Situation

Kenco, one of North America’s leading third-party logistics (3PL) providers, operates a diverse network of distribution centers supporting retail, CPG, and industrial customers. As automation adoption increased and fulfillment complexity intensified, Kenco recognized a structural shift in warehouse operations: labor performance intelligence could no longer be retrospective.

It needed to be real-time.

Historically, labor reporting across multi-site 3PL networks can be fragmented — site-level reporting, inconsistent standards, and delayed performance feedback limit an operator’s ability to scale operational discipline. Kenco sought a unified labor management and warehouse intelligence platform capable of standardizing performance measurement, enabling AI-powered coaching, and reinforcing workforce engagement across its growing automation-enabled network.

The goal was not incremental reporting improvement.

It was network-wide operational control.

Challenges

As Kenco expanded its footprint and automation investments, several priorities emerged:

1. Standardizing Labor Management Across Sites
With multiple facilities operating different systems and workflows, Kenco needed a scalable labor management system that could unify direct and indirect labor visibility while maintaining engineered labor standards.

2. Real-Time Operational Responsiveness
Traditional reporting cycles delayed corrective action. Supervisors needed shift-level insights to address performance gaps before they impacted service levels or labor cost.

3. Integrating Workforce Intelligence with Automation
As robotics and MHE control systems (MCS) became more prevalent, labor performance had to be aligned with automation throughput. Maximizing automation ROI required synchronized workforce visibility.

4. Driving Engagement at Scale
Maintaining workforce stability and accountability across a distributed network required structured coaching tools and engagement strategies grounded in trusted performance data.

Kenco needed a partner that could combine labor management, AI-driven intelligence, and workforce engagement into a unified platform.

Solution

Kenco selected Takt as its strategic Labor Management and Warehouse Intelligence system, initially deploying across 19 distribution centers, with expansion planned to an additional 30 facilities.

The partnership extended beyond deployment. Kenco became a Design Partner, collaborating directly with Takt to shape future capabilities.

The solution focused on four pillars:

1. Network-Wide Labor Management Standardization

Takt provided real-time visibility into direct and indirect labor across facilities. Engineered labor standards were embedded into daily workflows, enabling consistent benchmarking across diverse operational environments.

Standardization created alignment. Alignment enabled scale.

2. Real-Time Intelligence and Automated Alerts

Supervisors gained live insight into productivity trends, exception reporting, and performance risks during the shift. Automated notifications proactively surfaced issues, reducing reliance on manual reporting cycles

Instead of reviewing yesterday’s data, leaders managed performance minute by minute.

3. TaktAI-Powered Employee Coaching

TaktAI translated performance data into role-specific coaching recommendations. Supervisors were equipped with actionable guidance to support associates, while employees received clearer expectations tied to engineered standards

This transformed labor management from measurement alone into structured performance development.

4. Gamification Built on Trusted Standards

As part of the design partnership, Kenco and Takt launched a gamification module aligning incentives with fair, role-based metrics and operational goals

Rather than superficial leaderboards, gamification was grounded in engineered labor standards and real-time performance data — reinforcing accountability and engagement simultaneously.

Results

Since go-live, Kenco has realized measurable performance improvements across multiple operational environments

Gamification pilot results include

These gains reflect a broader shift: performance intelligence moved from passive reporting to active operational control.

Strategic Supply Chain Impact

For Kenco, implementing Takt established a scalable foundation for:

• Network-wide labor visibility

• Standardized engineered labor standards

• AI-powered supervisory coaching

• Automation-aligned workforce optimization

• Measurable engagement improvement

As automation investments expand across the supply chain, workforce intelligence becomes the connective tissue between people and technology.

Kenco’s strategy demonstrates how modern 3PLs are treating labor management not as a reporting function, but as a strategic lever for margin expansion, service consistency, and operational resilience.

Conclusion

Kenco’s partnership with Takt illustrates what happens when labor management, AI-driven coaching, and workforce engagement are integrated into a unified warehouse intelligence platform.

By standardizing performance measurement across 19+ distribution centers and scaling toward 30 more, Kenco has built a repeatable framework for operational excellence — grounded in real-time visibility, engineered labor standards, and measurable results.

In modern logistics networks, performance is no longer measured after the shift.

It is managed in the moment — and scaled across the network.