Our New Warehouse Management System
This exciting development underscores our commitment to providing customers with a consistent, reliable, and efficient wholesale service.
Unlocking the full potential of Spitfire House
Our new Warehouse Management System (WMS) will allow us to unlock the full potential of our facilities at Spitfire House and make the most of the state-of-the-art, high-performance warehouse track and automated picking system that has been installed. This system is one of the most accurate and efficient systems on the market today and is capable of handling tens of thousands of products.
What benefits will this new system offer our customers?
Our automated picking system will significantly accelerate the picking process while reducing the likelihood of human errors, ensuring faster and more accurate order fulfilment. In addition, the new WMS employs automated weight verification for each tote box, verifying that it matches the expected weight. Any discrepancies are manually checked, ensuring orders are fulfilled with precision.
Each filled tote box is photographed, paired with the dispatch note, and fitted with a banded seal before being delivered to the customer.
Essential for ensuring product quality and regulatory compliance, our new WMS enables swift and accurate product recalls if necessary.
Designed to use the minimum amount of paper and printing, our new WMS aligns with our sustainable, digital-first focus and our commitment to delivering a greener pawprint for the veterinary industry.
A three-phase implementation
To ensure a smooth transition, the implementation of our new WMS will be carried out in three phases. This phased approach allows time between each stage to thoroughly evaluate and refine the system. It ensures minimal disruption and maximises the reliability of our service throughout the process.
Phase 1: Friday 30th - Saturday 31st August
Controlled & hazardous drugs, including anaesthetics, plus NationWide Laboratories (NWL) consumables.
Phase 2: Friday 6th – Saturday 7th September
Refrigerated products and large items such as diets, plus MSD pharmaceuticals.
Phase 3: Friday 20th – Saturday 21st September
All remaining products.
WMS full project timeline
FAQs
We understand that any major software transition, no matter how well-planned, can temporarily affect routine operations. As you will see above, we have developed a comprehensive plan to ensure minimal disruption to our services during the implementation period. However, we understand that you may have questions. Please see our comprehensive list of FAQs below.
Yes, you can still place your order as usual over the transition weekends. Our order lines are open from 9am till 12pm on Saturday. You can also place electronic orders via our online portal – NVS Online, or through your PMS. Please note, however, that you will not receive a reply file for any orders placed electronically until the new system is live.
Yes, orders will still be delivered on the Monday following each transition weekend. However, there will be specific times over the transition weekends when live stock levels are inaccessible. This may affect our ability to guarantee full stock availability for delivery on Monday, so you may wish to consider ordering urgent or critical items in the week (Mon-Thurs) leading up to the implementation weekends.
No, it is not necessary to stock up. However, should you wish to stock up on essential items, please place your orders as early as possible in the week leading up to implementation weekends. This will help us manage the volume of orders more efficiently during the implementation stages.
All products will be available to order throughout the phased implementation period.
The only difference is that you will start to receive a delivery note with any tote box deliveries. This will contain the contents of the tote box and include batch and expiry details.
No, there are no changes to our returns policy – click here to see the full policy.
We will keep you updated throughout each phase of the implementation. Please make sure you are subscribed to our email communications for the latest updates and any important announcements. You can sign up for our mailing list here.
If you still have any further queries, please contact us:
Customer Services Team
Mon-Fri: 8:00am – 6:00pm
*Applies to the majority of the UK mainland.
Head office
Mon-Fri: 8:00am – 4:00pm
*Applies to the majority of the UK mainland.
