Transforming a retail supply chain through partnership, collaboration and technology

Our customer, is a leading Polish retailer specializing in products such as clothing, footwear, toys, and accessories for children aged 0–14. With a presence across Poland, Romania, and Ukraine and an additional reach into 20+ countries in Europe and Asia through e-commerce and retail partners, their complex supply chain demanded efficiency, resilience, and precision. 

After more than a decade with their previous logistics provider, the retailer began searching for a partner who could deliver true transformation by combining retail expertise, collaborative ways of working, and advanced technology. In 2018, following a successful tender process, Ligentia was selected to re-engineer their supply chain model. 

The Challenge 

Our customer identified several critical requirements for their next-generation supply chain solution: 

• End-to-end visibility: the ability to pinpoint issues quickly and identify root causes with reliable, real-time data. 

• Optimized vendor management: with hundreds of suppliers and limited in-house capacity, they needed a more structured, procedural approach to vendor communication and performance tracking. 

• Improved supplier compliance: particularly in high-volume sourcing markets such as Bangladesh, which accounts for around 40% of annual shipping volume 

Adding to the complexity, there was minimal documentation from the outgoing provider, making it essential to run an intensive discovery process to fully understand existing workflows before optimizing them. 

The Solution 

Our experts spent time with our customer’s internal teams gaining a thorough understanding of operations and mapping out every process from purchase order creation to final delivery. From this collaboration, several key improvements were implemented: 

• A re-engineered purchase order process that ensured each PO (purchase order) is unique for better tracking and issue resolution. 

• Standardized operating procedures which are aligned across all suppliers and embedded into Ligentix for automated milestone tracking. 

• One cargo handover date per week to allow internal teams to improve planning and reduce error. 

• Refined quality inspection process in China which will optimize lead times without compromising quality. 

These processes were digitized within Ligentix, our cloud-based supply chain platform, and integrated directly with the retailer’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system. Now, new or updated POs flow automatically into Ligentix, where the our team manages orders through to on-time delivery. 

Supplier Management & Compliance

Another significant challenge the retailer was facing was managing suppliers in Bangladesh, who are responsible for approximately 40% of the retailer’s annual shipping volume. 

To address challenges in Bangladesh, we implemented the following: 

• Digitised shipment bookings:  improving data accuracy and speed 

• Onboarded suppliers into the new standard operating procedures, ensuring understanding and adherence. 

• Introduced supplier KPIs Key Performance Indicators that are aligned with the new procedures and monitored through regular performance reports 

This approach has provided clear, actionable insights into root causes of delays, enabling us to recommend changes that lead to measurable improvements in supplier performance. 

 The Impact

Since the solution went live in 2019, the retailer has achieved: 

• Fully managed import and customs services from China and Bangladesh into Central Europe 

• Item-level shipment visibility within Ligentix, with direct ERP integration 

• Standardized and re-engineered supply chain procedures across all vendors 

• Supplier incentive program to drive compliance and deliver cost savings 

• Innovative LCL program optimizing shipment costs without delays, with cargo consolidation at Ligentia warehouses in China and Poland 

Despite pandemic disruptions and the ongoing geopolitical situation, our partnership has remained resilient, proving the strength of a collaborative, technology-driven approach to complex retail supply chains.