3M successfully relocates to new warehouse amid COVID-19 in Thailand

Challenge

The client needed to move its inventory of over 5,000 pallets from its Inthanon Distribution Centre (INDC) to our bigger and newer Srivaree Distribution Center (SVDC) in Bangkok, which is better suited for healthcare consumables.

Transferring that amount of inventory efficiently and accurately from one distribution center to another without causing any interruption to the business was the biggest challenge. We were also required to maintain a highly temperature controlled-environment so ambient, air-conditioned and cold room facilities. It was crucial to keep the quality of the products well-maintained throughout storage, preparation, pick-up and transportation.

Approach

Our supply chain management teams first ensured that the temperature was maintained at the required level across the various steps of the relocation as required by the local regulations. This included using transport vehicles that can accommodate cold chain products. Once the products arrived at the SVDC, temperature screening and monitoring were conducted.

Leading up to the move, we held bi-weekly and monthly meetings with 3M to determine the most suitable migration plan, focusing on making sure that there were no interruptions to their customers and patients receiving the critical healthcare products, especially during the pandemic.

We took the necessary measures to monitor stock reconciliation and ensure that inventory accuracy was at a 100 percent level before carrying out the actual migration. These included testing out the SAP systems, generating reports on non-sellable and slow-moving items and planning the priority for product movement so that fast-moving products were moved last to ensure continuous operation and deliveries to customers were not affected.

Result

With all those plans in place, we helped 3M move more than 5,000 pallets within eight days and actually completed the task one day ahead of schedule.

The successful relocation of inventory reflected our strength in supply chain management and our efficiency, quality control and experienced personnel.