Old Conveyors Combine With New to Increase Productivity 25%

Roman Inc.'s streamlined distribution center marries existing conveyors to new equipment. Throughput increase keeps pace with growing customer demand.

Roman Inc. is a shining example of the entrepreneurial spirit at work. The company began in the back of an old station wagon, out of which founder Ronald T. Jedlinski sold religious and inspirational items.

From that simple beginning, Roman has grown to be one of the largest privately owned firms in the giftware industry. In addition to the religious collectibles, Roman has added Christmas, wedding, anniversary, christening, and retirement giftware to their extensive product line. Today, owner and president Jedlinski can take pride in a network of 16 showrooms throughout the United States, a national sales force, a recently constructed headquarters building in Roselle, Ill., and a brand new national distribution center.

Over the past seven years Roman has been growing at a remarkable annual rate of 20 percent. Understandably, with that kind of growth comes a few growing pains. One of the pressure points centered on order processing and fulfillment. The distribution facilities that had served Roman well for more than 14 years were simply not able to keep up with the unprecedented demand for the company's products.

The solution was to consolidate three Chicago-area distribution operations into one facility-a new National Distribution Center, located in Addison, Ill. The center is designed to handle today's needs, while offering plenty of capacity for tomorrow's demand. In fact, it could accommodate as much as a 60 percent increase over the current volume.

In designing the new distribution center, Roman wanted to use as much of its existing conveyor equipment as possible. Since these Hytrol units had performed well and were carefully maintained, that approach made sense both operationally and financially.

Working with systems integrator and Hytrol distributor Systems in Motion of Elmhurst Ill., the company was able to achieve that objective. Virtually all of the conveyor equipment in the old facilities was incorporated into the new distribution center. Just as importantly, the transfer was executed quickly to minimize downtime. Within a three-week period in early 1998, the conveyors were removed from the old facilities, installed in the new one, and fully integrated with the new Hytrol equipment. Roman began shipping out of the Addison center in mid-April of 1998.

Big and Efficient

The National Distribution Center is big and efficient. The 520,000 square-foot building includes two 16,000 square-foot mezzanines. During the peak season of May to December, more than 150 employees work at the center. In the non-peak season, that number drops to 110. At present, the facility operates on one shift. Next year, a second shift will be added.

There are three main picking areas-an east and west mezzanine, and a three-tier pick module. It's a "walk-and-pick" operation with all of the items in an order staying together throughout the order-flow process. For this reason, ample accumulation- conveyor capacity has been built into each picking area.

The order fulfillment process begins in the west mezzanine, where the slower moving items are shelved. From there, orders move on a live roller power takeaway conveyor up 27 feet to the top of the three-tier picking area. The tiered approach is an important design feature of the new facility. It allows for a high volume of picking activity to be accomplished in a relatively concentrated area.

At each of the levels the orders are picked onto accumulation conveyors, first on one side of the module and then on the other. The orders travel from one tier down to the next on live roller and belt conveyors. After all picking activities are completed in the three-tier module, the orders move to the east mezzanine en route to the shipment preparation area. This mezzanine houses Roman's fastest moving items such as the famous Fontanini Heirloom Nativities and Seraphim Classics. Orders for these collectibles are filled directly at this mezzanine, bypassing the earlier pick areas.

All of the finished orders move from this mezzanine down onto a powered conveyor loop, which connects with 26 gravity conveyor lines. After checking order accuracy, operators working on a platform next to the loop conveyor transfer the orders down one of these gravity lines.

At the end of the gravity lines, packers place the completed orders in cartons, add the protective bulk air "popcorn," and close the shipping carton. They then place the orders on a takeaway conveyor that leads to the parcel or LTL shipping areas, where the orders are weighed and staged for shipment. From start to finish, the order-flow process in the expansive center is smooth, streamlined, and efficient.

A Lasting Marriage

Though the new building has been up and running for less than a year, the company is pleased with the results to date. Throughput now exceeds 2,000 orders a day, reports Dennis Zumbahlen, Roman's vice president of warehouse operations. That's a 25-percent increase over the combined throughput levels of the three previous facilities.

"Plus, it's great to have everyone under one roof," adds Zumbahlen. "It helps not only from the standpoint of management and productivity, but it also reinforces the belief that all of our people are really part of the Roman family."

As the growth rate continues-and the company is confident that it will-the National Distribution Center in Addison will be able to keep pace with whatever demand comes its way. The marriage of the old and new conveyors in a sparkling new facility promises to be a long-lasting and productive one.

Roman's National Distribution Center

The order-fulfillment process at the 520,000 square-foot facility begins at the west mezzanine. A live roller takeaway conveyor then moves the orders to the top level of a three-tier pick module. This module incorporates a series of accumulation, powered, and belt conveyors in a concentrated picking area. The items then travel to the east mezzanine, where orders for the company's fastest-moving items are filled directly. All of the finished orders move to a powered loop conveyor and then down one of 26 gravity lines for shipment preparation. A takeaway conveyor transfers the completed orders to the shipping area. Throughput is approximately 2,000 orders a day.

Details on the Installation

Company: Roman Inc.
Facility: National Distribution Center
Location: Addison, IL
Size: 520,000 square feet
Employees: 150 peak (May-Dec.), 110 non-peak (Jan.-April)
Vice President-Warehouse Operations: Dennis Zumbahlen
Product Handled: Religious collectibles; gifts and accessories or weddings, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
Throughput: Approximately 2,000 orders per day
Types of conveyors: Live roller, roller bed belt, accumulation, gravity roller
Shipment method: Parcel, LTL
Conveyor Supplier: Hytrol Conveyor Inc., Jonesboro, AR
Systems Integrator: Systems in Motion, Elmhurst, IL 

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