Global Retail Logistics $($GRL$),$ a major player in the retail supply chain, faced significant challenges in

its warehousing operations. Despite having a well$-$established network of warehouses, the company

struggled with inefficiencies, high operational costs, and delays in order fulfillment. To address these

issues, GRL embarked on a project to optimize its warehousing operations using advanced

technologies and process improvements.

GRL operates a network of $15$ warehouses across different regions to serve its vast network of retail

stores and e$-$commerce customers. The company's warehousing operations were characterized by

manual processes, inadequate inventory management, and suboptimal space utilization. Many

warehouse operations, such as picking, packing, and inventory tracking, were performed manually,

leading to errors and inefficiencies. These issues led to delays in order processing, high labor costs,

and inventory inaccuracies, affecting the overall efficiency of the supply chain. Inventory levels were

not accurately tracked, resulting in stock discrepancies, overstocking, and stockouts.

Slow processing times due to manual handling and poor inventory visibility led to delays in fulfilling

customer orders and returns due to damage products.

As the warehouse manager:

$1.$ Discuss how material handling and packaging can improve the operations of the warehouse?

$(15$ marks$)$

$2.$ Identify $5$ KPIs which can be used to monitor performance of this warehouse to improve

efficiency? Reference must be made to the case. $(15$ marks$)$