IN Brief:
- GPC has deployed Manhattan Active Warehouse Management at its Brisbane distribution centre.
- The rollout included more than 1,400 user acceptance testing scenarios and 850 training sessions.
- The system introduces directed workflows across inbound, inventory, and outbound operations.
Manhattan Associates and Genuine Parts Company have gone live with Manhattan Active Warehouse Management at GPC’s Brisbane distribution centre, completing a major systems modernisation programme for one of APAC’s largest automotive and industrial parts distributors.
The deployment replaces a mix of legacy systems and manual processes with a unified, cloud-native platform designed to improve visibility, efficiency, and scalability across GPC’s distribution operations. The Brisbane go-live is part of a wider programme to simplify and standardise supply chain execution across a network that spans multiple workflows, locations, and operating requirements.
Preparation for the transition included more than 1,400 user acceptance testing scenarios, full-scale operational rehearsals, and more than 850 training sessions for over 300 team members. The rehearsals simulated store activity, inbound containers, and local deliveries, giving operational teams a controlled transition into the new warehouse environment.
The platform introduces system-directed workflows across inbound, inventory, and outbound operations. Capabilities include automated allocation, intelligent replenishment, and optimised picking, with the objective of improving inventory accuracy, labour productivity, and fulfilment reliability to stores.
GPC is also among the first organisations in Australia to use Honeywell Voice for Manhattan Active, adding voice-directed workflows to warehouse tasks. Voice systems continue to gain traction in complex distribution environments because they allow operators to work hands-free and eyes-free, reducing screen dependence while improving task confirmation and process discipline.
Jon Longbottom, Chief Supply Chain Officer at GPC, said: “The partnership with Manhattan Associates has been critical in delivering a transformation of this scale. From the outset, we looked for a partner who understood the complexity of our network and could help us bring multiple operations together into a single, consistent way of working.”
Warehouse technology investment is increasingly focused on execution consistency rather than isolated efficiency gains. Distributors with large SKU ranges, branch networks, and mixed fulfilment routes are finding that older systems cannot easily support real-time allocation, labour planning, inventory integrity, and service-level management. The constraint is often fragmentation: separate systems create different versions of inventory truth across inbound, storage, picking, despatch, and store replenishment.
Cloud-native warehouse management systems are being adopted to remove upgrade cycles and support faster process change. Versionless architecture, integration with automation and voice, and standardised operating models are becoming more important as distribution networks absorb more product complexity without adding the same level of manual administration.
For GPC, the Brisbane go-live provides a platform for more consistent execution across parts distribution, where availability, pick accuracy, and replenishment speed are tightly linked to service performance. The operational value will now depend on how effectively the new workflows are embedded, how quickly exceptions are resolved, and whether the same model can be scaled across the wider network without rebuilding processes site by site.
