Hachette UK Distribution is the logistics arm of Hachette UK, serving both Hachette’s own publishers and other publishing clients across the UK. The team moves books to shops, online retailers, schools, and libraries, handling everything from a single copy for a customer to large bulk orders for major retailers quickly and reliably.
In recent years, the team faced a clear fork in the road: two legacy sites nearing lease end, ageing systems that had done their time, and a growing need to consolidate shipments for cost, service, and sustainability gains.
To tell the story of how Hachette answered that challenge, we spoke with Marc Travers, Director of Operations at Hachette UK Distribution, about the journey, the lessons, and the partnership with ModernLogic that made Blue Yonder work for a very non-standard operation.
From Ageing Systems to a Single Automated Super Site
The technology holding Hachette’s two legacy sites together had long outlived its usefulness.
“We had ageing infrastructure, both software and hardware,” said Marc. “We had, basically, a publishing software system that evolved into a Warehouse Management System. It was probably designed in about 1970.”
In replacing this software, their strategic aim was straightforward: consolidate operations to reduce cost, improve customer experience, and cut waste.
“One of the key deliverables was consolidation,” Marc explained. “You’re then shipping a single box instead of two. From an environmental point of view, from a cost point of view, and from a customer service point of view, you’re improving on every front.”
The solution was bold but practical: replace the two legacy centres with a purpose-built, automated super site.
“One of the big drivers for the new site was bringing in automation we’d never worked with before,” Marc said. “We selected SAP for order-to-cash, Blue Yonder for our WMS, and TGW for the WCS. The physical build had to match our order profile – it became the highest order-picking solution in Europe by weight, handling a ton at that height.”
Standard Blue Yonder, Configured for Book Distribution
Hachette made a deliberate choice to keep its Blue Yonder WMS as close to standard as possible. The logic was simple: avoid the trap of heavy customisation, protect upgrade paths, and keep costs predictable.
“At the time, it was out-the-box Blue Yonder,” Marc explained. “You can take it off the shelf, and it works. We didn’t want to move away from that because otherwise, you end up in the same situation we had before, where you can never patch it, never upgrade it, and pay a fortune to develop it.”
But a system built for general warehouses still needed tuning for the quirks of book distribution. That’s where ModernLogic came in.
“What I’d found difficult with previous partners was that it didn’t matter what we said – they’d tell us to change our process to fit the system,” Marc said. “ModernLogic were brilliant at listening to how we worked and then helping design a solution together.”
The difference showed in both pace and quality. “We were seeing a much better success rate on deployments,” Marc noted. “And the fix-forward approach was another big one – you weren’t backing things out, you were moving forward.”
Vast Catalogue and Volatile Orders Tested the WMS Daily
If the build was ambitious, the daily operation is even tougher. Hachette holds a vast catalogue and faces unpredictable order volumes – a constant test of the WMS.
“We’re holding now around 140,000 SKUs, about 58 million items,” Marc explained. “Any one of them can sell on any day. The order profile makes it complex: it can be one book, 50 titles, 100 books, or 10,000. It’s whatever gets ordered that day.”
Keeping that flow smooth required constant refinement. Post go-live, the team focused on tightening processes, removing friction, and making sure fixes stuck; and, thanks to the configurability of their Blue Yonder WMS, they were able to make the changes they needed.
“In the last 18 months we’ve made about 27 changes or fixes to Blue Yonder,” Marc said. “Once something is in, it’s about making sure it’s good enough that you don’t have to come back and fix it later.”
Stabilisation Delivered 30% Growth and Smarter Change
Once the new site and systems bedded in, growth followed quickly.
“So I think it’s about 30% growth,” Marc said.
That growth was fuelled by stabilisation and ongoing optimisation. But for Hachette and ModernLogic, the focus wasn’t just on fixing problems; it was on creating a model for continuous improvement that didn’t pile on unnecessary cost.
“How do we work together to streamline the cost from both businesses,” Marc explained, “to ensure we can continue the improvements and the growth without there being a huge bill on the back of it?”
The answer came in the form of collaboration.
Building a Centre of Excellence on a True Partnership
For Marc, the difference with ModernLogic has always been cultural as much as technical.
“I’d like to thank ModernLogic for their patience: for listening to what we’re doing and committing to being a partner, not just a supplier,” he said. “Because we built the partner relationship, that’s key. It’s not ‘I’m your customer, you’re my supplier.’ We’re partners, and we’ve done it together.”
That mindset now underpins Hachette’s ambitions for the future.
“I want this to be a centre of excellence for supply chain,” Marc explained. The goal is to keep building capability, develop people, and draw on ModernLogic’s expertise when it counts.
Talk To ModernLogic to Make Blue Yonder Work for You
Hachette proved that you don’t need to over-customise to run a complex operation on Blue Yonder; you just need the right partner to tune it to reality.
If you want a system that stays upgradeable, delivers day-to-day reliability, and adapts to your operation rather than the other way round, talk to ModernLogic.
