Penguin Random House, the world’s largest publisher of general-interest paperback books, has completed the WERC Facility Assessment & Certification program and received the WERC Best Practices Certification.
The company’s Crawfordsville, IN distribution center completed the Warehousing Education and Research Council’s Facility Assessment & Certification Program this past spring, which confirms that the warehouse facility meets or exceeds established industry standards for operation.
Annette Danek-Akey, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at Penguin Random House, said the facility assessment provided practical insight and training for the management team and the third-party audit report will be used to foster communication and facilitate problem-solving with partners.
“It’s a very reasonable cost for an independent, professional, non-consulting opinion and rating on 110+ attributes in a warehouse operation,” said Danek-Akey, who is also the board past president of WERC. “I know if we were to complete the audit ourselves, we would not have achieved the same level of insight.
Danek-Akey said the independent audit took two days and was a learning opportunity for the facility’s management team. “They now have a solid understanding of standard industry benchmarks and areas for improvement.
“Reviewing our scores, particularly on our receiving functions, has been invaluable,” Danek-Akey said. “We have great controls but see the potential value of increasing compliance from some of our vendors. I now have an official report from someone who has done over 80 assessments that highlights growth opportunities, which I can leverage when I make my case for improvements.”
Facility Assessment & Certification Program partners are audited by WERC’s independent, third-party auditor who evaluates eight functional areas of warehouse operations. Each area receives a score on a five-point scale, benchmarked against WERC's Benchmarking & Best Practices Guide.
In receiving the recognition, Penguin Random House joins dozens of leading national and international distribution centers that have achieved the recognition since the program’s inception in 2010. These include DCs for some of the world’s most successful and well-known companies, including Michael Kors, Hopewell Logistics, Blount International and Pampered Chef.
To learn more about the program, see the full list of certified facilities and read the latest Assessment case study, visit werc.org/certification or contact us at 630-990-0001.
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