case study storage l
operations and processes at the other site we knew it had what we needed to take the business forward,” says Peter Timbrell. “The model reflects, as far as possible, the one that has proven so successful at our main distribution centre in Halesowen.”
High levels of automation In the new facility, six Hänel vertical picking towers (lean lifts) are positioned along the centre of the building to make full use of the 12m height. Stock is stored on trays which are brought down to the picking face, automatically acting on instructions received directly from the WMS. Pick- to-light technology then indicates the location of the correct item. A conveyor and sortation system provided by Keymas runs from the picking face to order rework and assembly areas at the front of the building. Picking and other tasks are managed using hand-held RF terminals which issue instructions to warehouse staff and scan barcodes at various points to verify actions.
This equipment is driven by the Empirica WMS which not only sends pick instructions direct to the lean lifts but also prioritises and balances the picking sequence evenly across all six towers. While the operative is retrieving an item from one machine the others are transferring trays to the pick face. The picker moves from machine to machine, directed by “next task” instructions on their RF terminals. This ensures no time is wasted waiting for an item to be available and minimises the walking between machines for maximum productivity and efficiency. “We envisaged two operatives would work three towers each,” says Peter Timbrell. “But it was soon clear that one person could manage all six and they now only spend half their time on picking tasks. In the previous operation
four people spent all their time on order picking.”
The system recognises when complete orders cannot be fulfilled from the lean lifts and instead directs the warehouse team to pick directly from bulk. This avoids complexity and duplication of tasks.
Picked items are placed in a bag and a label generated by Empirica is attached. Customers’ own part numbers can be included but only relevant information is printed. This avoids the inclusion of blank lines or spaces which could lead customers to assume information is missing. The bag is placed in a bar-coded tote bin and directed through the sortation system to one of two locations. The first is for completed orders and the second for items that require additional rework prior to delivery (customising). Rework forms an increasing proportion of the total service and added value offered by ERIKS. It can include special packaging, additional spot codes or the application of holographic labels used by some customers in their own quality assurance.
Real-time system
The entire system is driven by a hierarchy of priorities and tasks managed dynamically and in real time by Empirica. Stock orders have a lower priority than customer orders but emergencies always take precedence. The prioritisation also ensures that orders not required to be despatched that day are held back until the next, freeing resources for those that can be delivered. Putaway and stock checking are always a lower priority which means that these tasks are only allocated when there are no outstanding orders.
“The system ensures there is always a task to do and this helps maintain the pace of work which is good for
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productivity,” says Peter Timbrell. “During periods when we are really busy we still have flexibility.” Chess worked with Hänel’s UK distributor Industore to write the interface which directs the lean lifts and liaised with Keymas to source information needed to drive the sortation system. The company set up the RF network, configured the hand- held scanners and provided training to the ERIKS staff. Empirica also provides an interface between the warehouse operations and ERIKS’ ERP system to ensure a seamless and automatic transfer of information with main business software applications. Putaway is managed with items allocated to random locations while taking into account the need to balance stock across all six picking towers. The system flags up missing critical information and forces operatives to enter the correct details before they can proceed. Automatic stock checking is configured so that operatives are asked to check stock when no picking tasks are scheduled. “We believe we could complete eight full checks a year this way,” says Peter Timbrell. “It far outweighs anything expected by our auditors. “We are very pleased with the solution delivered by Chess and the support they have given to us during the design and implementation of the system. The result is a solution that supports the current and future business requirement." ●
www.chess.uk.com
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