Crown Paints, part of The Hempel Group, is accelerating its logistics and supply chain transformation in partnership with XPO Logistics.
In the first year of this collaboration, XPO Logistics and Crown Paints have delivered measurable operational improvements, cost efficiencies, and a significantly enhanced customer experience across Crown’s key warehousing UK hubs in Darwen, Lancashire, and Hull, Yorkshire.
This evolving partnership has already delivered tangible innovations, including the modernisation of picking and packing processes and a dynamic labour planning tool that enables smarter scheduling. These advances support greater responsiveness during seasonal peaks, create a fairer working environment for colleagues, and improve service reliability for Crown Paints’ customers.
The operational warehouse footprint has also been optimised through collaboration across XPO Logistics’ broader customer network. By unlocking shared warehousing opportunities and increasing space utilisation, Crown Paints has reduced overheads and improved agility — creating value both internally and for its customers.
In a significant step forward, Crown Paints and XPO Logistics have collaborated to develop a dedicated e-commerce fulfilment solution for the Company. This new channel will allow customers to buy directly from the manufacturer and enjoy fast, convenient home delivery. The shift supports Crown’s commercial growth ambitions while significantly enhancing the end-to-end customer journey by reducing lead times and expanding access to the brand.
“Our partnership is delivering everything we expected and more”, said Laura Gillett, Logistics Manager at Crown Paints.
“The pace, transparency, and collaboration we’ve experienced from XPO Logistics have been exceptional; they are an extension of our team. We're proud of what we’ve accomplished together and excited about what we can achieve next.”
Dan Myers, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain – Europe, XPO Logistics, said:
“This is a textbook example of how partnership, when built on shared values and aligned goals, can drive genuine transformation. From innovating operations to enhancing the customer journey, we're proud of what we’ve achieved together with smarter logistics that deliver lasting impact.”
