Warehouse Optimization: Delivering a Zero-Disruption Controls Modernization in a Live Footwear DC with Exceptional Customer Service

In high-volume distribution environments, modernization projects are rarely just about technology. They’re about trust, timing, and execution under pressure. For a footwear retailer operating a live store replenishment network from a single distribution center (DC), upgrading aging controls meant taking on a challenge with zero room for disruption.

The facility needed to transition from end-of-life PC-based controls to a standardized programmable logic controller (PLC) based system while also unlocking real-time operational intelligence across labor, conveyors, and material flow — both key to long-term distribution center warehouse optimization. But with more than 10,000 SKUs moving daily, 200 employees working two shifts, and e-commerce orders flowing continuously, even minor downtime wasn’t an option.

What defined the project from the start wasn’t only the scope. It was also the retailer’s requirement that everything had to happen while the system stayed fully operational. That’s where Designed Conveyor Systems (DCS) differentiated itself, stepping in not just as an integrator, but as a service partner committed to sequencing every phase, coordinating every cutover, and protecting throughput at every turn.

The result was a modernization effort that didn’t interrupt business — it elevated it.

How Do You Achieve Warehouse Modernization Without Operational Downtime?

Achieving a comprehensive warehouse modernization without disrupting active throughput requires a disciplined, phased implementation strategy, aligned with a facility’s throughput cycles.

Led by Senior Account Executive Fred Rudolph, DCS proposed a controlled, phased system upgrade that matched the footwear retailer’s long-term vision. “They weren’t trying to reinvent the system — they just needed a foundation they could count on,” Rudolph explained. “The goal was modernization without risk.”

Through careful phasing, a modern PLC upgrade, standardized documentation, future-ready design, and the implementation of its proprietary DATUM warehouse execution system (WES), DCS helped the operation achieve maximum warehouse efficiency alongside a more reliable, maintainable, and data-rich operation — without sacrificing uptime or flexibility.

Why Are Tight Coordination, Planning, and Communication Essential?

From the outset, DCS planned the project as a phased retrofit. This ensured that upgrades could be completed without impacting daily operations.

Wiley Stidham, DCS’ Project Manager, emphasized the steps taken to minimize operational interruptions long before any work began. First, DCS and the facility’s leadership team jointly mapped out the project timeline against the retailer’s peak volume cycles and operational priorities.

Because the retrofit occurred in a live facility, timing was everything. DCS kicked off the work after the retailer’s peak season, ensuring the most disruptive activities — like control panel swaps and wiring transitions — happened when order volume was lowest. 

Also to reduce the impact on the operation, DCS divided the project into small, contained phases, focusing on one control zone or pick module at a time. Each pick module had its own dedicated control panels which DCS re-controlled sequentially. Some modules were handed over fully to DCS for several weeks, while others were only accessible on weekends or off-shifts.

Stidham said DCS used weekly coordination meetings with the retailer’s operations and IT teams to confirm exact dates for each pick module, adjusting in real time for unexpected volume surges. When operations projected higher-than-expected throughput, DCS flexed the schedule rather than forcing a conflict.

“We were asking the question, ‘These dates still work, right?’ first,” Stidham said, “instead of waiting for them to come to us. That proactive communication kept surprises off the table.”

The phased turnover ensured the retailer could keep shipping product while DCS technicians worked in one area at a time. After each phase, DCS validated functionality, handed the module back to operations, and only then moved to the next one.

Why Is Ongoing Communication Critical to Successful Modernization?

Stidham coordinated constantly with both DCS’ controls team and software engineering team, ensuring that when one side made an update, the other was aware.

During commissioning, the team ran user acceptance testing (UAT) and parallel monitoring. The new DATUM WES communicated with both the legacy and new control panels in test mode before full cutover.

“We went live with the software first,” Stidham noted. “That let us see all the messaging and monitor system behavior before changing any hardware. When we finally swapped panels, we already knew communication worked.”

This strategic sequencing meant that by the time control panels were physically replaced, DCS had already verified data flow and logic integrity. This minimized risk and eliminated mid-install surprises.

How Should Control Panel Updates Be Conducted Methodically?

As part of the modernization project, DCS’ Controls Delivery Manager Vince Ashby and his team first audited all of the operation’s existing controls hardware to determine what could and could not be reused. 

Across the facility’s existing control panels, Ashby pinpointed which components required updating while minimizing the risks associated with changing too many parts simultaneously. Principally, the updates involved swapping the outdated PC-based controls with PLCs and new input/output (I/O) communication relays, he explained.

DCS’s controls team and electrical subcontractors prepared everything ahead of time — labeling, wiring diagrams, new PLC configurations — so that on-site swaps could happen as quickly as possible.

“We built everything off-site and came in ready,” Ashby said. “It was like plug-and-play compared to traditional tear-out work. Once the software team finished their takeover, that’s when the controls upgrade started.”

DCS Team Worked Evenings and Weekends to Minimize Disruptions

To avoid interfering with daily throughput, DCS often performed panel replacements and rewiring on weekends, when the fulfillment operation’s outbound activity was lowest. “Some areas we could work in for three or four weeks straight,” added Ashby. “Others, we only had weekends. We tailored our approach to each zone’s operational rhythm.”

Additionally, the sizing of the selected PLCs gives the facility the capability to add new technologies or automation in the future without requiring additional controls upgrades, Ashby noted. 

“That way, if they put in a new scan tunnel, they wouldn’t need to upgrade the processors or other controls,” he said. “Throughout the whole update process we thought about future expansions and selected technologies that had the capacity to support new systems.”

Every control panel installation ended with a thorough commissioning and hand-back process. DCS verified that conveyors, scanners, and sorters were running under new PLC logic; confirmed system messaging between the panels and the WES; and only then released the zone back to operations. This ensured no untested code or wiring ever entered the live environment. 

According to Ashby, this disciplined validation process is part of why the facility experienced minimal downtime and no unplanned outages throughout the retrofit.

Trust DCS with Your Next Warehouse Modernization Project

Modernizing a live distribution operation is never solely a technology challenge. It’s a coordination challenge. For this footwear retailer, the stakes were clear: improve system reliability and operational visibility without disrupting day-to-day throughput.

Through disciplined project management, phased execution, and a strategic transition to PLC-based controls, DCS delivered a modernization that strengthened maintainability, improved real-time operational insight, and preserved full facility uptime throughout the entire process.

The outcome is a more stable, scalable, and data-driven operation built for future growth — without sacrificing performance during the transition. To explore how DCS can support your next controls modernization or live facility retrofit, connect with us to start the conversation.