Logistics Co. operates 47 distribution centers across Southeast Asia, with three to five new builds coming online each year. Before our engagement, every new warehouse averaged 21 days of post-install commissioning before it could be handed over to operations. After our engagement, that average is 12 days. This case study breaks down how the 9-day reduction was achieved.
Where the Time Was Going
Commissioning delays followed a recognizable pattern. Around day 5 of testing, an issue would surface that required some physical rework — a rack pillar where a picker cart needed clearance, a conveyor turn radius too tight for the planned tote size, a fire-suppression sprinkler positioned to overlap a high-rack zone. The team would log the issue, the engineering office would issue a change order, contractors would return, work would proceed.
A typical build had three to five such issues. Each one cost two to four days of cumulative delay, plus the procurement cost of any custom-fabricated parts needed for the fix.
What Simulation Caught
We ran the existing CAD plans of three planned warehouses through the new E3D simulator. The first build flagged a critical conflict between a sprinkler grid and a planned high-density storage zone. The simulation made it visible in 90 seconds; the physical build would have surfaced it on day 6 of commissioning.
The second build flagged a forklift-turning radius problem in an aisle that looked fine on the 2D plan. The third build flagged a clearance issue between a planned conveyor sweep and a load-bearing column. All three would have caused multi-day delays. Total estimated saved delay across three builds: 18 days.
Beyond Detection: Workflow Integration
Simulation alone is not enough — the value only lands if it integrates into the existing approval workflow. We worked with Logistics Co. to make the simulation a required step in their design sign-off, with a generated PDF report attached to the architect handoff package.
This sounds bureaucratic but it matters. The procurement team will not order steel and conveyor until the design package is signed, and they will not sign without the simulation report. This forcing function ensures the simulation actually gets run, not skipped under deadline pressure.
Results After Twelve Months
In the year following rollout, Logistics Co. commissioned 8 new warehouses. Average commissioning time was 12.4 days (down from 21.2). Zero builds required physical rack rework. Procurement savings (parts not needed for rework) totaled roughly $1.4M. The full payback period for the simulation tool investment was 7 months.
iPlus did not just deliver a tool. They embedded with our engineering team for three months to make sure the tool actually changed how we work. — Logistics Co. Head of Engineering
What We Took Away
The technical wins of this project are interesting but the workflow lesson is more important. We could have shipped the simulation tool and watched it sit unused, blocked by the bureaucratic inertia of an established build process. Instead we spent as much energy on adoption as on engineering. That is the model we now use for every operational tooling project we ship.
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