About Jon Harbour | SMH Supply Chain

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Background

Two Decades.
One Specialisation.

I've spent my entire career in Manhattan WMS, starting as an implementation consultant in 2004 and working my way through to design lead, operations specialist and regional centre of excellence adviser. Every role, with every client, on every continent, has involved the same product. That depth of focus is deliberate.

I'm based in Sydney, Australia, and operate as an independent specialist. That independence matters: it means you engage with me directly, not through a consultant manager who translates your requirements to a junior. The experience and judgement you're paying for is what you get.

I work comfortably with warehouse operations teams and IT architects alike. Knowing which language to use with each, and when to bring them together, is as important as the technical knowledge itself.

Career

The Journey

April 2004 – December 2019
Consultant → Design Lead

Manhattan Associates

Joined Manhattan Associates as an implementation consultant, configuring systems, running test cycles and supporting go-lives for tier-one clients across multiple industries. Over fifteen years, progressed to design lead: the person in the room responsible for steering clients through the strategic decisions about how their Manhattan WMS solution would actually work.

Design lead work involved facilitating workshops with operational and IT stakeholders, translating complex business requirements into Manhattan configuration decisions, and helping clients understand the long-term implications of those choices. A particular strength was in integration design: defining the interfaces between Manhattan and the client's host systems (ERP, order management, transport management and others).

One of the most significant contributions during this period was helping to design and build the original 3PL extensions to Manhattan WMOS. At the time, the base product lacked the multi-client, 3PL-specific functionality that DHL and other logistics providers needed. The extensions we designed filled that gap. They were eventually adopted by Manhattan Associates as part of the standard product.

Throughout this period I was regularly called upon to deliver Manhattan WMS training to client teams, adapting content and approach to suit technical staff, super-users and warehouse operations teams as required.
January 2020 – December 2023
Operations Optimisation Specialist

DHL

Moved to DHL to work on the client side of the equation, conducting GEMBA walks, design reviews and operational analyses across the APAC network. The focus was on identifying where the system and the operation weren't working together as efficiently as they could, then designing and implementing changes to fix that.

DHL's philosophy in this space was clear: improve productivity by doing more with the existing workforce, not by reducing headcount. Solutions were designed with that constraint in mind, which sharpened the focus on intelligent task management, directed work design and process flow rather than resource cuts.
January 2024 – October 2025
Warehousing Centre of Excellence — APAC

DHL

Moved into DHL's Warehousing Centre of Excellence, providing specialist advice to country-level implementation teams across the region. This role was primarily advisory, helping teams resolve complex configuration issues and defects that exceeded their local capability, and guiding best-practice design decisions across multiple simultaneous programmes.

The support-heavy nature of the role (logging and tracking defects, doing minor configuration work within limited access) made it clear that this wasn't the best use of two decades of implementation and design experience. That clarity was the catalyst for going independent.
October 2025 – Present
Founder & Principal Consultant

SMH Supply Chain Pty Ltd

Founded SMH Supply Chain to offer the kind of focused, senior-level Manhattan WMS expertise that large consulting firms promise but rarely deliver. Clients engage directly with the specialist, with no intermediaries or junior stand-ins. The work ranges from solution design and implementation leadership to operational optimisation and training, always underpinned by the same product knowledge developed over more than two decades.

Differentiators

What Sets This Apart

Vendor and client experience

Fifteen years at Manhattan Associates gave me a level of product knowledge that most consultants simply don't have. Six years at DHL gave me the client-side perspective: understanding what it's like to live with the decisions made during implementation. Most consultants have one or the other. I've had both.

Built the product, not just implemented it

Designing the original WMOS 3PL extensions (features that are now part of the standard product) required a depth of understanding that goes beyond configuration and testing. It means I understand not just how Manhattan works, but why it works the way it does.

Boardroom and warehouse floor

The ability to shift register between a design workshop with senior stakeholders and a conversation with a warehouse shift supervisor is rarer than it sounds. I've always worked both ends of the engagement, and clients consistently cite this as one of the most valuable things I bring.

Independent means focused

There's no account management overhead, no utilisation target to hit, no junior resource to deploy. Every hour of engagement is directed at your problem, by someone who has been solving exactly these kinds of problems for twenty years.

Experience

Industries Worked In

Manhattan WMS implementations differ significantly by industry. Two decades across nine verticals means that experience is genuine.

Jon Harbour

Two Decades.One Specialisation.