Grocery Retailer Reduces Distribution Costs with Network Assessment and LEAN-Based Roadmap
Grocery Retailer Reduces Distribution Costs with Network Assessment and LEAN-Based Roadmap
Large grocery chain tackles inefficiencies across fleet, freight pay, and operations by aligning teams around a structured improvement plan
❝They are my on-the-ground, get their fingers dirty, go-to team.❞
Simon Sterck
Serax
A national grocery company faced rising distribution costs across its multi-site network. Fleet management, freight payment processes, and site-level operations had evolved independently—resulting in uneven performance and lost opportunities for savings. SPARQ360 partnered with the internal teams to assess the current state and deliver a structured roadmap to drive improvement across the board.
The Challenge
While each distribution site operated under the same company umbrella, they had grown to function with different processes, metrics, and performance standards. Freight payment processes were inconsistent, fleet assets were under-optimized, and site-level visibility was limited. The company had talented operations staff—but lacked the time and neutral structure needed to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities across locations.
Key issues included:
- Redundant or inconsistent processes between sites
- Delays and disputes in freight payment
- Unclear fleet utilization patterns
- Disconnected tools and data across departments
The business needed an actionable plan—not more reporting—with the buy-in of frontline and leadership teams alike.eporting—with the buy-in of frontline and leadership teams alike.
SPARQ360’s experienced team deploys a boots-on-the-ground approach and mediate operations and customer’s leadership teams allowing us to make unbiased, objective decisions based purely on what is best for our customers. Our team provided hands on guidance to warehouse staff, documented process changes and enabled inter-departmental communication to maximize their 3PL engagement. This was the missing link for this client.
The Strategy
SPARQ360 designed a phased approach that started with visibility. The team performed a full current state assessment built on:
- On-site walkthroughs of multiple distribution centers
- Structured interviews with key employees across departments
- Review of freight payment practices, fleet operations, and routing structures
- Direct observation of daily operations at peak and off-peak times
This mix of data, observation, and team input allowed SPARQ360 to build a grounded, reality-based picture of the network’s current performance.
Rather than delivering a theoretical redesign, the strategy focused on:
- Prioritizing improvements that would drive measurable savings
- Establishing a baseline that leadership and local teams could agree on
- Identifying high-impact changes that were realistic with existing resources
Related SPARQ360 service: Supply Chain and Manufacturing Optimization
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The Implementation
SPARQ360’s team worked closely with operations leads, fleet managers, and finance teams to ensure alignment. The result was a detailed future state roadmap grounded in the realities of grocery distribution—and designed to work with the client’s internal capabilities.
Deliverables included:
- A site-by-site assessment summary with photos and observations
- Prioritized improvement areas across fleet, freight pay, and site workflow
- Cost-saving projections tied to specific action steps
- A clear roadmap linking short-term improvements to long-term strategic goals
SPARQ360 facilitated a cross-functional review of the recommendations to ensure buy-in before handoff.
The Results
- Identified immediate savings opportunities across multiple distribution centers
- Improved freight pay visibility, reducing payment disputes and delays
- Roadmap aligned teams around achievable, high-impact process improvements
- Increased morale from involving site teams directly in shaping the solution
This wasn’t a one-size-fits-all assessment. It was a tailored engagement that respected site-level knowledge, made use of internal tools, and gave leadership a clear next step for execution.
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