UK Warehouse Operations Consultancy

Your warehouse is losing money
in places you haven't measured yet.

PainKiller identifies exactly where your operation is bleeding time, labour, and throughput — and gives you a clear, prioritised plan to fix it. One day on-site. Findings in seven days.

Zero-risk guarantee on all audits. If we don't identify savings greater than our fee, you don't pay the second instalment.

Operational experience built across

Aldi Lidl ZF Automotive WHSmith British Airways Hayman's Group Kimia
UK-based · Warehousing & logistics operations · Findings in 7 working days · Zero-risk guarantee on every audit

The Problem

High labour costs are rarely the real problem.

When overtime keeps climbing and output doesn't follow, it feels like a headcount issue. It almost never is.

What looks like a people problem is usually process waste — poor flow, wasted movement, invisible bottlenecks repeating themselves across every shift. The kind of thing that only becomes visible when someone stands on the floor and looks for it properly.

Most operations managers feel the symptoms. Very few have the time — or the outside perspective — to find the actual cause.

  • Overtime that never fully clears, no matter how many people you add
  • Pick rates that plateau regardless of training or incentives
  • Goods-in backlogs that ripple into every other part of the operation
  • Error rates you've quietly accepted as normal
  • Bottlenecks that appear to move but never disappear
  • KPIs that look acceptable on paper but feel wrong on the floor
  • A site that runs fine — until it doesn't, and no one's sure why

How It Works

Four steps. No ambiguity about what happens next.

01
Diagnostic Call — free

20 minutes to discuss your operation, the pressure points, and whether the audit is the right fit. No commitment, no pitch. If it's not right for your situation, we'll say so.

02
On-Site Audit Day

Floor-level observation, staff interviews, process mapping, KPI benchmarking. One day on your site. £475 deposit taken on booking, balance on report delivery.

03
Findings Report — 7 days

Every bottleneck, every quick win, every risk flag. A clear, prioritised written report — not a generic framework. Delivered within 7 working days of the audit.

04
Your Next Move

Implement internally with the findings, or continue with the Transformation Programme. Your choice — no pressure either way. A 30-minute debrief call is included regardless.

Services & Pricing

Straightforward services. Transparent pricing.

Service Price What it covers
Operations Toolkit
Five operational templates: labour tracker, slotting matrix, goods-in checklist, shift handover log, KPI dashboard. Instant download.
£49one-time · instant
Templates only. For ops managers who prefer to run improvements independently. Buy now →
Warehouse Operations Scorecard New
25-question diagnostic across six operational health dimensions. 10 minutes. Instant 10-page scored PDF report. The same methodology used in our on-site audits.
£99one-time · instant
For ops managers wanting an independent, structured view before committing to an audit. Learn more →
Rapid-Resolve
One specific problem. One 90-minute working session. Written action plan within 48 hours. No diagnostic call required before purchase.
£297fixed · no call needed
For a single, well-defined operational problem where a full audit isn't needed. Buy now →
Transformation Programme
A 90-day hands-on programme — Sam embedded in your operation 2 to 3 days per week — taking audit findings and turning them into implemented, measurable change. Weekly leadership reviews, supervisor coaching, monthly progress reports.
£4,500per month · 90-day engagement
For operations that need hands-on execution, not just a report. UK travel inclusive. Learn more →
Operational Health Retainer
Light-touch ongoing engagement. Monthly review call, async KPI review, ad-hoc advisory, and a quarterly half-day site visit. For operations that want to maintain the gains.
£650per month · cancel any time
For operations that want a consistent external perspective without the cost of active project work. 30 days notice to cancel. Learn more →

The Guarantee

If we don't find savings greater than our fee — you don't pay the rest.

Every PainKiller audit carries a full zero-risk guarantee. If the findings don't identify savings or improvements worth more than the audit fee, the second instalment is waived. No invoice. No uncomfortable conversation.

  • No partial payment — the guarantee is total, not conditional
  • You keep the findings report regardless of outcome
  • Applies to every audit, regardless of site size or complexity
  • No time limit on claiming it — if the savings aren't there, they aren't there
0%
Financial risk to you
See full audit details →

About

Built from experience inside real operations, not consultancy theory.

PainKiller was founded by Sam Mustatea — an operations professional with hands-on experience across retail distribution, 3PL, manufacturing, aviation, and FMCG environments.

The work here isn't built on frameworks from business school. It's built on the kind of knowledge you acquire standing on a warehouse floor at 4am working out why a shift is missing its numbers.

  • Experience across retail, 3PL, manufacturing, aviation and distribution
  • Focus on labour efficiency, process flow, and KPI improvement
  • Findings delivered in 7 working days — no exceptions
  • Independent — no software vendor relationships or product quotas
Full background →
"Most consultants write reports and leave. We stay until the problem is fixed — or until we understand exactly why it isn't."
Sam Mustatea — Founder, PainKiller Consulting
A note on independence

PainKiller doesn't resell software, earn referral fees, or have preferred vendor relationships. Recommendations are based solely on what the operation needs. If the right answer is something you can implement with no external help, that's what the report will say.

Field Notes

Patterns and lessons from real warehouse audits.

Written for UK ops directors. The diagnostics, the structural causes behind persistent overtime, what actually fixes pick rate plateaus — and what doesn't.

Read Field Notes →

Results

What this work has delivered.

17%
Reduction in Overtime
Multi-shift operation · ~80 staff

Overtime was being driven by planning gaps and handover failures between shifts — not by genuine volume. Shift structure and workflow were restructured. The overtime requirement fell 17% within eight weeks.

22%
Increase in Pick Rate
Retail warehouse · e-commerce fulfilment

Poor product slotting and wasted travel time were the root cause — not picker performance. Picking logic was restructured and movement waste reduced. Pick rate increased 22% with the same headcount.

28%
Faster Goods-In to Shelf
FMCG operation · high-throughput site

Delays across intake, checking, and putaway were creating downstream drag. The intake flow was redesigned to remove waiting time at the key handoff points. Goods reached shelf 28% faster within six weeks.

All results anonymised. Sector, site size, and context available on request for qualifying enquiries.

Get Started

Find out what your operation is actually costing you.

Start with a free 20-minute diagnostic call. We'll ask about your operation, what's not working, and whether the audit is genuinely the right fit. No pitch. No obligation.

Already know you need the audit? See the full audit page to submit a booking enquiry directly.

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