CASE STUDY PUBLISHED APRIL 2024

Nestlé Mercurius — Yard Management, Reimagined

Sauce designed and built a bespoke, multilingual IoT platform that transformed how Nestlé manages vehicle and trailer movements across its UK confectionery operations.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Sauce built Mercurius, a bespoke digital yard management system for Nestlé's confectionery headquarters in York. The platform delivers real-time vehicle tracking, tablet-based shunter movements, a live flight board, and digital driver check-in — replacing manual processes with a scalable, multilingual system which is now rolling out to a second distribution centre with XPO Logistics.

CLIENT

Nestlé UK

SECTOR

FMGC / Logistics

DISCIPLINE

Bespoke IT Platform

STATUS

Live & Expanding

THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE

Complex yard operations with no real-time visibility

Food and beverage giant Nestlé faced significant operational pressure at its York confectionery headquarters — one of the UK's largest food manufacturing sites. Managing the constant flow of delivery vehicles and trailers through a large, busy yard had become increasingly difficult without a centralised digital system.

The specific challenges Sauce was briefed to address included:

No real-time visibility of vehicle and trailer locations across the yard
Manual, paper-based driver check-in creating bottlenecks at security
Shunter drivers relying on radio communication rather than live data
Drivers waiting with no status updates on when their load would be ready
No scalable system that could be replicated at other Nestlé sites
A multilingual workforce requiring a platform accessible to all

THE PROCESS

Deep discovery. Agile delivery. Continuous iteration.

Sauce worked closely with the Nestlé team in York — to build a thorough picture of day-to-day yard activity before a single line of code was written.

1. Discovery & Mapping

Workshops and process mapping sessions with Nestlé to understand every touchpoint in the yard management workflow.

2. Agile Build & Iteration

Using an agile development methodology, Sauce delivered working software in incremental sprints — allowing Nestlé to review and refine functionality against real operational conditions throughout the build.

3. Live Rollout & Expansion

Following successful deployment in York, the system was validated for wider use. Nestlé and XPO Logistics are now deploying Mercurius at a new East Midlands distribution centre.

THE SOLUTION

Mercurius: a fully digital yard operating system

The result of Sauce's work is Mercurius — a bespoke, scalable digital yard management platform built specifically for Nestlé's operational environment, with the flexibility to be deployed across multiple sites.

The platform consists of three interconnected components working in real time:

Digital Driver Check-in:

Delivery drivers input their details digitally upon arrival at security, replacing paper-based processes entirely

Flight Board Display:

A large-format, airport-style status screen in the waiting area shows live bay and load status so drivers always know exactly when to return to their vehicle

Shunter Movements:

Shunter drivers access live yard data via tablet in their cab, enabling them to manage all movements with full situational awareness

The system is multilingual, ensuring accessibility across Nestlé's diverse workforce — a requirement identified during the discovery phase that proved critical to site-wide adoption.

THE RESULTS

Operational efficiency transformed — and a platform ready to scale

The impact of Mercurius at Nestlé's York site has been immediate and measurable. The system eliminated manual bottlenecks, reduced waiting times, and gave every stakeholder — from security to shunter drivers — a single source of truth for yard activity.

Eliminated paper-based check-in

Delivery drivers now complete a fully digital check-in at security, removing manual paperwork and reducing queue times at the gate.

Improved driver experience

Drivers wait in a dedicated area and monitor their load status on the flight board — no radio calls, no guesswork, no unnecessary delays.

Live visibility across the whole yard

All vehicle and trailer movements are tracked in real time, giving logistics teams complete operational visibility from a single dashboard.

Platform expansion with XPO Logistics

The success at York led directly to Mercurius being adopted at a new East Midlands distribution centre operated by Nestlé and XPO Logistics.

THE CLIENT'S VERDICT

"The system has revolutionised our yard management, making us more efficient, and we are absolutely delighted with the results."

- David Walker, Logistics Transformation Projects Manager at Nestlé’s UK Confectionery Headquarters in York

FAQs

Q: What is Mercurius and what problem does it solve?

A: Mercurius is a bespoke digital yard management system built by Sauce for Nestlé. It was designed to solve complex vehicle and trailer tracking challenges at Nestlé's UK confectionery business in York — replacing manual processes with real-time, site-wide visibility.

Q: Why did Nestlé need a custom yard management system?

A: Nestlé's existing processes lacked the visibility and tracking capabilities needed to manage vehicle and trailer movements efficiently across a busy production and logistics site. Off-the-shelf solutions couldn't meet the specific operational demands of the York facility.

Q: How does the Mercurius yard management system work?

A: On arrival, delivery drivers input their details digitally at security, then wait in a designated area where a flight board — similar to an airport departures screen — shows the live status of their load. Once loading or unloading is complete, drivers are notified and can leave. Shunter drivers access the same live data via a tablet in their cab.

Q: Is Mercurius multilingual?

A: Yes. The system was built as a multilingual platform, reflecting the diverse workforce and international driver base operating across Nestlé's logistics network.

Q: How did Sauce approach building the Mercurius system?

A: Sauce worked closely with Nestlé to understand day-to-day operations and specific challenges before development began. An agile methodology was used throughout — allowing the software to evolve iteratively and ensure it exactly met Nestlé's needs.

Q: Can the Mercurius system be rolled out to other sites?

A: Yes. The system was designed to be scalable and flexible from the outset — built with the potential to be implemented across other Nestlé factories and warehouses. It has since been adopted by Nestlé and XPO Logistics at a new distribution centre in the East Midlands.

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