FEATURE Automated Warehousing
Automating Direct Soccer’s warehouse
Gavin Harrison, UK Sales Director at Element Logic, explains the journey companies undertake when considering warehouse automation, like Direct Soccer
D
eciding on when to automate a warehouse depends on several factors. Operators need to evaluate their processes and
procedures, examine their supply chain and identify gaps in current technology and future business goals.
For Scotland-based football teamwear supplier Direct Soccer, the overriding factors were robust growth and increasing consumer demand for quicker delivery times, especially during seasonal peaks. The family-owned business – which off ers in-house personalised printing and embroidery – had a growing customer base that prompted it to triple the fl oor size of its warehouse in 2019. Up to that time, the warehouse’s racking system had served the company well, which had switched to online trading as early as 2002. However, the owners realised they had to fi nd a warehouse solution to optimise the fl oor space fully and improve overall operational effi ciency.
The online business caters for both clubs and individuals, but when the taps ran dry on the club side during the early Covid-19 lockdown, Direct Soccer turned its marketing focus to the individual. Applying the principle “stay safe, stay home, keep training”, it started supplying more leisurewear to this market through Express Football Kits, the sister site of Direct Soccer. The site off ers next-day delivery with limited personalisation – and became an instant hit.
38 September 2022 | Automation
Initially, Direct Soccer considered a mezzanine system for the additional warehouse space, but the number of fl oors made it impractical at the time. The owners knew moving to a far larger warehouse would mean facing far higher running and staffi ng costs.
The solution – advanced automation Direct Soccer’s owners started researching automated warehouse solutions, and looked for a system to optimise the existing space. They found AutoStore, the automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) off ered by Element Logic.
Following an assessment of Direct Soccer’s needs and setup, we formulated an AutoStore solution that could utilise both height and fl oor space, while meeting Direct Soccer’s objectives of reducing lead times and increasing throughput. Sixteen weeks later, their system went live, with seven robots and 8,000 bins, just in time for the peak Christmas period.
Comprised of stacked bins in a dense cube, many warehouse automation specialists view this type of AS/RS as the most modern and advanced available. Smart robots run across the overlaid grid independently, to shuffl e, sort and retrieve bins, bringing them to a workstation (port) for order picking. The robots are connected wirelessly to the system and charge themselves when not in use. A controller and built-in software keep track of everything.
The system provides a superior level of storage density, making it the ideal solution where warehouse space is limited, such as micro-fulfi lment centres. Modular design makes the system easy to confi gure with changing throughput demands. It is modular, scaleable and fl exible, and the only solution where every part can be added independently with minimal eff ort. Additionally, AutoStore is the only system that allows customers to do a complete pick-and-pack process because no other system can get all products to any bin to any operator station, all via robot, without requiring complex conveying systems to either be built into or externally to achieve the same outcome. With an entirely manual operation,
Direct Soccer needed to use an area of about 1,133m2
requires just 210m2
, while the AutoStore solution – less than a quarter of the
existing space. The company plans to expand the system to 16,000 bins in the future, which will be made easier due to the fl oor space savings. In total, the company has saved around £200,000 in manpower, fl oor spa and labour in the space of just 12 months. For a company that’s operating in today’s dynamic ecommerce environment, order fulfi lment is one area where agility truly counts.
CONTACT:
Element Logic
www.elementlogic.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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