performance against peers and leading practices to quantify performance gaps.
- Evaluating multiple logistics network scenarios to determine how best to support the retailer’s expanding Southern U.S. footprint.
- Identifying WMS and process limitations through detailed root cause analysis inside the new DC.
- Quantifying financial upside from operational and technology-driven improvements.
From this work, TPG defined 15 concrete solutions to address supply chain, capacity, and technology objectives, prioritized by impact and feasibility.
Test
