Wincanton creates warehouse transformation director role
THE 3PL has appointed Ian Hunt to the post which will focus on driving forward automation, robotics and warehouse initiatives at Wincanton.
In line with this focus, Ian will be responsible for Wincanton’s engineering compliance for its estate of 18.4m sq ft of warehouse space, over 200 sites.
Ian has been instrumental in developing Wincanton’s property transformation project in preparation for its new customer fulfilment centre, or ‘dark store’ for delivery to Waitrose customers in the West London area. The site will be operational in early 2021 and will offer Waitrose.com customers an additional 25,000 delivery slots per week.
Ian will make an important contribution to W2 – Wincanton’s brand for digital products and services focused on delivering innovation in supply chains. This will include driving automation and robotics innovation within W2 Labs, Wincanton’s programme which offers support for early-stage businesses in developing technologies to revolutionise modern-day fulfilment. He will also lead the automation of Wincanton’s new W2 eFulfilment facility in Nuneaton, which opened in Summer 2020.
Ian joins Wincanton from Brakes where he was Director of Engineering and Environment for UK and ROI. He is an engineering professional with over 38 years’ experience, having started his career within the chemical industry, and spent the last 26 years in the food manufacturing and distribution sector.
Ian Hunt said: “Wincanton is striving to address some of the industry’s greatest challenges, with a deep focus on digital innovation, and I am thrilled to be part of this drive as the Group’s new Warehouse Transformation Director. The digital revolution in logistics supply chains will not only unlock maximum value for UK businesses and consumers, but the UK economy as a whole.”
Ian Keilty, COO at Wincanton, said: “We are extremely pleased to have Ian join the Wincanton team and the experience he brings with him means he is already making a huge difference. Digital transformation is only truly effective when an organisation embraces it completely and re-shapes the way it thinks and acts. This is precisely what Ian’s appointment is enabling Wincanton to do to an even greater extent."
