Executive Summary

Prior to modernization, M&W’s operations relied heavily on manual, paper-based workflows that introduced significant hidden labor inefficiencies. Associates routinely traveled across facilities to retrieve, deliver, or verify paperwork, confirm task priorities, and reconcile information across multiple documents. All of these were activities that did not directly contribute to throughput.

While difficult to quantify precisely, industry benchmarks indicate that in paper-driven warehouse environments, 15–30% of frontline labor time is typically consumed by non–value-added activities such as travel, administrative handling, and manual verification. Travel time and document confirmation alone can account for 5–10% of an associate’s shift, particularly in large, multi-facility operations like M&W’s.

As M&W scaled to nearly one million square feet of warehousing, these incremental delays compounded into systemic friction; creating downtime, limiting real-time visibility into labor availability, and forcing increasingly reactive labor allocation. Without addressing these structural inefficiencies, continued growth would have required proportional increases in labor cost.

By implementing SC Codeworks’ Automated Work Queue, M&W achieved measurable productivity gains, streamlined workflows across all sites, and established a scalable foundation for growth all while improving accuracy and reducing cost.

The Strategic Imperative: Efficiency as the Path to Growth

For M&W, the risk of inaction was clear. As transaction volumes increased, continued reliance on manual processes would drive higher labor costs, longer dock turn times, and ultimately limit the company’s ability to onboard new business without expanding headcount and footprint.

Early performance indicators reinforced this concern. In the year prior to automation, average pick times held steady at just under two minutes per transaction, but on-time shipment performance plateaued at 82%, signaling that operational complexity was beginning to outpace existing workflows.

In 2015, M&W began its automation initiative amid rapid growth, processing more than twice the number of transactions compared to the prior year. While average pick time initially increased, from 1 minute 46 seconds to 1 minute 57 seconds, this short-term rise reflected the realities of change management and system adoption, not declining performance.

More importantly, service-level outcomes improved dramatically. On-time shipment performance rose to 94%, even as transaction volume surged. This shift marked a critical inflection point: M&W was no longer optimizing for speed in isolation, but for reliability, visibility, and scalable execution.

The data validated M&W’s strategic conclusion; true efficiency would not come from incremental labor gains, but from modernizing how work was assigned, executed, and tracked. Automation provided the foundation to absorb growth, improve service consistency, and compete in a 3PL market where precision and responsiveness increasingly define profitability.

The Challenge: Manual Coordination Slowed Growth

Despite a skilled workforce, M&W’s operations relied on clerical staff manually sequencing work, assigning tasks, and printing paperwork for each shipment. This approach created:

• Lost time from manual scheduling and paper handling.
• Higher labor costs tied to administrative tasks.
• Inconsistent productivity across shifts and buildings.
• Limited visibility into real-time operational progress.

As volume grew, the existing processes could not scale without increasing cost and complexity. Leadership needed a system that would synchronize activity across sites, maintain accuracy, and provide the agility to meet changing demands.

The Solution: SC Codeworks’ Automated Work Queue

M&W selected SC Codeworks’ Automated Work Queue to digitize and orchestrate its daily operations.

This robust module within the Codeworks Enterprise WMS automates the assignment of work, appointment flow, and the printing sequence of critical paperwork keeping warehouses on time and in real time.

Key capabilities included:

• Automated task allocation – The system dynamically assigns work based on priority, resource availability, and schedule.
• Integrated workflow management – Dock appointments, task sequencing, and documentation flow in a coordinated, digital process.
• Real-time visibility – Managers can monitor progress and adjust instantly, eliminating downtime and guesswork.
• Rapid deployment – Implementation is fast, with measurable results visible within weeks when paired with intentional planning.

The Results: Measurable Efficiency and Strategic Impact

Within a year of rolling out the Automated Work Queue across multiple sites, M&W realized significant operational gains:

• 20% productivity increase across facilities.
• 260 labor hours saved monthly at a single site.
• Reduced clerical workload and measurable cost savings.
• Fewer errors and improved dock turn times.
• Faster responsiveness and reduced downtime on the warehouse floor.

Just as important, the transformation changed the culture of work. Standardized digital workflows empower employees to focus on value-adding tasks rather than manual coordination. Retraining staff to “unlearn” manual interventions proved vital to helping teams embrace automation and adopt consistent, data-driven processes.

“Once the Automated Work Queue was in place, everything just flowed,” said M&W’s leadership. “We could see what was happening in real time and act on it.”

Lessons for 3PL Leaders

M&W’s journey underscores several key lessons for logistics organizations pursuing workflow optimization:

1. Automate where variability causes drag. Manual sequencing and clerical steps often hide the largest inefficiencies.

2. Plan deliberately. Quick implementation delivers results fastest when paired with a clear understanding of existing pain points.

3. Align all departments early. Cross-functional coordination prevents silos and ensures smooth adoption.

4.Train for transformation. Automation succeeds when people are equipped to trust and leverage it.

Conclusion: Transforming Workflow Into a Growth Engine

The M&W transformation illustrates that operational excellence isn’t achieved by working harder; it’s achieved by working smarter, with the right technology foundation.

SC Codeworks’ Automated Work Queue enables 3PLs to orchestrate work in real time, reduce downtime, and scale without adding overhead. For organizations seeking to improve cost efficiency and operational agility, this technology represents the next step toward a truly optimized warehouse.

See how SC Codeworks can help your organization streamline workflow and accelerate growth.