Saving 3,000+ hours per year with ecommerce shipping automation

Simply Plastics is a UK-based supplier of plastic materials, serving the construction, retail, engineering and manufacturing sectors. They process hundreds of B2B and B2C orders each day across the UK and Europe through a high-volume e-commerce operation.

As order volumes increased, their manual carrier booking process became a bottleneck within packing and dispatch. Booking shipments required human intervention, adding time, cost and limiting the team’s ability to scale.

We redesigned and automated the workflow with a structured, AI-enabled fulfilment solution, reducing operational cost, saving time and enabling growth without increasing headcount.

Despite investment in digital systems, Simply Plastics’ packing and dispatch processes were disconnected and remained largely manual. The process relied on parcel measurements being recorded on handwritten job sheets, repeated data entry across multiple carrier portals, with courier choices based on individual judgement and experience.  

Booking orders with the appropriate carrier took approximately three minutes per shipment, amounting to more than 12 hours of low-value administrative work each day.

In addition, manually entering address details increased the risk of errors, reliance on individual staff knowledge resulted in inconsistent carrier selection and higher shipping costs, and the absence of digital parcel records limited traceability of parcel contents. Overall, the dispatch function was not equipped to support continued growth efficiently. 

While ERP integration with carrier platforms seemed like the obvious next step, the reality was more complex.  

Parcel sizes and weights varied significantly, carrier pricing was based on detailed contracts, export shipments added extra requirements and address data wasn’t always reliable. As a result, key dispatch decisions depended on individual experience rather than consistent, structured rules.

Automating data transfer into the carrier platforms without restructuring the process would only have accelerated existing inefficiencies. The team needed a structured, intelligent workflow, to capture accurate data and apply consistent logic before the automation begins. 

We designed a secure, mobile-first platform that re-engineered the entire packing and dispatch process. The system now provides full traceability through Azure Entra ID authentication, ensuring secure access and displaying live order data from the ERP.  

The new solution guides packers through a clear, step-by-step digital workflow. It captures parcel sizes and weights, checking data in real time. Missing items or incorrect sizing are flagged automatically for the team, before validating delivery addresses.

Behind the scenes, an AI-powered engine selects the most cost-effective courier based on the organisation’s contracted pricing structure. By integrating directly with carrier systems, the solution removes manual data entry and enables reliable automation using accurate information. 

With consistent data and decision logic in place, DotCentric implemented conditional automation. Shipments that meet defined criteria, including parcel type, weight, destination and delivery requirements, are now booked with the carrier automatically.

To reduce shipping errors, we enhanced the checkout on Simply Plastics’ website to flag whether a customer selected a validated address or manually entered their own. Addresses that were verified and left unmodified could be trusted and processed automatically, while others were routed for manual review to minimise risk. As a result, over 60% of parcels now flow through the system without human intervention, delivering significant time and cost savings.

The result is a scalable dispatch operation that delivers significant time savings, optimised carrier selection and reduced delivery errors, while removing manual bottlenecks and reliance on individual knowledge. The team is now able to focus on higher-value activities, with the capacity to support continued business growth.