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Schuh is one of the UK’s high street
success stories. From the humble
beginnings of its first shop in
Edinburgh, Scotland, Schuh has grown
significantly over its 30 year history,
and now boasts 100 stores across
the UK and Ireland, with a new outlet
recently launched in Oberhausen,
Germany. The heart of the Schuh
operation is focused at its two
distribution centres in Bathgate and
Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland,
from where their shoes are stored,
packaged and despatched for delivery
to their network of retail outlets.
“We oversee distribution of 10,000
items every week from our centres
to our shops across the country, and
overseas to Ireland and now Germany,
so it’s absolutely essential for the
business that we run an efficient and
streamlined packaging operation,”
explains Donald Hutchison, Logistics
Manager at Schuh.
For the past ten years, Antalis
Packaging has been working closely
with Schuh, not only to provide on-
time regular deliveries of a range
of protective packaging products
and bespoke solutions, it has also
played an active role in helping Schuh
optimise packaging operations at its
distribution centres.
Under the watch of regional manager
Norman Robb, Antalis Packaging
delivers protective packaging supplies
to Schuh’s distribution centres at least
once a week, as well as introducing
new innovations and labour saving
solutions. This has resulted in the
development and introduction of
enhanced carton construction and
If the shoe fits, ship
“Antalis Packaging also provides
additional off-site storage for our
regularly ordered products, so we
never have to worry about running
short of supplies, as we know that
just one call to Antalis, and they can
respond quickly,” adds Hutchison.
Hutchison has welcomed the positive
feedback that these changes to
his packaging fulfilment operation
have generated from the many retail
outlets. Maintaining high standards
throughout the business is essential
to Schuh, from the quality, design
and presentation of its merchandise,
its high levels of in-store customer
service, to the way in which the shoes
are finally sold and handed over to the
customer. “At the end of the day, no
customer wants to receive a pair of
brand new shoes in a damaged box,
so it’s essential that we can provide
effective protection in the most
dynamic way, so our boxed shoes
arrive in-store in tip top condition.”
While the customer experience is
vital, so too is operational efficiency.
Schuh is keen to maintain its award-
winning reputation. “I’m always looking
for ways to maximise efficiency and
reduce costs, while still maintaining
the highest quality of service. We’ve
enjoyed a good working relationship
with Antalis Packaging for many
years now and I can always rely on
them to respond to our demands and
come up with something new that
will streamline operations and reduce
costs,” concludes Hutchison.
design innovations to add strength and
quality to their shipment containers
while optimising weight, as well
as introducing automated stretch
wrapping solutions to reduce assembly
and fulfilment time, adding further to
operational efficiency and cost savings.
Initially supplying just one single-
sized outer carton in the early days,
Antalis Packaging has responded to
increased demand as Schuh’s business
has expanded, and now supplies a
variety of sized protective cartons and
complimentary packaging supplies.
It also introduced the company to a
new semi-automated Lantech Stretch
Wrapping solution to improve the
speed and containment of its palletised
containers.
“We’ve really noticed a difference
since the introduction of the Lantech
systems. This was a process previously
done by hand, so now we can process
more product, and increase load
security speeding up operations for
despatch,” enthuses Hutchison.
“The vacuum system was initially
trialled in the Livingston distribution
centre, following a detailed audit by
Antalis. It worked so well, that we
decided to implement it in our Bathgate
site also. Previously, we required two
men to load the magazine full time,
and we were noticing health and safety
concerns from the heavy lifting. We
care the utmost about our staff, and
the vacuum system has meant that
only one operator is required to move
the suction cup head to feed onto the
pallet, making it a much safer process.”
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Logistics Business Magazine | November 2015
Packaging Operations