From empty shed to automated go-live.
Calnet leads distribution centre automation, warehouse system programs and ERP implementations on your side of the table, so the robots, the WMS and your ERP go live together on a date the Board can trust.
Who Calnet works for
Retailers, distributors and 3PLs buying their first serious automation or a new warehouse management system, or moving their ERP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O. The vendors are selling, and your team is busy running the business. Calnet is the experienced lead who works only for you, with no vendor commissions, ever.
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Automation, WMS and ERP readiness review
4–6 weeksFrom $25,000 + GSTWhether the business is ready for automation, a new WMS or ERP, a clear business case, the options that fit your volumes, and what it will really take.
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Vendor selection and contracts
2–3 monthsRequirements, tender and evaluation for WMS, ERP and automation vendors, then a contract that protects you through go-live.
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Program leadership to go-live
6–18 monthsEnd-to-end delivery: design, build, integration, testing, validation, training, cutover and hypercare, reporting to your CEO and Board.
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Go-live rescue
2–6 weeksFixed-fee health check or day rateA fast, independent health check for programs that are late, over budget or losing trust, and a plan to land them.
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Fractional supply chain technology lead
OngoingMonthly retainerSenior leadership one to three days a week, for businesses not yet ready to hire full-time.
A $20M greenfield pharmaceutical DC, live in July 2026
Delivered for an ASX-listed healthcare distributor, from design to go-live, reporting to the CEO.
- Warehouse system
- Manhattan SCALE WMS, integrated with Oracle JDE
- Automation
- Swisslog AutoStore with 24,500 bins, 24 robots and 8 ports, plus outbound conveyor
- Performance
- 5,000+ order lines a day at 99%+ pick accuracy
- Compliance
- Cold chain, frozen goods, dangerous goods and chemicals under TGA / GDP requirements, with zero compliance breaches
- Readiness
- Computer Systems Validation protocols, SOPs and a training video library; 20 staff trained before go-live
A Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O reimplementation, back to standard
Delivered for Hinkler, a global book and craft publisher. Years of customisation had made the previous system unstable, so the reimplementation took it back to standard and rebuilt the business around out-of-the-box processes.
- Approach
- Removed at least 50% of customisations and retrained staff on standard D365 processes
- EDI
- Replaced bespoke code for customer EDI orders with an out-of-the-box ISV solution
- Supply chain
- Full Supply Chain Management module configured, including ASNs and SSCC labelling
- Freight visibility
- Integrated with the international freight forwarder for live shipment updates and vessel locations worldwide
- Structure
- New entity set up within the reimplementation
- Outcome
- A stable ERP that needs minimal intervention, with far less regression testing for future Microsoft updates
- Vendor
- Managed the implementation partner for the entire engagement
A national DC network on Manhattan SCALE, built for 99.99% availability
Delivered for Chemist Warehouse over about two years, across five large distribution centres, including six months on site at the Melbourne DC through implementation.
- Scale
- Five large DCs, 150,000+ sqm in total, including a Melbourne DC of more than 25,000 sqm
- Warehouse system
- Manhattan SCALE WMS across every DC in the network
- Automation
- Outbound conveyor automation and voice picking
- Availability
- Designed for 99.99% availability, with redundant network and internet links, power and battery backup
- Devices
- Thousands of RF devices set up and initialised, and hundreds of IP cameras installed
- Governance
- RFPs, vendor management, costs and reporting to the Board
Ryan Calvert
Founder of Calnet. Twenty years across technology, operations and commercial leadership, from a pharmacy dispensary to Head of IT and Head of Commercial Operations. Based in Melbourne.
View Ryan's LinkedIn profile- ASX-listed healthcare distributor. The greenfield DC above: Manhattan SCALE, AutoStore and Oracle JDE in a regulated pharmaceutical site.
- Hinkler. The D365 reimplementation above, plus Power BI analytics on Microsoft Fabric and a global 4PL restructure.
- Chemist Warehouse. The DC network above, plus a $10B wholesale partnership and group rebate management, across a 20-year career.
- Spotlight Retail Group and CH2. Systems integration and transformation across retail and healthcare supply chains.
Planning a DC, automation, WMS or ERP project?
Tell me where you're up to, even if it's only an idea. A short conversation now can save months later.
Prefer email? info@calnet.com.au