Manhattan goes live at GPC Brisbane warehouse centre

Manhattan Associates and Genuine Parts Company have gone live with a new warehouse management system at GPC's Brisbane distribution centre, marking a major systems overhaul at one of the region's larger automotive and industrial parts distributors.

The new system replaces a mix of legacy software and manual processes with Manhattan Active Warehouse Management, a cloud-based platform designed to unify warehouse operations under a single operating model. The Brisbane rollout is part of GPC's broader effort to simplify supply chain operations across its network.

Brisbane is a significant site for the distributor, which manages a supply chain across multiple locations, workflows and systems in the Asia-Pacific region. The project aims to improve visibility across warehouse activity and standardise processes previously managed through separate systems.

Testing phase

Before launch, the companies carried out an extended testing and training programme to prepare staff and operations for the transition. This included more than 1,400 user acceptance testing scenarios, full operational rehearsals covering stores, inbound containers and local deliveries, and more than 850 training sessions for over 300 team members.

The platform introduces system-directed workflows across inbound, inventory and outbound activity, including automated allocation, replenishment and picking. GPC expects these changes to improve inventory accuracy, increase labour productivity and support faster fulfilment to stores.

GPC will also be among the first organisations in Australia to use Honeywell Voice for Manhattan Active, a voice-directed workflow system for warehouse tasks. The tool is intended to improve accuracy and productivity while helping workers maintain focus and safety on the warehouse floor.

Jon Longbottom, Chief Supply Chain Officer at GPC, said the project was driven by the need to manage a complex operating environment with a more consistent set of processes.

"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," he said.

Future focus

Longbottom said the work had also focused on building processes that could support the business over time.

"Manhattan has worked alongside our team at every stage, helping us design enhanced processes that are not only more efficient, but also scalable as our business continues to grow."

He said the new system gives the distributor greater scope to improve operations across its wider network as market conditions and customer requirements change.

"With the new system, we are well positioned to enhance operational performance across our network while continuing to evolve our supply chain capabilities to meet changing customer and market demands," Longbottom said.

The implementation reflects a wider trend among distributors and logistics operators replacing older warehouse systems with unified software platforms. In large networks, fragmented systems can make inventory management, fulfilment and labour planning harder to coordinate.

Scale challenges

Raghav Sibal, Vice President APAC at Manhattan Associates, said the scale of GPC's operations had made separate systems increasingly difficult to sustain.

"Organisations like GPC are operating at a level of complexity where different independent systems were no longer sustainable," he said.

Sibal said the Brisbane rollout demonstrated the operational benefits of aligning systems, workflows and staff around a single model.

"This implementation is a strong example of what can be achieved when you bring together technology, process and people into a single operating model. We are proud to support GPC as they move into this next phase of their transformation.

"The Brisbane go-live is a key step in GPC's broader strategy to simplify and unify its supply chain operations, supporting improved service outcomes while creating a more scalable foundation for future growth," added Sibal.

Longbottom said the transition had been smooth after months of preparation across the business.

"There's a real sense of momentum across our network. Our teams have put in a huge amount of work to get to this point, and that shows in how smoothly we've been able to transition," he said.

"This gives us a much stronger foundation to build on, whether that's improving service to our stores or supporting future growth across our business."