New logistics and warehousing for Henkel beauty care retail UK supports greater sustainability

Henkel has made the transition with DHL as part of its purposeful growth strategy, to create competitive advantage through innovation, sustainability and digitalization. Henkel works with DHL Supply Chain across EMEA, APAC and the Americas and is currently working on 59 digitization and 79 sustainability projects globally.

DHL will store on average 7,500 pallets and manage the despatch of approximately 140 million cases and 6,000 orders a year, across 300 hair colour, care and styling SKUs.

Jim Hartshorne, MD Retail, Consumer and Ireland, DHL Supply Chain, said: “Henkel is a perfect fit for Manton Wood; it’s a progressive company with big ambitions in terms of sustainability and digitalization, which is precisely what this site has been designed for. This facility really is best in class in terms of environmental features and automation, so we’re pleased to see such a valued customer benefiting from it.”

Tanja Gilb, Director Supply Chain Western Europe at Henkel Beauty Care, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with DHL and we’re delighted that it has the infrastructure and services we need to take our business forward in line with our purposeful growth strategy. The Manton Wood site supports our plans to cut carbon emissions from our supply chain and has the automation technology to ensure we can cost effectively scale.”

With a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’, the new Manton Wood COMAH site features rainwater harvesting, solar panels for heating water, and timed and motion detection LED lights. Its air-conditioning system runs on water rather than gas, while extensive digital record-keeping boosts efficiency and reduces paper usage. The strategic location of the site and DHL’s shared transport network will also create a significant reduction in road miles and therefore carbon emissions.

The Manton Wood site incorporates an industry-leading Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), as well as advanced cranes designed to be 20% more energy efficient than the norm. The automation will handle approximately 75% of overall site volume, making it highly labour efficient at a time when qualified labour is extremely challenging to recruit. This will help DHL and Henkel cope with the growing demand for logistics services in a competitive market.
Robotic Process Automation is used extensively for stock processes, again removing the need for colleagues to produce repetitive reports or pull data manually from the system. This directly creates lists for automated picking, which takes stock to the co-packing area. Meanwhile, wrapping robots improve productivity and use less material.

Additional automation plans will further enhance the Henkel operation, including robot arms for pallet and product movement and AGVs to improve pallet picking safety. These deployments are scheduled for later in 2022 and 2023.
In addition to the building’s environmental features, the site is also operating one of the UK’s first all-electric shunt vehicles, capable of recharging during shift changeovers for continuous operation.

About DHL
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. It offers an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfilment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialised solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 81 billion euros in 2021. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.