British Olympic fencing supplier Leon Paul transforms warehousing and drives growth with Forterro’s Orderwise

Leon Paul, the world’s premier fencing equipment manufacturer, has transformed its warehousing and logistic operations and driven significant growth following its adoption of Forterro’s ERP and Warehouse Management Solution, Orderwise.

The 100-year-old family-run business produces and distributes 90% of its products from its London manufacturing and warehousing facility and had previously relied on a paper-based system. This was highly inefficient and resulted in a warehouse environment best described as ‘chaos’ and an estimated £150,000 wastage every year in lost time and products, according to James Fay, Commercial Director, Leon Paul:

“We had no control of ordering from stock to delivery, no barcoding technology in the warehouse, no form of KPIs to manage our performance. We couldn’t vet orders properly and weren’t even sure if products were being sent to the right places,” he said. “Morale was low amongst staff because they felt they couldn’t do their jobs to the best of their ability, and we were wasting money, time and products hand over fist. We were known for the quality of our fencing equipment, but our warehousing was far from Olympic standard. Orderwise was cost-effective and scalable, and it was actually recommended to me by a competitor, so it felt like the best fit for us right from the off.”

Picture: Getty/iStock

Since implementing Orderwise, Leon Paul has been able to automate many processes and see vast efficiency improvements. It has eased pressure on employees, improved order management and customer service, and delivered a ten-fold increase in order processing. Order shipping time went from an average of nine days to less than one day.

In a complex manufacturing environment—Leon Paul makes more than 3,000 SKUs, which can then become any one of 98,000 SKUs—Orderwise has become integral. It allows the business to make quick and informed decisions, and it has meant that when the company turned over £3.5m, there were seven people in the warehouse, whereas in 2024 (turnover of £10m), there are five.

Leon Paul has more than 75% of the UK market—including supplying the entire Team GB Olympic fencing team—and recently won the 2024 Kings Award for Enterprise in Innovation and Export, strengthening its recent strategy of focusing mostly on exports.

“To further our global growth plans, we needed a modern warehouse and an ERP system to support our e-commerce engine, ensuring our customers all over the world get the right product in good time,” continued James Fay. “Orderwise has done exactly that and more. Our global agents are also connected to it, and we now all have the information to make smarter, data-based decisions about the business.”

Orderwise is an ERP solution that provides wholesalers, distributors, retailers and manufacturers with a platform for growth. It was initially deployed by Leon Paul in operational logistics, sales, and customer service, followed by accounts, and is currently being implemented in the manufacturing plant.

“Leon Paul is an iconic UK manufacturer, rightly celebrated for its quality, longevity and commitment to fencing,” said Jon Roberts, Director, Forterro. “Our ERP solutions are all designed with specific industries in mind, and we are very proud that Orderwise has played a role in Leon Paul’s success.”