AllFasteners - Sydney

View the details behind our VLM Case Study

Allfasteners Sydney is saving hours getting stock ready to ship with ELF Automation Vertical Lift Machines within its Sydney warehouse.

Date: October 2025

Project Background

All Fasteners Sydney is a national supplier of fasteners serving the construction industry across Australia and has been doing so for the past 20 years. Recent growth in demand, combined with the need for a larger and more efficient operation in New South Wales, placed increasing pressure on their existing warehouse capabilities. With expansion underway, the business required a facility capable of supporting higher throughput and faster dispatch while maintaining reliable customer service.

Operational pressures were primarily driven by warehouse size limitations and a shortage of available labour. The new facility offered limited floor space, and the high cost of industrial real estate in the region made traditional expansion options impractical. At the same time, rising labour costs made it essential to streamline processes, particularly the picking and handling of small items where time was commonly lost.

Project Details

Constraints

The new warehouse presented a range of operational limitations that restricted All Fasteners’ ability to maintain service levels. The facility was significantly smaller than their previous site, which immediately reduced available storage capacity and created pressure on warehouse layout and workflow design. Limited floor space meant traditional racking configurations were no longer viable, and expanding the storage footprint through building modifications was not feasible due to high real-estate costs.

The restricted space also increased congestion within key operational zones, slowing both pedestrian and forklift movements. Manual handling became less efficient, contributing to longer picking times and delays during peak periods. Labour challenges—particularly shortages and high employment costs—further emphasised the need to reduce dependence on manual processes. Maintaining accuracy and consistency in a tight operating environment also became more difficult, creating additional operational strain.

These constraints highlighted the need for a high-density storage and picking solution capable of supporting throughput without requiring more space, more labour, or major building works.

Implementation

To overcome the limitations of the new warehouse, two ELF Automation systems were selected and configured to maximise space efficiency and streamline picking operations. The installation process was planned around minimising disruption, with the full installation completed within a two-week window.

Integration with the client’s Netsuite platform ensured seamless communication between the automated systems and the existing WMS. Custom integration work allowed real-time visibility of SKUs, automated transactions, and synchronised order processing. Parallel workflows were used during installation so that daily operations could continue without downtime.

Following installation, operational testing and commissioning ensured the system was performing in line with throughput targets. Staff were trained on both the physical operation of the machines and the updated digital workflows. Once testing was complete, the automation went live smoothly, supported by ongoing technical assistance and post-implementation monitoring.

Results

The introduction of automation delivered immediate and measurable improvements across the warehouse. Storage capacity increased significantly despite the smaller building footprint, allowing All Fasteners to efficiently consolidate inventory while maintaining accessibility.

Operational efficiency also improved, with reduced warehouse running costs and faster picking performance. The streamlined workflow decreased manual handling, contributing to better staff productivity and reduced fatigue. Improved stock control and picking accuracy minimised errors and rework, strengthening customer satisfaction.

Additional benefits included the ability to scale operations without adding labour, lower operational overheads, and the elimination of several inefficient manual processes. Overall, the new automated setup enabled the business to achieve higher performance within a smaller, more cost-effective warehouse.