Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ), the state-owned enterprise responsible for selling wine and spirits in Canada’s largest province, is partnering with KNAPP to automate its supply chain. A new distribution centre will enable SAQ to supply a range of up to 20,000 products for next-day delivery to stores, restaurants and bars, as well as via its online shop.
Efficiency and accuracy
With a capacity for only 4,500 SKUs, the organisation’s previous warehouse was reaching its limits. In addition to increasing the product range to 20,000 items and making next-day delivery possible, the automation will increase picking speed, reduce error rates and improve overall process efficiency for SAQ. The new DC features proven KNAPP technologies, including the RUNPICK fully automatic palletising robot, the KiSoft Pack Master software for calculating optimal packing patterns and the Evo Shuttle automated storage and retrieval system.
Palletising robot
A highlight of the new solution is the fully automated RUNPICK (Robotic Universal Picker) system, which picks and palletises full cases for store delivery. The units are rotated, tipped and grouped before they reach the robot, which then places multiple items on the pallet in a single movement, significantly improving the system’s throughput. Pallet loads are then automatically lowered to a shrink-wrapper before being conveyed to dispatch. “RUNPICK has allowed us to automate full-case picking for our stores and take our palletising to a new level,” says Luc Bourdeau, Vice President Strategic Development Supply Chain for SAQ. “Being able to palletise such a large part of our processes is a game changer.”
Store-friendly loads
KNAPP’s KiSoft Pack Master software calculates the optimal packing pattern for each order as soon as it arrives, ensuring that pallet loads are stable, space-effective and store-friendly. The software takes both the physical characteristics of the products as well as the requirements of the target location into account. This attention to detail greatly benefits the quality and efficiency of store delivery.
Dense storage
The solution for SAQ also features two high-performance Evo Shuttle stores – the Evo Shuttle 2D stores and retrieves full cases, which are then sent to the Evo Shuttle 1D for single-item picking. KNAPP’s Evo Shuttle technology offers multi-deep storage for maximum storage density. As shuttles supply the pick stations with goods in the right sequence, Evo Shuttle makes order fulfilment fast and simple.
Fit for future growth
Thanks to this combination of intelligent technologies, SAQ will soon be able to process 9 million full cases each year fully automatically in order to replenish its stores and lay the foundation for future growth. The partnership with KNAPP has been characterised by technology and teamwork. “KNAPP understood our requirements,” says Luc Bourdeau, “and created a solution that optimised our processes while being scalable and future-proof as well.”
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