Kenco Scales AI-Powered Labor Management Across 19+ Distribution Centers with Takt
Key Takeaways
Kenco scales AI-powered labor management software across 19 distribution centers: Takt enables standardized, real-time labor management across a large 3PL network.
Labor management software provides real-time operational visibility for Kenco: Supervisors can monitor labor performance live and make staffing and workflow adjustments during the shift.
Kenco uses AI-driven labor management to improve productivity and efficiency: Real-time insights and automation reduce reliance on manual reporting and reactive decision-making.
Engineered labor standards and workforce intelligence enable consistent performance at scale: Standardized metrics allow Kenco to drive efficiency across multiple facilities and clients.
AI-powered coaching improves workforce engagement and productivity at Kenco: Takt translates performance data into role-specific feedback, helping managers coach associates more effectively.
Data-driven labor management reduces costs across Kenco’s network: The platform delivers measurable gains, including efficiency improvements and reduced cost per unit.
Unified labor, WMS, and automation data improves decision-making: Takt connects systems to provide a single source of truth for operational performance.
Real-time performance tracking enables continuous improvement across Kenco’s distribution centers: Operations teams can proactively identify issues, optimize labor allocation, and scale performance.
Situation
Kenco is one of North America's leading third-party logistics (3PL) providers. It runs a diverse network of distribution centers for retail, CPG, and industrial customers.
As automation grew and orders got more complex, Kenco saw a shift coming. Labor performance data could no longer look backward. It had to be real-time.
Labor reporting across multi-site 3PL networks is often fragmented. Each site reports on its own. Standards vary. Feedback arrives late. All of this makes it hard to run operations with discipline at scale.
Kenco wanted one platform for labor management and warehouse intelligence. The platform needed to standardize how performance is measured. It needed to support AI-powered coaching. And it needed to keep the workforce engaged as automation spread across the network.
The goal was not a better report. The goal was control across the whole network.
Challenges
As Kenco grew its footprint and its automation investments, four priorities stood out.
1. Standardize labor management across sites
Kenco's facilities ran different systems and workflows. The company needed one labor management system that could scale. It had to show both direct and indirect labor while holding to engineered labor standards.
2. Respond in real time
Old reporting cycles slowed down corrective action. Supervisors needed insights during the shift. That way they could close performance gaps before service levels or labor costs took a hit.
3. Connect the workforce to automation
Robotics and MHE control systems (MCS) became more common. Labor performance had to line up with automation throughput. Strong automation ROI depends on seeing the workforce and the machines together.
4. Drive engagement at scale
A distributed network needs stable, accountable teams. That takes structured coaching tools and engagement built on performance data people trust.
Kenco needed a partner that could bring labor management, AI-driven intelligence, and workforce engagement together in one platform.
Solution
Kenco chose Takt as its Labor Management and Warehouse Intelligence system. The first rollout covered 19 distribution centers. Plans call for 30 more facilities after that.
The work went beyond deployment. Kenco became a Design Partner and helped shape future features alongside Takt.
The solution rested on four pillars.
1. Network-wide labor management standardization
Takt gave Kenco real-time visibility into direct and indirect labor across facilities. Engineered labor standards were built into daily workflows. This let Kenco benchmark performance the same way across very different sites.
Standard metrics created alignment. Alignment made scale possible.
2. Real-time intelligence and automated alerts
Supervisors saw productivity trends, exceptions, and performance risks live during the shift. Automated alerts surfaced issues early. This cut the reliance on manual reporting cycles.
Leaders stopped reviewing yesterday's data. They managed performance minute by minute.
3. TaktAI-powered employee coaching
TaktAI turned performance data into role-specific coaching tips. Supervisors got clear guidance to support associates. Employees got clearer expectations tied to engineered standards.
This changed 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. It ties incentives to fair, role-based metrics and operational goals.
This is not a surface-level leaderboard. It rests on engineered labor standards and real-time performance data. That reinforces accountability and engagement at the same time.
Results
Since go-live, Kenco has seen measurable gains across several operational environments.
Operational Environment | Measurable Impact |
|---|---|
Multi-system MCS implementation | 7% increase in efficiency and $213,000 in savings |
Single-client CPG distribution site | 15% decrease in average cost per pallet and $229,000 in savings |
11-site network labor takeover | Implemented in five months (avg. 15 days per site), generating an estimated $900,000 in savings |
The gamification pilot delivered these results.
Gamification Impact | Measured Improvement |
|---|---|
Monthly operational savings | $9,000 |
Reduction in time off task | 1.2% |
Increase in overall performance | 2.16% |
Attendance improvement | 4.21% |
These gains point to a bigger shift. Performance intelligence moved from passive reporting to active operational control.
Strategic Supply Chain Impact
For Kenco, Takt built a foundation the company can scale on:
Network-wide labor visibility
Standardized engineered labor standards
AI-powered supervisory coaching
Automation-aligned workforce optimization
Measurable engagement improvement
As automation spreads across the supply chain, workforce intelligence becomes the link between people and technology.
Kenco's approach shows how modern 3PLs now treat labor management. It is not just a reporting function. It is a lever for better margins, consistent service, and operational resilience.
Conclusion
Kenco's partnership with Takt shows what happens when labor management, AI-driven coaching, and workforce engagement come together in one warehouse intelligence platform.
Kenco standardized performance measurement across 19+ distribution centers and is scaling toward 30 more. The result is a repeatable framework for operational excellence. It is 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.
Kenco
By Takt
Category
3PL
Kenco Scales AI-Powered Labor Management Across 19+ Distribution Centers with Takt
Kenco
Category
3PL
Kenco Scales AI-Powered Labor Management Across 19+ Distribution Centers with Takt
Kenco
Category
3PL
Situation
Kenco is one of North America's leading third-party logistics (3PL) providers. It runs a diverse network of distribution centers for retail, CPG, and industrial customers.
As automation grew and orders got more complex, Kenco saw a shift coming. Labor performance data could no longer look backward. It had to be real-time.
Labor reporting across multi-site 3PL networks is often fragmented. Each site reports on its own. Standards vary. Feedback arrives late. All of this makes it hard to run operations with discipline at scale.
Kenco wanted one platform for labor management and warehouse intelligence. The platform needed to standardize how performance is measured. It needed to support AI-powered coaching. And it needed to keep the workforce engaged as automation spread across the network.
The goal was not a better report. The goal was control across the whole network.
Challenges
As Kenco grew its footprint and its automation investments, four priorities stood out.
1. Standardize labor management across sites
Kenco's facilities ran different systems and workflows. The company needed one labor management system that could scale. It had to show both direct and indirect labor while holding to engineered labor standards.
2. Respond in real time
Old reporting cycles slowed down corrective action. Supervisors needed insights during the shift. That way they could close performance gaps before service levels or labor costs took a hit.
3. Connect the workforce to automation
Robotics and MHE control systems (MCS) became more common. Labor performance had to line up with automation throughput. Strong automation ROI depends on seeing the workforce and the machines together.
4. Drive engagement at scale
A distributed network needs stable, accountable teams. That takes structured coaching tools and engagement built on performance data people trust.
Kenco needed a partner that could bring labor management, AI-driven intelligence, and workforce engagement together in one platform.
Solution
Kenco chose Takt as its Labor Management and Warehouse Intelligence system. The first rollout covered 19 distribution centers. Plans call for 30 more facilities after that.
The work went beyond deployment. Kenco became a Design Partner and helped shape future features alongside Takt.
The solution rested on four pillars.
1. Network-wide labor management standardization
Takt gave Kenco real-time visibility into direct and indirect labor across facilities. Engineered labor standards were built into daily workflows. This let Kenco benchmark performance the same way across very different sites.
Standard metrics created alignment. Alignment made scale possible.
2. Real-time intelligence and automated alerts
Supervisors saw productivity trends, exceptions, and performance risks live during the shift. Automated alerts surfaced issues early. This cut the reliance on manual reporting cycles.
Leaders stopped reviewing yesterday's data. They managed performance minute by minute.
3. TaktAI-powered employee coaching
TaktAI turned performance data into role-specific coaching tips. Supervisors got clear guidance to support associates. Employees got clearer expectations tied to engineered standards.
This changed 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. It ties incentives to fair, role-based metrics and operational goals.
This is not a surface-level leaderboard. It rests on engineered labor standards and real-time performance data. That reinforces accountability and engagement at the same time.
Results
Since go-live, Kenco has seen measurable gains across several operational environments.
Operational Environment | Measurable Impact |
|---|---|
Multi-system MCS implementation | 7% increase in efficiency and $213,000 in savings |
Single-client CPG distribution site | 15% decrease in average cost per pallet and $229,000 in savings |
11-site network labor takeover | Implemented in five months (avg. 15 days per site), generating an estimated $900,000 in savings |
The gamification pilot delivered these results.
Gamification Impact | Measured Improvement |
|---|---|
Monthly operational savings | $9,000 |
Reduction in time off task | 1.2% |
Increase in overall performance | 2.16% |
Attendance improvement | 4.21% |
These gains point to a bigger shift. Performance intelligence moved from passive reporting to active operational control.
Strategic Supply Chain Impact
For Kenco, Takt built a foundation the company can scale on:
Network-wide labor visibility
Standardized engineered labor standards
AI-powered supervisory coaching
Automation-aligned workforce optimization
Measurable engagement improvement
As automation spreads across the supply chain, workforce intelligence becomes the link between people and technology.
Kenco's approach shows how modern 3PLs now treat labor management. It is not just a reporting function. It is a lever for better margins, consistent service, and operational resilience.
Conclusion
Kenco's partnership with Takt shows what happens when labor management, AI-driven coaching, and workforce engagement come together in one warehouse intelligence platform.
Kenco standardized performance measurement across 19+ distribution centers and is scaling toward 30 more. The result is a repeatable framework for operational excellence. It is 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.