Case Study: Improving Distribution Performance Through Operational Alignment

Industry

Third-Party Logistics (3PL) / Distribution & Supply Chain

The Challenge

A growing distribution operation was struggling with inconsistent productivity, staffing instability, communication gaps between operations and recruiting teams, and pressure to improve throughput without sacrificing quality.

Leadership needed better visibility into performance while maintaining flexibility during changing customer demand and seasonal volume shifts.

What Was Happening

Several operational gaps were creating friction across the business:

• Recruiting teams were filling positions without full alignment to operational expectations

• Productivity standards varied by shift and supervisor

• Front-line communication lacked consistency

• Leadership was reacting to issues instead of proactively managing performance

• Customers expected faster output and stronger accountability metrics

The result was reduced efficiency, inconsistent employee engagement, and missed opportunities to improve margins.

Sanna Strategies Approach

Sanna Strategies partnered with leadership to evaluate workflows, staffing strategy, operational communication, and performance expectations across the operation.

Key areas of focus included:

• Aligning recruiting strategy with operational production goals

• Improving accountability and communication rhythms between teams

• Establishing measurable productivity expectations and tracking

• Identifying workflow bottlenecks impacting throughput

• Supporting leadership coaching and operational consistency

• Creating scalable processes that could flex with volume changes

The approach focused on practical execution — not theory — with an emphasis on measurable operational improvement.

Results

The operation experienced stronger alignment between recruiting and operations, improved productivity consistency, and clearer visibility into performance expectations.

Key outcomes included:

• Increased operational efficiency and throughput

• Improved communication between departments

• Better workforce stability during peak volume periods

• Stronger leadership accountability and performance tracking

• Improved ability to scale operations based on customer demand

Most importantly, leadership gained a clearer operational framework to support long-term growth while improving the employee and customer experience.

Why It Matters

Distribution operations move fast. Small inefficiencies quickly become expensive problems.

Sanna Strategies helps operations leaders create structure, accountability, and scalable systems that improve performance without losing focus on people, culture, and customer expectations.