Pet Supplies Plus has more than 500 stores across the United States and one distribution centre in Seymour Indiana. They were the first to implement Manhattan’s new cloud-based warehouse management system, Manhattan Active Warehouse Management.

Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, Pet Supplies Plus is known as “America’s favourite neighbourhood pet store”, operating more than 500 locations across the country, many of which are locally owned. The company prides itself on having well-stocked stores, exceptional service and making things as convenient as possible for customers. They offer in-store retail, as well as curbside pickup and delivery from most stores.

A longtime partner of Manhattan’s Pet Supplies Plus was evaluating a WMS upgrade. The retailer was already running several business applications in the cloud and was considering doing the same with its supply chain technology. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic changes it wrought, Manhattan Active Warehouse Management was a perfect fit. Pet Supplies Plus became the first customer to implement the groundbreaking WMS.

One WMS, many benefits
There were several reasons Manhattan Active WM appealed to Pets Supplies Plus. The first is that it is always current, meaning once it is implemented it never needs upgrading. As COO Miles Tedder said: “A versionless, cloudbased solution allows us to move very rapidly. Quite frankly, it also gives us the opportunity to eliminate the expense, some of the learning curves, and training that’s associated with traditional on-premise applications.”

In addition, it offers a lower total cost of ownership compared to an on-premise WMS. It automatically scales to meet demand fluctuations. And new features and innovations for Manhattan Active WM are continuously delivered every quarter. According to Tedder, if the coronavirus underscored anything for retailers, it is the importance of innovative technology and flexible operations. “The ability for Manhattan to be able to deliver valuable new WM features on a frequent and ongoing basis, without enduring the normal upgrade process is, quite frankly, a gamechanger,” he said.

"We think that Manhattan Active Warehouse Management is a gamechanger for us and the industry . We're excited to be part of it and looking forward to leveraging it now and into the future."
Miles Tedder, COO, Pet Supplies Plus.

Minimised learning curve
Social distancing restrictions made implementing Manhattan Active WM onsite challenging, so much of the process was executed remotely. The use of cameras, video, screen shares and exceptional collaboration between the Pet Supplies Plus and Manhattan teams made the implementation fast and effective. According to Tedder, the intuitive interface of the application minimised the learning curve and allowed the company to onboard team members quickly and effectively. The conversion process was very smooth, and operations were quickly at full capacity.
No matter what challenges and opportunities occur in the future for Pet Supplies Plus, it feels Manhattan Active WM gives it the adaptability, scalability and constant innovation to take advantage of them.