Piscataway: momentum in the U.S. for Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton inaugurated a brand new logistics services center in Piscataway, New Jersey (U.S.) last November 13th. “This facility embodies our vision of the future,” says Hervé, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Louis Vuitton Americas. “It gives us a truly remarkable site able to support our growth momentum in North America.”
Launching the new distribution center was a huge challenge for the Maison. “Imagine moving from a small apartment into a large house in record time,” says Bénédicte, Supply Chain Director Louis Vuitton Americas. “Every box has to be in exactly the right place, on the right shelf, in the right drawer, and ready to be accessed just a few hours later! Our teams got the job done without any adverse impact on either store sales or online sales.”
The former Cranbury warehouse, which had become too small, has now been replaced by the spanking new center in Piscataway, just an hour and a quarter train ride from New York City. Piscataway will handle warehousing and distribution of leather goods, shoes, ready-to-wear, perfumes and the latest innovations from Louis Vuitton. It will also house a dedicated repairs center.
“The entire process was extremely smooth thanks to a shared focus on communication,” smiles Christopher, Site and Safety Manager for the center. “The organization was precisely coordinated, with everything planned and anticipated down to the least detail ahead of D-Day,” adds Phil, Logistics Manager.
The meticulous planning which teams devised for the transition from Cranbury to Piscataway sprang from a Hackathon organized last February. The flawless technical performance reflects excellent synergies across all the teams involved – Information Systems, Logistics and Supply Chain, Retail and the Repairs Center.
The result was seamless cooperation. “Everyone was really motivated by a shared sense of mission,” says Charles, Digital Operations Manager. “We are all totally focused on the same objective and motivated by the same passion.”
Piscataway is a template for future Louis Vuitton Logistics and Supply Chain service centers around the world. The space is bathed in natural daylight, with a design that puts priority on protecting the environment and sustainability, coupled with employee comfort. The headline innovation is the introduction of Cobotix tools designed to optimize employee movement. “This vision facilitates the daily work of all our talents and strengthens people’s pride in belonging to Louis Vuitton,” concludes Bénédicte.
