Product Flow:
RECEIVING: All receiving is done at the north end of the building.
Product is received and brought by pallet to the receiving stations
and scanned into the system. Products are removed from every carton
and placed into a barcoded tote. All corrugate is deposited into an
overhead trash conveyor (Hytrol Model TH) which carries it to an automatic
baler located outside the building. The product is then married to
the tote. The mainframe computer communicates with the conveyor control
system (CCS) and tells the CCS which zone to send the tote. The totes
are then conveyed across the building to the pick module, sorted to
the correct zone, and placed into the correct pick location.
PICKING: Orders are printed in waves at the order induction station.
Each order has its own barcode denoting an order identification
number. The pick sheet is then married to a bar coded (license plate)
pick tote. The host system then communicates to the CCS which pick
zone or zones the tote must be sent. The tote is then routed only
to the required pick zone(s).
CHECKING: Once an order is complete, the tote is conveyed to the
checking area. The checkers remove the tote from the Hytrol zero-pressure
accumulating conveyor (Model 190-ABEZ) and scan the pick ticket.
Each item is then scanned and placed into a shipping tote. When
the order has been confirmed complete and correct, a lid is placed
on the tote. The tote is then placed onto the conveyor and moved
to the shipping sortation conveyor (Hytrol Model SC). The computer
communicates the license plate and its assigned sortation lane to
the CCS.
SHIPPING: The totes are conveyed to and through an automatic strapper.
The strapped totes are then inducted into the sortation system,
the license plate is scanned, the appropriate sortation line determined,
and the tote is sorted out.
EMPTY REPLENISHMENT TOTES: Once the replenishment totes are empty,
they are placed on the line with the pick totes. On each pick level,
there is a divert location where the empty replenishment totes are
diverted off and conveyed back to the receiving station to be reused.
Benefits Realized:
Prior to the installation of this system, the average lines shipped
per DC worker was 40 per hour. With the new system, the average
is currently 104 lines per hour. Pickers are picking 250-300 lines
per hour. Checkers are checking 350-400 lines per hour. In the past
year, volume has increased 50%.
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Customer:
H.D. Smith Wholesale Drug Co.
Carlstadt, New Jersey
System Integrator:
Century Conveyor Service, Inc.
Edison, New Jersey |
View of the shipping area
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