Order fulfilment – or picking – is one of the most critical processes in a distribution centre. Numerous picking systems are available on the market, catering to different turnover rates and article characteristics.Warehouse operators are typically looking for an order picking system that is efficient, accurate and paperless.
This article was first published in the September 15th 2020 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here
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Pharmaceutical wholesaler SELFAR Thessaloniki has opened a brand-new, ultramodern subsidiary in the west of Thessaloniki. SELFAR chose an all-in shuttle solution by KNAPP for the company expansion. At the heart of the logistics centre is the OSR Shuttle Evo system comprising two rack line systems. Two Pick-it-Easy work stations ensure highly ergonomic picking of medium and slow-moving articles based on the goods-to-person principle. The high-performance SDA takes care of processing fast-moving articles.
Unlike comparative systems that can only pick a single item at a time, RARUK’s EffiMat intelligent small parts pick and storage system can pick five items within its vertical shelving and deliver them all to the picking station on the same tray. As well as providing greater capacity for storage, the EffiMat systems are used to provide fast picking of items to re-stock the duty free shop at Denmark’s Bilund Airport. The airport’s new 6,650 square metre storage facility allows goods to be delivered directly to the EffiMat storage robots on the ground floor before warehouse staff pick the duty-free items on the second floor.
SnapFulfil has provided the order picking for VisionDirect, Europe’s leading online contact lenses supplier. Distribution is handled from three sites across Europe, based in the UK, Netherlands and Spain, with the company handling nearly 10,000 same day customer orders per day. All three locations are serviced by SnapFulfil’s end-to-end solutions. Before using SnapFulfil, VisionDirect was utilising a paper (based on a manual order sortation) pick route, but this has been replaced by an automated process allowing VisionDirect’s pick operatives to complete over 45 orders within a single geographical pick run, thanks to pre-set algorithms. Material handling at a more granular level is vital for brands and manufacturers moving to a direct to consumer model and the two companies have worked together to streamline processes, making them more flexible and fast moving. In addition, VisionDirect has also introduced order priority handling with significant labour and cost savings. SnapFulfil has also given VisionDirect the benefits of automatic storage and retrieval systems technology, which places and retrieves stock quickly and easily from within the warehouse environment for much improved efficiency. This helps reduce the footprint required for storage and cuts travel time, plus gives VisionDirect the capability to operate over longer periods with minimal intervention.
It’s great to see order picking suppliers providing efficient systems that meet the needs of modern warehouse operators.
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