How a Fitness Innovator Scaled Fulfillment with Manhattan WMS
Optimizing warehouse orchestration for omnichannel fitness retailer
INDUSTRY
RetailSOLUTION
Warehouse Operations & AutomationOFFERING
WMS ImplementationTECHNOLOGY
Manhattan SCALEA pandemic-driven fitness boom met a warehouse gridlock
In early 2020, just as the pandemic forced consumers indoors, a leading connected fitness company saw explosive growth in demand for its home-based equipment. With physical stores shuttered but ecommerce channels booming, this fitness brand quickly became the go-to for at-home workouts. But that surge came with a steep operational challenge.
Despite massive market tailwinds, the company's warehouse and distribution infrastructure couldn’t keep pace. Legacy systems, labor bottlenecks, and inconsistent processes left fulfillment centers struggling to keep up.
To capitalize on unprecedented demand—and avoid missed revenue—leadership made the strategic call to implement Manhattan WMS across their U.S. distribution network.
The goal: Operational excellence, inventory precision, and scalable omnichannel fulfillment across 28 sites. With aggressive timelines, high stakes, and frontline teams under pressure, they partnered with Spinnaker SCA to get it done right.
From manual gears to full-throttle fulfillment—coast to coast
Spinnaker SCA was engaged to architect, implement, and accelerate the deployment of Manhattan’s WMS across 28 distribution centers and field operations sites in under 15 months—transforming warehouse operations into a high-performance engine for omnichannel fulfillment.
- 01 Shift into gear
- 02 Customize the ride
- 03 Train the team
- 04 Coast through complexity
- 05 Keep the wheels moving
Mapping friction points and future potential
Before a single box was moved, Spinnaker SCA conducted a holistic evaluation of the company’s warehouse network, fulfillment workflows, staffing models, and system architecture.
This upfront diagnostic helped identify critical gaps in WMS functionality, safety protocols, and process standardization—laying the groundwork for a tightly choreographed implementation.
Configure for scale, not complexity
The solution centered on implementing Manhattan WMS—paired with an enterprise integration layer to support dynamic routing, omnichannel workflows, and advanced automation (unit and shipping sorters, pick robots, put walls, auto-baggers). Spinnaker SCA’s toolkit-based approach accelerated deployment cycles while minimizing customization bloat.
Empowering operations and adoption
With a distributed team and high turnover among its warehouse staff, training couldn’t be an afterthought.
More than 500 end users were trained on the new platform through a targeted onboarding and knowledge transfer program. SOPs and “Preferred Methods” were codified to ensure consistent execution. Spinnaker SCA also provided playbooks and stabilization support, allowing frontline leaders to operate with autonomy and confidence.
Delivering value at speed
Spinnaker SCA’s proprietary WMS implementation toolkit shortened testing cycles, reduced defects, and ensured stability across every phase.
Despite labor constraints and pandemic-era disruptions, the team implemented the Warehouse Management platform across 24 last mile sites and 4 DCs in under 15 months. For many locations, the initial go-lives were completed in seven months—a pace considered exceptional for Manhattan deployments. Additional enhancements supported small parcel execution, curbside delivery, and ship-to-store options.
Sustaining velocity and performance
Beyond the go-live, Spinnaker SCA provided ongoing guidance as the company expanded its business across North America and into Europe.
Spinnaker SCA helped transition the team to a self-sustaining operational model—supporting continuous improvement, managing site-specific enhancements, and ensuring the system matured with the business. Playbooks and post-go-live analytics helped future-proof the platform as new product lines and markets came online.
A WMS deployment that didn’t just deliver—it dominated
With Spinnaker SCA’s strategic guidance and deep Manhattan Active expertise, the fitness leader didn’t just survive a historic demand surge—they scaled it with precision, speed, and confidence. Now equipped with a future-ready fulfillment platform, the company is poised to ride the next wave of growth, innovation, and global expansion.
- 28 total deployments completed in just 15 months: Spinnaker SCA delivered a international rollout of Manhattan WM across all 4 DCs and 24 last-mile operation sites within an aggressive 15-month window—launching the first location in just 7 months.
- Multi-million dollar cost savings from faster, leaner operations: Eliminating bottlenecks and manual interventions reduced labor dependency, shortened cycle times, and drove measurable logistics savings across fulfillment operations.
- 30% increase in throughput—without facility expansion: Improved slotting, automation integration, and WMS configuration unlocked capacity gains across the network, deferring the need for costly capital investment while supporting rapid order volumes.
- Expanded accessory and small parcel fulfillment: The new platform extended fulfillment flexibility to support a growing product portfolio—including smaller items and bundles—opening new revenue streams and enabling faster time-to-market.
- Inventory accuracy averaged 97.15% nationwide, with peak at 99.56%: With precision inventory control enabled by the new WMS, even the largest DCs reached near-perfect inventory accuracy—boosting customer confidence and reducing shrink, mispicks, and delays.
- Enabled curbside and threshold delivery at scale: During COVID-19, the company deployed new delivery workflows through the WMS to pivot quickly to safer, contactless service options—preserving customer satisfaction and brand equity.
- Supported 141% sales growth during the pandemic: The supply chain transformation enabled the company to absorb unprecedented demand spikes, helping drive triple-digit sales growth in Q3-2021 while competitors faced fulfillment gridlock.
- On-time, on-budget delivery despite pandemic disruption: The program overcame labor shortages, shutdowns, and volatile conditions to go live as planned—demonstrating extraordinary executional discipline and stakeholder coordination.
In fitness—as in fulfillment—it’s all about momentum.
Spinnaker SCA helps high-growth brands build fulfillment systems that move faster, flex smarter, and scale stronger. Whether you’re battling legacy constraints or riding a growth wave, we’ll help you implement, optimize, and outperform.