Pick Cell Solutions
Solutions
Pick Cell Solutions
Pick-to-light is a proven order-fulfillment technology that has continued to evolve to meet changing needs within distribution centers. It has created a small-footprint pick-to-light system – called a micro pick cell – that is implemented with minimal infrastructure and orchestrated by a tablet computer. A typical micro pick cell might employ perhaps 100 pick locations, each equipped with an adjacent light module to highlight the pick location and the pick quantity. Micro pick cells offer the speed and accuracy advantages of light-directed picking in a compact, cost-effective implementation. Multiple independent micro pick cells can be employed concurrently to achieve high fulfillment speeds.
Typical applications employ multiple pick cells with a single picker assigned to each pick cell. A conveyor transports shipping containers, such has a box or a bag, to the micro pick cells. As shipping containers arrive at the micro pick cells, workers retrieve them from the conveyor and scan a barcode on the container that corresponds to the customer order. Scanning the barcode causes lights within the cell to display the quantity of each SKU the order requires from the cell. The worker retrieves the required quantities of each needed SKU, as directed by the lighted displays, and places them into the container. Finally, the worker places the container back onto the conveyor which transports it to the shipping area.
Micro pick cells have proven especially useful in applications such as subscription box fulfilment where a huge number of orders must be fulfilled quickly, but the number of SKUs might only be only a few hundred. The concept is highly scalable since, at any given time, the number of micro pick cells employed can be increased or decreased to match the current workload. Variations on the micro pick cell concept are possible to meet the specific needs of particular applications.
System Overview
- The picking area is divided into pick cells, and a picker is assigned to each pick cell.
- All product locations must employ lights to highlight pick locations and display pick quantities.
- Picking within a pick cell is typically limited to one order at a time.
- Pick Cell systems work well when all products in an order are fast movers.
Features
- Uses a light-sensitive proximity switch to confirm picks rather than a mechanical button
- Optionally supports displays of text and graphics on a monitor within each pick cell
Benefits
- Provides efficient, scalable order-fulfillment strategies for applications such as subscription box fulfillment
- Easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to maintain
- Pickers can become highly productive with minimal training
- Well suited for:
- Emerging micro-fulfillment centers
- Kitting and sequencing of parts required for high-speed manufacturing assembly lines
Dynamic Slotting
Solutions
Dynamic Slotting
Dynamic Slotting is a technique available in some Warehouse Management Systems in which a forward pick location is created dynamically, rather than being dedicated to a single SKU.
This capability is needed in two primary situations: The first is when there aren’t enough pick locations to handle all SKUs a DC carries, so some groups of locations for forward-case and/or piece-picking are left empty, awaiting temporary assignment of SKUs, based on demand for some period, such as a wave or a shift.
When the WMS sees there is no assigned location for a SKU in a wave or order pool, it will assign those SKUs to empty locations and create tasks to move the inventory to each location needed to meet the demand.
From there, it’s like a normal pick from a slotted location – the one difference is that when the picks are complete and the location is now empty again, it is freed from the temporary SKU assignment and is available for another dynamic slotting process. If any inventory remains in the location after the picking demand is met, the WMS will direct that inventory to be put back into reserve storage.
The second scenario for use of dynamic slotting is when demand for a SKU in a wave or general order pool far exceeds the storage capacity of the forward pick location for that SKU. This could mean many replenishments would be needed to meet all that demand.
That volume spike for a SKU can happen based just on the natural variation in demand, or be the result of promotional activity. A WMS capable of supporting dynamic slotting should have parameters that control under what conditions – for example, the percent of demand above a slot’s capacity – dynamic slotting is triggered.
Here again, we need some empty slots – in some cases, these may be simply identified locations on the floor near the active pick area. For example, a company might drop a full pallet of cases for piece picking on the floor or in a pallet position, rather than try to pick eaches for a suddenly high demand SKU out of carton flow rack, due to the replenishment requirements.
This becomes a temporary, secondary location. The WMS should then direct pickers to the secondary location – replenished itself as needed – until demand is consumed.
As in the first cases, when the work is done, the dynamic slot it freed to be used dynamically by another SKU, and any remaining inventory will be re-stored in reserve.
Dynamic slotting is an advanced WMS capability – and requires some expertise to get it right.
A WMS that gives you flexible dynamic slotting capabilities can reduce picking and replenishment costs substantially – not everyone needs it, but many companies that could benefit from dynamic slotting do not do so because their system won’t support it.
Intellipack Shipping Cost Optimization
Solutions
Intellipack Shipping Cost Optimization
Packing Optimization software for cartonization helps shippers select the right box or pallet for every order. Maximize efficiency with every carton shipped, by utilizing packaging optimization.
Select the right box/carton for packing every order
Chances are, you’re packing orders in the wrong container and as a result, inaccurately rating shipments. Packing optimization, aka Smart Packing™, powered by a proprietary bin-packing algorithm, selects each carton/box or pallet based on the containers you keep on hand in each DC.
Directly reduce shipping costs with cartonization software
Dimensional weight charges are real and substantial. 24 million truckloads are shipped annually in the United States as a result of shipping boxes that are too big. That’s 1.75 billion gallons of wasted diesel and 17 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere. And these costs hit your shipping bill.
Carton and pallet optimization across multiple carriers and modes (parcel and LTL)
Sending large or multi-piece parcels using a freight carrier can often save hundreds. Smart Packing™ optimizes across multiple modes, building each box and assembling those boxes into pallets for larger volume LTL shipments. It indicates when palletizing boxes and shipping with a common carrier (LTL) or breaking apart into cartons is the best move.
Batch Picking Cart Solution
Solutions
Batch Picking Cart Solution
Batch picking, sometimes referred to as cluster picking, increases the efficiency of distribution center operations by enabling an individual picker to pick multiple orders with one trip through the picking area.
Batch picking solution combines the best features of pick-to-light, put-to-light, voice, and wireless barcode scanning technologies into a single cart-based solution that yields significant increases in both the speed and accuracy of piece picking.
System Overview
- Voice guides the picker through the picking process.
- Lights on product bays highlight pick locations and display pick quantities.
- Lights on the cart highlight put locations and put quantities.
- Wireless barcode scanning is an alternative to light-directed picking to confirm that the right product was picked.
- The entire process is orchestrated by a tablet PC without the need for continuous connectivity to a host computer.
Benefits
- Pickers work in a hands-free, heads-up mode
- Fast, accurate order fulfillment
- Easy to interface to customer’s WMS
- Reduces or eliminates the need for auditing and packing
- Minimizes travel time in the DC to pick products
- Flexible reconfiguration to meet changing business needs
- Easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to maintain
- Low-cost entry point with incremental expansion path
- Excellent ROI with short pay-back period