Schuh, the UK’s largest online footwear retailer with 75 stores and concessions around the UK and Ireland, recently appointed Astec Conveyors to design and manufacture a ‘pick to belt’ conveying system. The new system was designed to speed up order picking, increase staff productivity and reduce picking cage congestion by enabling the staff to pick & place products directly onto a conveyor belt for transfer to an existing automated sortation system.

Individual shoe boxes are placed onto one of three 50 metre heavy duty conveyors that run the full length of a mezzanine floor at right angles to the racking and walkways in order to enable the fastest and most efficient batch picking process. As access to stairways and fire exits had to be maintained at all times the system was designed with two sections of inclined/declined belt conveyors.

In order to merge two of the belt conveyor lanes into one, Astec introduced a zero line pressure, high speed merge system, comprising of a number of accumulation zones that are used to create slugs of products prior to merging. Completed orders are then conveyed down to an existing sortation system on the ground floor.

Astec Conveyors installed and commissioned the system, including controls, on time and within budget and without any compromise to existing operations. The system has been operating for a number of months and Schuh are achieving some excellent operational benefits from their investment.

Rob Bridle, Head of Logistics at Schuh reported, “The Astec system enables us to quickly and efficiently pick and dispatch high volumes of product. It has made a positive impact on service and productivity levels and represents very good value for money. We have been extremely impressed with the quality and reliability of the system and with the way in which Astec worked closely with our own engineers to ensure that the project was delivered on time and without any disruption to our normal services.”

Astec Conveyors Ltd

Roger Pendleton – Sales Director

Tel: 01283 210333

E: sales@astecconveyors.com

www.astecconveyors.com

1 Comment

  1. gary honeyman

    hi im trying to find my old work colleges ,who owned schuh ,i worked there for two years and also union street schuh shop,as a stockroom manager, ,there names are iain alexander ,kenny barclay ,iains brother is sandy alexander ,i worked for schuh and goldbergs,in coatbridge some many years ago ,and ive been trying to find them my name is gary honeyman,thanks