Plieger is a leading wholesaler of sanitary, heating, electrical and installation products in the Netherlands. They supply some 100,000 articles to installation companies, plumbers, retailers and DIY stores. They opened a new small parts order picking facility at their Central Distribution Centre (CDC) in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands. The order picking system, including the Warehouse Control System (WCS), was designed and implemented by Vanderlande Industries.
Plieger’s new facility houses the smaller parts in their product range, which are sold under the Plieger brand name as well as private labels. The picking process is organised in such a way that each product type is picked via the most suitable order picking method, depending on item velocity. This provides a reliable, accurate and structured order picking process, with short order throughput times. Both the system and the warehouse process are managed by Vanderlande Industries’ VISION™ WCS, interfaced with Plieger’s host system.
Improve accuracy
Plieger had two main objectives when they decided to automate their facility. The new system had to reduce labour-related costs and improve order picking accuracy. With the introduction of the new system, Plieger could also achieve substantial process improvements by picking orders directly into shipping totes.
Products are stored in totes either loose loaded or in blister packs, which are produced in the company’s packaging line. The heart of the new facility consists of 24 order picking zones on 3 levels. On the ground floor and first floor are 16 zones for fast moving products. Operators pick from flow racks and shelves, supported by Pick-to-Light displays. On the second floor are 6 pick zones for medium moving products. In these zones, products are picked from 12 fully integrated Kardex shuttles, 11 metre high automatic storage and retrieval systems, each capable of storing 98 3,000 x 800 mm trays. Operators pick from 2 shuttles simultaneously so they can work continuously without waiting for trays to be retrieved. The second floor also houses 2 zones for slow moving items, which are picked from shelving. Operators in these zones receive their instructions via wearable RF terminals with ring scanner.
Optimal use of capacity
The materials handling system is designed to handle different types of totes and cartons all in one flow. It is used for both pick front replenishment and order processing, making optimal use of available system capacity. Product totes entering the system from the packaging line are automatically transported to the required zones for storage. Operators receive instructions where to place the tote in storage via the wearable RF terminals.
The entire process is managed by Vanderlande Industries’ VISION WCS. The WCS groups and executes orders in an intelligent, well balanced way. It gathers all relevant information concerning the status of processes, orders and the system. It monitors system utilisation and assembles performance and diagnostic data, which can be used for process analyses. Order start is managed by the WCS to maintain a balanced workload around the system. Empty order totes are automatically released and sent to the required zones, where the orders are picked. The WCS also performs volumetric calculation and order tote planning. This ensures that the articles will fit inside the tote and that products of the same family are kept together. When order totes are complete they pass an integrated automatic weighing system, which checks if the order has been fulfilled correctly. Several order verification techniques are integrated into the system, without requiring additional process steps or manual handling. This ensures very high accuracy.
Finally, the order totes are closed and labelled automatically and sorted via a shipping sorter, after which the totes are stacked on pallets for shipment.
It speaks for itself, that this type of system requires a substantial investment, which was carefully weighed by developing the business case. Plieger used to have a manual picking operation. Operators walked around the zones with picking carts to collect the various orders from paper pick lists. Such a manual operation is time consuming and costly. With the automated system, Plieger operates in a single daytime shift with fewer operators. When the product range grows, they are still able to complete the job without resorting to multiple shifts. An even bigger advantage of the automated system is the vast improvement in accuracy. Manual picking from paper pick lists is error prone, which means many checks have to be done to ensure delivery accuracy. In the new order picking system operators receive their instructions from Pick-to-Light displays and pick items directly into shipping containers. This virtually eliminates picking mistakes and ensures very high delivery accuracy, resulting in a higher service level to customers.
Vanderlande Industries profile
Vanderlande Industries specializes in designing and building intelligent IT-driven material handling systems and related services, which cover the entire warehouse process, from Goods Receiving to Shipping. The company has successfully automated more than 1,000 warehouses and distribution centers worldwide. Solutions include order picking/order fulfillment systems, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), sortation systems, conveyor systems/internal transport systems and Warehouse Management and Control Systems (WMS/WCS). For more information visit our website: www.vanderlande.com
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