WAREHOUSE TRANSFORMATION rarely starts with a blank sheet of paper. More often it means making an existing site – with all its constraints – fit for the next decade. That is the story 3PL arvato will bring to Tomorrow’s Warehouse Manchester on 30 September, in a session titled ‘Reigniting Corby – Transforming a Brownfield Site for the Future’.

Stuart Hands, head of project management, and Maria Rowbotham, head of procurement and corporate services, will showcase the reinvigoration of the brownfield site at Corby and its role in supporting arvato’s 2030 strategy and long-term growth ambitions. Speaking as an operator investing in its own network, the pair will explore how the site is evolving, the innovations being implemented and the impact on future operations.

Crucially for the audience of warehouse and logistics operations managers, the session is framed around transferable lessons: practical approaches that can be applied across other operations, and how strategic investment and operational excellence combine to shape the next generation of warehousing.

A track record of getting projects done

arvato is becoming a familiar name at Tomorrow’s Warehouse events. At the Coventry event in May, the company’s David Bailey shared what the event review described as a remarkable story of quick, seamless warehouse automation upgrades – part of a session in which operations professionals compared notes on how to ‘do transformation’ better.

The Corby presentation extends that thread from single-system upgrades to whole-site thinking, taking in procurement as well as project management. Having both disciplines on stage together reflects a reality most operations leaders will recognise: transformation projects stand or fall on the commercial decisions made around them, not just the engineering.

Stuart Hands is a highly experienced project and operations leader with a strong track record in logistics and supply chain transformation. As Head of Project Management at Arvato UK, he leads the delivery of complex, high-impact initiatives, drawing on deep expertise across operations, automation, and client transitions. Known for his structured approach and focus on delivery, Stuart brings a practical perspective on driving efficiency and performance across diverse sectors.

Maria Rowbotham is Head of Procurement & Corporate Services at Arvato, leading strategic procurement, supplier management, and business transformation initiatives. With global experience across logistics and supply chain organisations, Maria specialises in contract negotiation, spend management, and supply chain optimisation, bringing a commercial and results-driven approach to procurement.

Hands and Rowbotham will take audience questions in a panel discussion alongside Scott Torrington, managing director of automation specialist Element Logic UK, and Ahmar Mumtaz, warehouse inventory manager at ecommerce operator Utopia Brands, who is presenting his company’s rapid scale-up from 300 to more than 20,000 items shipped a day.

Tomorrow’s Warehouse Manchester takes place at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 30 September. Entry is free, food and parking are included, and attendees can earn CPD points while networking with peers.

Register free here: https://registration.tomorrowswarehouse.live/register