Case Study: Cambium Learning

About Cambium Learning

Founded in 2003 and based in Natick, Massachusetts, Cambium Learning is an education company that provides research-based, culturally responsive and proven instructional materials, services and technology to help educators raise the achievement level of those pre K through grade 12 students underserved by existing instructional materials.

After selecting Longmont, Colorado as the location for their consolidated global distribution center, Cambium Learning turned to Bastian Material Handling to help them automate this new facility.

Challenges facing Cambium Learning

• Cambium Learning had grown dramatically, through organic growth and acquisition. Operations and work forces were dispersed among multiple locations, thus compromising efficiencies.
• Qualified workers resided in the Longmont vicinity due to their previous employment at the acquired Sopress West operations. However, they needed to be trained in the operation of a larger scale/highly automated distribution center

• Cambium Learning needed to relocate equipment and inventory from an older facility into the new facility, implement a new Warehouse Management System (WMS), move from a manual to automated warehouse, and still meet aggressive go-live target dates.
• Cambium’s goal was to consolidate all facilities into a single, state-of-the-art Global Distribution Center, to significantly streamline operations and reduce labor costs. Their objectives were to tool up their operations to more than triple revenue growth through 2011, reduce labor costs per carton shipped, and maintain their inventory accuracy in the process.

Bastian's Solution

• BMH’s design team worked closely with Cambium Learning’s consulting firm to understand their material and information flows. From there, BMH was able to provide an integrated, turn-key storage, picking and conveyor system solution. BMH provided a design that will allow ease of future upgrades.
• BMH installed over 5500 feet of conveyor, two automated sortation systems, and a four lane split case pick module.
• BMH designed and installed a Warehouse Control System (WCS) that tightly integrates conveyor control to Cambium’s Warehouse Management System (WMS).

Cambium Learning Results

• Cambium Learning was able to offer superior customer service to their customers in the US, Canada, UK and Japan out of this single Global Distribution facility
• Labor costs per carton were reduced significantly, and operations were streamlined and economized due to consolidation of activity and elimination of redundant tasks.
• Targeted service levels were achieved, including shipping lead time and rush shipments.