In today’s competitive warehousing environment, efficient order fulfillment is essential, especially when managing large volumes of diverse SKUs. Integrating put walls with zone picking has proven to be a game-changer for many operations. This powerful combination optimizes processes, reduces travel time, and increases productivity. As a result, you can streamline picking and packing, ensuring that orders are completed quickly and accurately while lowering labor costs.
What is a Put Wall?
A put wall is an innovative system that consolidates picked items from various warehouse zones into individual customer orders. Acting as a central sorting station, it ensures that items from different areas come together efficiently. This setup simplifies the verification and packing of each order.
One key advantage of using a put wall is its ability to significantly reduce the number of scans needed during order fulfillment. Instead of scanning each item, the system requires only the sub-order barcode to be scanned at the put wall. Consequently, this approach saves time, reduces errors, and enhances the overall efficiency of the packing process. With the ability to handle high volumes of orders quickly and precisely, put walls become essential tools for managing complex order fulfillment, especially during peak periods.
Zone Picking: A Game-Changer in Order Fulfillment
Zone picking divides the warehouse into distinct zones, with each picker assigned to a specific area. This method significantly reduces travel time because pickers only move within their designated zone to gather items. When you integrate zone picking with put walls, the efficiency of order fulfillment increases even further. Items picked from different zones are brought to the put wall, where they are consolidated and packed for shipping. Therefore, this method not only speeds up the process but also reduces the chances of errors, ensuring each order is accurate.
AI-Driven Efficiency
At ABCO Systems, we take put wall and zone picking solutions to the next level by incorporating cutting-edge AI technology. Our system optimizes order picking batches and calculates the shortest route between all items on the pick list. With this intelligent approach, you save time and reduce wear and tear on both equipment and employees.
AI-powered batch optimization ensures that every second counts. This precision and automation boost productivity and lead to a more satisfied workforce. When tasks are completed quickly and accurately, employees experience less physical strain, which ultimately results in higher job satisfaction.
The Benefits of Our Put Wall Solutions
Increased Efficiency: Put walls combined with zone picking streamline order fulfillment, reducing travel time and boosting productivity.
Error Reduction: Consolidating items at the put wall and reducing individual scans minimizes the risk of errors, ensuring every order is accurate.
AI Optimization: Our advanced AI-driven system optimizes picking routes and batch sizes, leading to faster order processing and less equipment wear.
Scalability and Flexibility: The put wall solution easily scales to meet demand surges. Adding more putters to the same wall during peak periods increases throughput without major infrastructure changes.
Improved Employee Satisfaction: The system’s efficiency reduces physical strain on workers, resulting in higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
Our put walls zonal picking solutions are designed to revolutionize your warehouse operations. By leveraging AI and strategic zone layouts, we help you achieve greater efficiency, accuracy, and employee satisfaction. Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions can meet your unique needs or use the calendar below to schedule a meeting with an ABCO Expert.
In today’s fast-paced e-commerce world, efficiency is crucial. Every second matters, and even slight improvements in order fulfillment can lead to significant gains in productivity, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. This is where our FastFetch Micro Pick Cells excel—a compact yet powerful configuration of our award-winning light-directed picking technology.
What is a Micro Pick Cell?
The Micro Pick Cell is a specialized setup designed to deliver high-speed, high-accuracy picking within a minimal footprint. This solution is perfect for operations like kitting services or subscription box assembly. When you need to process a large volume of orders quickly, but handle a limited number of SKUs, typically up to 100, the Micro Pick Cell offers a streamlined approach. It allows you to process large number of orders swiftly and accurately in a compact space.
Engineered to boost picking speed and productivity, the Micro Pick Cell minimizes wasted time spent walking and manually searching for items. By consolidating the picking process into a streamlined, light-directed workflow, it virtually eliminates errors. Each order gets fulfilled with speed and precision.
Key Features and Benefits
Light-Directed Picking Technology
At the core of the Micro Pick Cell is our proven light-directed picking technology, known for its speed and accuracy. The system uses LED displays to guide pickers to the correct items, reducing errors and significantly increasing productivity. What makes our pick-to-light systems unique is their “NO TOUCH” technology. Traditional systems rely on mechanical buttons that wear out over time, but our solutions use advanced proximity sensors. This eliminates the need for physical contact, enhancing durability and reliability. Pickers work intuitively with their hands free, speeding up the picking process and creating a more pleasant work experience.
Compact and Cost-Effective Design
The Micro Pick Cell stands out with its small footprint, making it an ideal solution for businesses with limited space and high demand for efficient order processing. Despite its compact size, the Micro Pick Cell delivers powerful performance, ensuring you make the most of your available space.
Minimal Infrastructure Requirements
Designed for seamless integration, the Micro Pick Cell requires minimal infrastructure investment. This reduces setup time and costs, allowing you to start benefiting from the system almost immediately.
Scalability to Meet Demand
The modular design of the Micro Pick Cell allows for easy scaling to meet increasing demand. Whether you’re dealing with seasonal order spikes or long-term business growth, you can expand the system to fit your needs without significant additional costs.
Why Choose the FastFetch Micro Pick Cell Solution?
The exceptional flexibility of our Micro Pick Cells sets them apart. They adapt seamlessly to fluctuations in demand, allowing your operation to scale efficiently during peak periods without compromising performance. This adaptability ensures your business maintains high levels of productivity and customer satisfaction, even during the most demanding times.
In the competitive world of order fulfillment, every advantage counts. Our solution offers a unique combination of speed, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness to give your business the edge it needs. With a small upfront investment, quick ROI, and the flexibility to scale as your business grows, the Micro Pick Cell is a smart choice for optimizing your order fulfillment process.
Ready to revolutionize your picking operations?
Contact us today to learn more about how this innovative technology can improve your warehouse operations. Or, simply pick a date and time in the calendar below to schedule a meeting with an ABCO expert.
In today’s fast-paced e-commerce environment, fulfillment companies face a significant challenge: shipping too much “air“. This inefficiency arises when carton boxes used for shipping orders are not filled to their optimal capacity, leading to wasted space, excess packaging materials, and higher shipping costs. This issue has recently gained legislative attention, as evidenced by New Jersey’s new bill aimed at reducing packing waste by limiting the size of shipping boxes. IntelliPack, our innovative packing and shipping optimization technology, offers a comprehensive solution to this problem, providing numerous benefits in the process.
The Legislative Landscape and the Industry Challenge
The state of New Jersey has a history of mandating packaging changes. A New Jersey law signed in 2022 took effect this year banning polystyrene packing peanuts and requiring various levels of recycled content in different packaging materials. A recent report by packagingdive.com has announced that the New Jersey Senate has passed a bill (S226) that prohibits large online and major retailers from shipping products in boxes that exceed two times the volume of the product being shipped. This legislation is part of a broader effort to reduce packaging waste and its environmental impact by the Environment New Jersey (see environmentamerica.org/newjersey). The bill’s passage highlights a common issue in the logistics industry: inefficient packaging that leads to wasted materials and increased shipping costs.
How IntelliPack Solves These Challenges
Our IntelliPack packing and shipping optimization system is designed to address these issues head-on, providing a robust solution for modern fulfillment operations. Here’s how:
AI-Powered Cartonization: IntelliPack uses advanced AI algorithms to calculate the best carton box size for each order. By selecting the optimal box size, IntelliPack ensures that space is utilized efficiently, reducing the amount of “air” shipped. This not only minimizes the use of excess corrugate and dunnage but also cuts down on shipping costs.
Reduced Carbon Footprint: By optimizing box sizes, IntelliPack significantly reduces the environmental impact of shipping. Smaller, more efficiently packed boxes mean fewer trucks on the road, less fuel consumption, and a lower overall carbon footprint. This aligns with the legislative goals of reducing packaging waste and promotes sustainable business practices.
Improved Operational Efficiency: IntelliPack integrates seamlessly with your existing order management system, optimizing the entire packing process. This ensures that every order is packed quickly and efficiently, saving valuable time and resources, and improving the picker work experience. The light-directed picking of the right box further streamlines the process, enhancing productivity and reducing errors.
Enhanced Picker Experience: With IntelliPack, companies can save on multiple fronts—time, corrugate, dunnage, and shipping costs. The AI-powered system minimizes the need for extra filler material, reduces the volume of packaging used, and ensures that each package is as compact and lightweight as possible. This translates to significant savings in shipping costs, as you ship less “air” and more product.
The Bottom Line
IntelliPack is more than just a packing and shipping solution; it’s a comprehensive approach to modernizing and optimizing your fulfillment operations. By leveraging AI technology, IntelliPack not only complies with new legislative requirements but also drives significant cost savings and sustainability improvements.
For companies looking to stay ahead of industry trends and regulatory changes, IntelliPack is the answer. Interested in learning more about how IntelliPack can transform your operations? Reach out to us today to schedule a meeting with one of our experts. Or better yet, visit us on July 18th in our showroom in Carlstadt, NJ, for our ABCO Automation Innovation 2024 Trade Show, where you can see live demos of IntelliPack and our entire range of cutting-edge picking technologies. Free registration for the show HERE.
In the bustling environment of a warehouse, every second counts. Efficiency and productivity are paramount, and any disruption can lead to significant financial losses. A recent article by MMH referring to a study by StayLinked, titled ‘Dropped Sessions – The Hidden Productivity Killer,’ has highlighted a critical issue affecting many warehouses: dropped Wi-Fi sessions. According to the study, over 30% of workers experience a dropped session at least once per hour, costing an average of $29.23 per worker, per day in lost productivity. For a warehouse with 50 workers, this equates to over $400,000 annually.
In large picking operations, companies often deploy extensive equipment to boost Wi-Fi signals to pickers. These signal enhancers incur significant upfront costs and continuous ongoing expenses, as they require power and regular maintenance. Despite these efforts, signal loss remains a frequent problem. When Wi-Fi signals drop, RF equipment typically enters a state of “clocking” (the old spinning hourglass or circle for loading nowadays). This disruption forces users to log back in, causing significant downtime. The cumulative effect of these interruptions can be quite substantial, leading to lost productivity and increased operational costs. As highlighted in the StayLinked study, resolving these connectivity issues requires both direct costs and creates indirect impacts on workflow efficiency.
But, there is a solution! ABCO Systems’ patented FastFetch Batch Picking Carts have a game-changing feature: independence from constant Wi-Fi access. Unlike traditional RF equipment that requires a continuous Wi-Fi signal, our Batch Picking Carts are designed to download the batches of orders to a tablet attached on the cart. This innovation ensures that picking operations can continue seamlessly, even in areas with weak or no Wi-Fi signal.
How Our Batch Picking Carts Work
When workers begin their picking tasks, the Batch Picking Carts download all necessary data locally to the tablet attached to the cart. Instead of relying on Wi-Fi to direct picking operations, our technology utilizes infrared communication to interact with the light modules that guide the picking process. This approach virtually eliminates the problem of low Wi-Fi connectivity altogether. Even if the Wi-Fi signal drops, the cart can continue to operate without interruption because all the required data is stored locally. Once the cart is back within a Wi-Fi zone, it automatically uploads the completed tasks, ensuring that all data is synchronized with the Warehouse Management System (WMS). This process eliminates the frustrating and costly downtime associated with lost Wi-Fi signals.
The Benefits of Wi-Fi Independent Picking
Continuous Productivity: By removing the dependency on a constant Wi-Fi signal, our Batch Picking Carts prevent the delays caused by dropped sessions. Workers can keep picking without interruptions, maintaining high levels of productivity throughout their shifts.
Cost Savings:As highlighted in the StayLinked study, dropped sessions can cost warehouses thousands of dollars each year. Our solution minimizes these losses by ensuring that work can continue uninterrupted, regardless of Wi-Fi connectivity.
Enhanced Efficiency: Without the need to reconnect or re-login after a dropped session, workers save valuable time. This streamlined process not only boosts efficiency but also reduces the frustration and stress associated with connectivity issues.
Improved Picking Experience: The use of infrared communication and local data storage vastly improves the picking experience for workers. They no longer have to log in countless times or move around to catch a better signal, leading to higher worker happiness and satisfaction. This smoother workflow contributes to a more pleasant and productive working environment.
A Real-World Solution to a Common Problem
The StayLinked study underscores the widespread nature of dropped sessions and their impact on warehouse operations. In most warehouses, dropped sessions are considered an unavoidable part of the job. However, with our Batch Picking Carts, this no longer has to be the case. Our technology offers a practical solution to a pervasive problem, allowing warehouses to operate more smoothly and efficiently. To learn more about our Batch Picking Carts and how they can enhance your warehouse operations, watch the short video explainer featuring our CEO. See for yourself how this innovative solution can revolutionize your picking processes and significantly improve your bottom line.
At ABCO Systems, we are committed to providing cutting-edge solutions that address real-world challenges in the logistics and supply chain industry. Our Batch Picking Carts are just one example of how we are driving innovation to help our customers achieve greater efficiency and profitability.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Batch Picking Cart solution and how it can benefit your warehouse operations, we invite you to schedule a meeting with an ABCO expert. Please reach out to us by filling your information in our CONTACT FORMand an ABCO representative will get in touch with you shortly to discuss your needs and arrange a live demo. Don’t let dropped Wi-Fi signals hinder your productivity—discover the difference our Batch Picking Carts can make today.
ABCO Systems is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking strategic partnership with URBX, a pioneering robotic startup renowned for its innovative order fulfillment solutions. This collaboration is poised to bring transformative efficiency and accuracy enhancements to our customers, marking a new era in warehouse automation.
URBX has rapidly emerged as a game-changer in the industry with their cutting-edge fulfillment system, which features a double deep storage configuration and an ultra-efficient conveyor system. Their innovative approach maximizes space utilization while streamlining the picking of totes or containers, resulting in unprecedented levels of efficiency and accuracy.
By joining forces, ABCO Systems and URBX will combine their expertise to create a powerful synergy that will drive growth and success for both organizations. ABCO’s deep knowledge and experience in warehouse automation, coupled with URBX’s high-density and high-speed robotic Goods-To-Person System, will enable us to deliver state-of-the-art solutions that turn supply chains into competitive advantages for brands and retailers.
“Our partnership with URBX is a great milestone for both companies,” said Seth Weisberg, CEO at ABCO Systems. “Together, we will be delivering cutting-edge technology to today’s material handling automation, bringing innovative solutions that will elevate our offerings and deliver greater value to our customers’ operations.”
“This collaboration not only strengthens our capabilities but also aligns with our mission to continually push the boundaries of what is possible in warehouse automation. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership holds and look forward to sharing more updates on how we will elevate our service offerings through this strategic collaboration.”
Stay tuned for more news on how ABCO Systems and URBX will transform your warehousing operations and drive your business toward unparalleled efficiency and success.
About URBX: URBX is an innovative robotic startup that provides high-density and high-speed robotic order fulfillment solutions. Their advanced systems are engineered to maximize space utilization and streamline the picking process, delivering exceptional efficiency and accuracy to warehouse operations.
In the fast-paced world of material handling and logistics, where efficiency and reliability are paramount, the importance of preventative maintenance is often overlooked, but it cannot be overstated. Regular maintenance and servicing play a crucial role in prolonging the lifespan of automation equipment, ensuring optimal performance, and safeguarding against costly breakdowns and downtime. At ABCO Systems, we understand the critical role that preventative maintenance plays in the success of our clients’ operations. That’s why we’re committed to providing comprehensive maintenance and servicing programs that go above and beyond to meet the unique needs of each business we serve.
Why Preventative Maintenance Matters
Preventative maintenance is not just about fixing problems when they arise; it’s about taking proactive steps to prevent issues from occurring in the first place. By conducting regular inspections, lubrication, and adjustments, our maintenance technicians can identify potential issues early on and address them before they escalate into costly repairs or downtime. This proactive approach not only extends the lifespan of automation equipment but also improves its overall reliability and efficiency.
Key Benefits of Preventative Maintenance
ABCO Systems offers comprehensive preventative maintenance plans designed to keep our clients’ operations running seamlessly. Our semestral maintenance checkup encompasses thorough inspections, cleaning, lubrication of moving parts, electrical and controls checkups, and emergency stops verification. This proactive approach allows us to identify potential issues early on and address them in advance, mitigating the risk of costly breakdowns and disruptions.
One of the key benefits of preventative maintenance is its ability to maximize equipment reliability. By regularly servicing and inspecting material handling equipment, businesses can identify worn components or potential failures before they escalate into major problems. This not only minimizes the likelihood of unexpected downtime but also enhances operational efficiency by ensuring that equipment is functioning at optimal levels.
Moreover, preventative maintenance can significantly reduce long-term operating costs. By addressing minor issues early on, businesses can avoid expensive repairs or replacements down the line. Additionally, our maintenance agreement offers discounts on original parts and replacement work expenses, providing further cost savings to our clients.
Another critical aspect of preventative maintenance is its role in ensuring workplace safety. Faulty or poorly maintained equipment can pose serious risks to employees and compromise the overall safety of the facility. By conducting regular inspections and maintenance checks, businesses can identify and rectify safety hazards, creating a secure working environment for their staff.
Furthermore, our spare parts inventory management service ensures prompt response to any emergency part replacement needs. By maintaining a well-stocked inventory of critical components, we can minimize downtime and swiftly address any unforeseen maintenance requirements, keeping our clients’ operations running smoothly around the clock.
In conclusion, preventative maintenance is a cornerstone of efficient and reliable material handling operations. By proactively addressing maintenance needs, businesses can minimize downtime, optimize equipment performance, reduce operating costs, and enhance workplace safety. At ABCO Systems, we are committed to helping our clients maximize the value of their material handling investments through our comprehensive maintenance services. Contact us today to learn more about how preventative maintenance can benefit your organization.
