Zero Downtime. Smarter Spend. Peace of Mind. How SLMCON helped Polaris modernize warehouse execution without stopping the line.
Updated: Sep 2
Polaris needed to move warehouse execution off its ERP and onto Blue Yonder WMS in a live, high-throughput manufacturing environment where disruption was not an option. The requirement was non-negotiable: the implementation could not disrupt production. SLMCON delivered a phased rollout with zero downtime, start to finish, protecting the line, building frontline confidence, preserving budget, and supporting $1.4M in realized annual savings.
Key Results:
0 hours of downtime
$1.4M realized annual savings
$8–10M three-year projected value
The Challenge
Polaris' Huntsville facility manufactures vehicles in an environment where warehouse execution and line-side readiness are directly connected. As readiness planning progressed, SLMCON and Polaris spotted the risk before it became a problem: a single big-bang cutover would stack too much change into one event, putting inventory accuracy, user readiness, and the line itself at risk.
SLMCON's Approach
SLMCON redesigned the rollout into four phases sequenced by operational risk: core inventory stabilized first, then lower-risk consumption areas, then higher-volume environments, and finally production, only after everything else had been proven. SLMCON absorbed that harder path so Polaris did not have to, timing Go-Live to New Year's Day itself and working around Polaris' calendar, not the other way around. The build aligned to Polaris' broader WMS template, adapted for Huntsville while staying consistent, scalable, and upgrade-ready.
Outcome & Business Impact
Production stayed protected throughout. Each phase went live, stabilized, and created confidence before the next began, and the line never stopped: not during cutover, not during ramp-up, not once. Adoption was built into the work, not handled as an afterthought. SLMCON converted decades of frontline know-how into system-directed workflows tailored to how Huntsville actually operates, so that knowledge no longer walks out the door when people do. Through hypercare, SLMCON stayed close, then stepped back. Budget was treated as a discipline, not a number: scope managed phase by phase, delivered for meaningfully less than budgeted. Polaris gained protected continuity, measurable operating improvements, and a system its team runs independently. That independence is the peace of mind the engagement was built to deliver.
Financial Impact
With line downtime costing an estimated $1M per hour, the engagement protected production and delivered measurable value across three quarters and beyond.
$1.4M Realized Annual Savings
Across labor, software, inventory accuracy, and reduced freight expedites.
Zero Production Downtime
Continuity sustained through phased Go-Live and stabilization.
$8–10M Three-Year Projected Value
Cumulative value as gains compound and the model extends to future sites.
SLMCON worked as an extension of our team. They understood the operational stakes and stayed focused on making sure our people were ready to run the system successfully.
Chad Freeman
Digital Product Director, Polaris
Planning a High-Stakes WMS Go-Live?
When production cannot stop and a transformation cannot fail, SLMCON helps operations, IT, and supply chain leaders modernize safely, stabilize quickly, and get more value from Blue Yonder WMS.
Comments