Full end-to-end supply chain management for a furniture supplier

A leading Australasian supplier of home storage brands set out to expand in the UK and take control of its supply chain. Partnering with Ligentia, they shifted from retailer-controlled freight to a scalable, technology-enabled operation built for B2B and B2C growth. 

The Challenge

Previously, our customer relied heavily on one main UK retail partner, which booked and controlled the sea freight from China to the UK. Faced with unprecedented market volatility, supply chain disruption, shortage in ocean carrier space and escalating ocean freight costs, the retailer was finding it increasingly difficult to ship containers in a timely manner through its regular freight forwarder and shipping line partners. This was leading to huge order backlogs at Chinese ports. With congested and inefficient UK warehouses to contend with, stock that did make it into the UK was failing to make it into the retailer’s stores, resulting in lost sales opportunities for our customer and the retailer.  

With only a small UK logistics team but ambitious growth plans, the customer needed independent control of ocean, warehousing and last mile, underpinned by real-time visibility and cost discipline. 

Our Solution

Ligentia designed and implemented an end-to-end model that puts the customer in control: 

UK warehouse & distribution built for scale
Centrally located DC selected for demand proximity. warehouse management system (WMS) led processes for inbound, storage, pick/pack and dispatch. B2B and B2C delivery flows engineered to meet OTIF requirements at the right price point. 

Technology-led visibility and control
Key milestones, from container unload to final mile, were now captured in Ligentix for real-time status, proactive exception management and faster decision-making, as orders and inventory sync automatically between their systems. 

Origin-to-destination orchestration
We transitioned our customer to a FOB program. Our experts seamlessly coordinated supplier collections, consolidation and load planning across nine Chinese origin ports. Allocation and routing was managed over multiple carrier contracts to protect space and service while balancing cost and speed. We also managed last-mile delivery to retailer DCs, stores, and homes, and track performance with shared KPIs. 

 Our Impact 

We secured capacity and kept costs under control by using multiple carriers, smart routing from the best origin ports, and origin storage and consolidation when needed. In the UK, a high-performing distribution center and a robust last-mile network were engineered around On Time In Full (OTIF) delivery, lifting day-to-day efficiency. 

With Ligentix providing end-to-end visibility, the team can manage proactively, reduce surprises, and resolve issues faster. The result is a platform for growth: the customer can onboard new UK accounts, scale volumes with confidence, and diversify beyond a single retail channel, backed by a global partner present in their key markets.