Axxess Technologies, Inc. |
SIC: 3429 |
Hytrol Distributor: Fortna, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ)
New System Creates Opportunity for Order Cycle Time
Reduction
Advanced technology and a streamlined conveyor
network help Axxess Technologies improve responsiveness to meet retail customers'
demands.
Hand held scanning technology, an advanced warehouse
management system and an integrated network of conveyor s from Hytrol are
combining to deliver record levels of order processing productivity for Axxess
Technologies. For this Tempe, Arizona based manufacturer, the upsurge in
productivity has come just in time. Demand for its key duplication equipment
and consumer operated identification engraving systems are up in a marketplace
where customers are demanding higher levels of service.
Axxess Technologies' high-tech and conventional
key duplication systems are found in hardware stores, home centers, and mass
merchant retail chains across the country. Its computer controlled engraving
machines which allow consumers to personalize information on identification
tags, are prominent in Wal-Mart, Pet Smart, and other retail outlets. The
company also markets a line of letters, numbers, and signs (such as "For
Sale" signs) as well as key accessories.
Consolidating for Efficiency
To keep pace with burgeoning market demand, the company
decided to consolidate its three existing warehouses-two in the Phoenix area
and one in Cleveland-into one modern facility. The old warehouses were
paper-based, heavily manual operations. In two of them, pickers would pull
items off the carton flow racking and place them into pushcarts. The other
facility had only a single powered takeaway unit and some gravity conveyor
sin the picking areas. the orders were double-checked at a packing station
to help ensure accuracy.
In this limiting kind of environment, pick rates
were low and lines frequently backed up. Management recognized that updating
its distribution technology would have long term benefits for the company
and the customers it serves.
Working closely with Fortna Inc., a systems
integrator and distributor of Hytrol equipment based in Phoenix, the company
began designing a new consolidated pick module. Axxess Technologies wanted
to dramatically increase current order throughput, while at the same time
positioning themselves for future growth. Improved picking accuracy with
a reduction in handling was a major objective, too.
The company also wanted a smooth and efficient
network of conveyor that would speed orders from the initial picking stations
all the way through to the shipping doors. It desired greater flexibility
in its operations. And it wanted to be able to fully integrate the conveyor
operations with he new WMS system-an objective that was accomplished with
the "Fortna-Plus" software developed by the systems integrator.
"We're well on our way to accomplishing all of
these goals with our new technology and conveyor system," says Mark Yeary,
the company's vice president of manufacturing. "Already, we've been able
to cut a full day out of our order processing time."
Axxess Technologies can now consistently meet
its two-day order window, Yeary reports. If an order is received on Monday,
for example, shipment is made by Wednesday or sooner. This kind of consistent
responsiveness is critical in today's retail environment. Big customers like
Wal-Mart drive their orders off their point-of-sale data. They won't accept
anything less than an accurate rapid response from their
suppliers.
Conveyors Play Key Role
At the heart of the new pick module, which is part of a large
manufacturing-distribution complex in Tempe, is the conveyor system. The
equipment includes horizontal live roller conveyors with Hytrol's EZLogic
accumulation feature, which senses product presence and controls accumulation
and release of product from zone to zone. In addition, there are belt incline
conveyors, gravity units, spool conveyors, and overhead paddle diverters.
The distribution center also features two "spiral staircases," comprised
of gravity skatewheel curve conveyors.
The order-fulfillment process begins on the floor
level. There, orders are waved through the WMS and container calculated.
Empty boxes are labeled and placed into totes and put onto a belt incline
takeaway conveyor, which carriers them to the top tier of three picking levels.
A live roller accumulation conveyor then transports the totes to one of ten
picking stations on the top level. At each station, overhead paddle diverts
send the totes either to the left or right onto gravity conveyors.
Operators at the picking stations rely on their
hand-held scanners to tell them what to pick. After each pick, they scan
the product and tote "license plate" to confirm the activity. This procedure
serves as a valuable double check that has significantly enhanced order
accuracy.
The order picking activities that take place
on the top level are basically replicated on the middle and ground floor
levels. The totes move between these levels on two innovative, cost-effective
"spiral staircases." These are actually gravity skatewheel curve conveyors
configured to transport the totes quickly and safely between the levels.
After the orders traverse the three picking levels,
they are carried on a live roller takeaway conveyor toward the shipping area.
But before proceeding to shipping, they pass a divert station. Any order
that needs to re-circulate through the system (because a picking line was
occupied when it first came by, for example) is sent back up the incline
conveyor by an overhead paddle diverter. Completed orders move directly through
to the dunnage, taping, weighing, and manifesting stations en route to
shipping.
At the shipping area, a final paddle diverter
sends the orders to one of two parcel shipping lanes (UPS or RPS) or to the
LTL line. About 1,500 totes per day are processed through the Tempe
facility.
From beginning to end, the order fulfillment
process at the new DC goes smoothly and efficiently. The computer controls
dictate where each order should go. And the Hytrol conveyors make sure they
get there.
"The system is definitely is definitely paying
off for us," says Yeary. "We're accomplishing more and being more responsive
to our customers with fewer people."
The Axxess Technologies Distribution
Center
Order fulfillment on the floor level where empty boxes are placed
into totes and put onto a belt incline conveyor. The totes are carried to
the top of three picking levels where a live roller conveyor carries them
to the picking stations. Overhead paddle diverts send the totes either left
or right at each station, a process repeated on all three levels. The totes
move between the picking levels on gravity skatewheel curves. After picking
is completed, the travel on a live roller takeaway toward shipping. Completed
orders move directly through to the packing, taping, weighing, and manifesting
stations. Orders that need further processing are diverted back up the incline
conveyor to re-circulate. In shipping, a diverter sends the orders either
to the LTL or the parcel shipping lines.
A Closer Look At The Distribution
Warehouse
Company: Axxess Technologies Inc
Facility: Manufacturing and Distribution Center
Location: Tempe, AZ
Size: 160,000 square feet
Employees: Approx. 40 distribution employees per shift (two
shifts)
Vice President of Manufacturing: Mark Yeary
Product Handled: High-tech & conventional key duplication systems;
consumer operated identification engraving systems; key accessories; letters
numbers & signs
Throughput: 1,500 totes per day
Shipment Method: Parcel and LTL
Types of conveyors: Live roller and accumulating
Conveyor Supplier: Hytrol Conveyor Inc., Jonesboro AR
Systems Integrator: Fortna Inc., Phoenix, AZ |
Types of conveyors:
- Live roller
- Belt incline
- Gravity
- Skatewheel
- Spool
- Overhead paddle diverters.
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