Norway’s leading wholesaler of industrial parts for heating, plumbing and ventilation is reaping the benefits of robotic fulfilment as part of a new automated solution from KNAPP.
Brødrene Dahl has been selling products such as pipes, valves and couplings for over a century but the market has changed significantly in recent years. With a wider range, increased e-commerce and customer demands for shorter lead times, the company decided that an automated warehousing solution was required to remain competitive.
At the company’s 44,000 m2 warehouse in Langhus, just south of Oslo, up to 20,000 order lines from the range of 25,000 items are handled every day. For Brødrene Dahl, logistics is not simply another function but rather the beating heart of the business. “Logistics is the single most important thing in our company,” says Ingar Bystrøm, Logistics Director. “This is where we can differentiate ourselves from the competition and give our customers an experience that makes them choose us.”
Shuttle storage
Expanding the warehouse was not an option, so any automated solution had to be adapted to the existing space. It was also important for Brødrene Dahl to have a solution that would work for many years to come, so it needed to be flexible and scalable. Several automation providers were considered before the company chose KNAPP, with a solution centred around its OSR Shuttle™ Evo automated store. With some products being quite large, such as pipes several metres long, around 45 and 50 per cent of daily orders are handled by the OSR Shuttle™ Evo, which features four aisles and 66 shuttles. Picking of goods from the store is performed either at the three goods-to-person workstations that are equipped with pick-to-light technology or by the Pick-it-Easy Robot.
AI-enabled robot
With the help of AI software developed by the Silicon Valley start-up, Covariant, KNAPP’s Pick-it-Easy Robot picks orders with a high degree of accuracy at speeds equivalent to manual picking stations, with the ability to maintain these speeds over much longer periods. Its AI and intelligent sensors enable rapid self-teaching to recognise different products, packaging and features, with its knowledge being shared with Pick-it-Easy Robots installed worldwide. Management at Brødrene Dahl have seen the robot handle an increasing share of the product range – more than they had expected.
Green gains
Automation has also secured sustainability benefits. The solution has made it possible to reduce the number of boxes sent to customers through a more efficient picking process. In addition, the automated carton-handling system adjusts the height of each box according to its contents, saving on packaging and filling material, as well as reducing transport volumes in delivery vehicles. Delivery notes have been dispensed with by adding required information to carton labels, reducing the use of paper in the warehouse.
KNAPP UK Ltd
t: 01865 965 000
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