The Open University partners with Deposco to streamline warehouse management and drive growth

Deposco, a leading cloud-based omnichannel fulfilment software provider, has announced a strategic partnership with The Open University, the largest academic institution in the UK, and a world leader in flexible distance learning. The collaboration aims to modernise and enhance the university's warehouse management system (WMS) to better serve over 200,000 students worldwide.

With a commitment to delivering high-quality distance learning, The Open University faced the challenge of replacing its legacy fulfilment systems with a solution capable of supporting its dynamic needs, including improved warehouse performance metrics, product traceability across the supply chain, and efficient handling of peak demand periods.    

After undertaking a framework agreement process involving requests for proposals (RFPs), The Open University selected Deposco as the best fit to a rigorous set of functional, technical and value-for-money metrics. Through the implementation of Deposco's warehouse management software, The Open University aims to improve operations and gain real-time visibility into performance metrics that can be driven through an enhanced reporting capability.

Seth Townley, Interim Director, Design, Development and Production at The Open University, said: "The partnership with Deposco represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide exceptional educational resources to our students, regardless of their location. Investing in Deposco’s WMS solution will allow us to streamline our processes, ensuring that students receive their course materials promptly and efficiently, which is vital for distance learning."

Deposco's WMS enables The Open University to manage the distribution of over 1.6 million inserts for core modules and support educational initiatives beyond traditional coursework, such as providing materials for prison education programmes and collaborations with the BBC for projects related to ‘Blue Planet’, for example.

This implementation marks the beginning of a robust partnership to foster innovation in educational logistics. With plans for international expansion, The Open University will rely on Deposco's WMS technology to meet the growing demand for its courses across Europe and beyond.

Will Lovatt, General Manager of Deposco Europe, said: "We are proud to partner with The Open University in their journey to modernise and expand their educational reach. Our technology is designed to adapt to the evolving needs of dynamic organisations like The Open University, ensuring they can efficiently manage and expand their operations to meet students’ needs wherever they may be."