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From Chaos to Drive‑Thru Speed for Global 3PL
How a leading 3PL turned WMS upgrades and automation into real‑world efficiency
INDUSTRY
Transportation & MobilitySOLUTION
Warehouse Operations & AutomationOFFERING
Warehouse Design, WMS Upgrade, Warehouse Automation Implementation, Managed ServicesTECHNOLOGY
Blue Yonder WMS, Third Wave AutomationBig volumes, bigger expectations
This foodservice 3PL isn’t small. Nearly $4 billion in revenue. Close to 100 million cases moved annually. Trucks running to the tune of almost half a million loads a year. And every day, one in eight U.S. consumers eats because their supply chain runs on time.
But the old playbook wasn’t built for what came next: A large‑scale brownfield site in Dallas needing a full technology refresh, an aggressive automation roadmap at existing facilities, and relentless pressure from QSR giants.
What they needed wasn’t just a system upgrade—it was a way to stitch WMS, client onboarding, replenishment, and robotics into one coherent operation without breaking service levels for the brands that depend on them.
In short, they needed a partner that could rapidly deploy warehouse technology, simplify operator adoption, and seamlessly integrate advanced robotics with Blue Yonder’s WMS.
Blueprints, bots & breakthroughs
Spinnaker SCA handled the heavy lift—designing, configuring, integrating, and training—so the client’s teams could keep serving customers while transformation happened in real time.
- 01 Dallas brownfield DC
- 02 Multi‑site WMS upgrades
- 03 Automation for scale
- 04 Flow re‑engineering
- 05 Ongoing managed services
Prepared to succeed
No overload, just adoption
For upgrades at 3 other locations, the approach was different. Operators and supervisors went through multiple training sessions in the 3–4 weeks leading up to go‑live, building confidence before the cutover. This meant the sites went live fast, with minimal disruption. Result: 95% adoption in four weeks.
Four bots, six months, real impact
At a flagship Illinois DC serving a major QSR client, Spinnaker SCA integrated Third Wave Automation’s AGVs with Blue Yonder WMS. Four robots were deployed over six months to handle replenishment, pallet picking, putaway, and staging.
Humans & robots working as one
Inbound putaway processes were redesigned to direct product into staging lanes aligned with AGV zones. Outbound flows shifted from dock staging to automated pickup and deposit lanes, reducing pallet picking and increasing throughput and replenishment.
The after go-live party
Our goal is never to "go live." It's to "stay live" day in and day out. We provided continuous consulting, onboarding, and hypercare to the 3PL so their WMS team could take ownership and scale confidently and stand on their own without us.
Results that show up on the floor
The payoff wasn’t theoretical—it was operational, measurable, and fast. Within weeks, warehouse operators weren’t just trained, they were fluent. Automation wasn’t stuck in pilot mode, it was running shifts. And their biggest QSR clients got the service reliability they demanded.
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Brownfield DC modernized and brought online quickly, despite permitting delays
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95% user adoption in four weeks across upgraded WMS sites
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40% fewer support tickets thanks to simplified workflows and training
- Replenishment, picking, and putaway optimized with human–robot interleaving
- Initial AGV automation delivered ROI and set the stage for broader rollout, proving a model for scale
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Stronger service levels for marquee QSR brands from drive‑thru to delivery
Ready to trade operational chaos for control?
If you’re ready to cut complexity, stand up automation, and turn operations into a competitive advantage, we can get you there.