Dematic's Insight reveals smarter, faster, safer order picking

by Press Release on 2010-10-02

Hundreds of Australia’s and New Zealand’s leading logistics professionals were given an exciting preview of the future of order fulfilment during Dematic’s recent Insight seminar series on Smarter, Faster, Safer Order Picking. The breakfast seminars in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney showcased the latest global innovations in order picking, including the trend towards Goods-to-Person (GTP) order picking solutions.
 
"The supply chain has undergone dramatic change in the past decade, with cost reductions, productivity improvements and delivery performance no longer the only drivers for logistics system design. Labour availability, OH&S and flexibility are equally important considerations, with the growing awareness of these issues driving an order picking revolution across all markets from retailers to wholesalers, and manufacturers to 3PLs," said Dematic’s Integrated Systems Manager Pas Tomasiello.
 
"The biggest problem with the traditional approach to order fulfilment is that order pickers spend much more time travelling between picks than they actually do picking – even if they are equipped with forklifts or pallet trucks," explained Mr Tomasiello.
 
By reversing the process and bringing the ‘Goods-to-Person,’ GTP order picking can completely eliminate travel and delivers a wide range of benefits including remarkably high levels of productivity, accuracy, flexibility and safety.
 
"While GTP is not a new concept, recent advances in software, controls and automation technologies have enabled the development of new, innovative GTP solutions for order fulfilment," he said.
"Several of the world’s leading distributors in Europe and the US have been quick to implement Dematic’s new GTP solutions, while locally we have also commissioned  GTP systems in Australia and New Zealand," added Mr Tomasiello.
 
GTP Split Case Order Assembly
Picking split case orders for small quantities across the long, slow moving tail of SKUs, which often accounts for over 80% of many distributors’ SKU range, is labour intensive and costly.

Mr Tomasiello stated the growing consensus amongst high volume distributors was that the most efficient way of handling such orders was to utilise automation in conjunction with smart picking methodologies.
 
With GTP split case order assembly, picking takes place at ergonomic pick and put workstations, which can be configured to concurrently process multiple orders, typically up to 24. They enable a single operator to do the work of up to ten people in a conventional distribution environment. Pick rates of over 1000 items/hour are possible, with picking errors virtually eliminated.
 
How GTP Split Case Order Assembly Works
Totes containing SKUs required for orders are automatically retrieved from a storage buffer and transported by an integrated conveyor system to Dematic’s RapidPick workstations in the precise sequence to facilitate efficient order assembly.
 
A monitor at the workstation indicates the total pick quantity for each tote and the batch of orders being processed. The totes are ergonomically presented for picking, with the conveyor system automatically tilting the totes to make it easier to access and handle the SKUs inside.  Pick-to-Light (PTL) displays on each put-away location indicate the quantity of SKUs required for the batch of orders being processed concurrently.
 
The operator ‘picks’ the various items from the tote and ‘puts’ them to the relevant order shippers, pressing the PTL displays to confirm the picks. When the required quantity of SKUs has been removed from the tote, the operator is instructed that picking for the SKU is complete. The tote is released and transported to the next RapidPick workstation requiring that SKU, or is returned to the storage buffer if it is no longer required.
 
When a shipper is full or the order has been completed, the operator prints and applies a label to the shipper, which, if applicable, is consolidated with other goods for the same customer prior to despatch.
 
GTP Full Case Order Assembly
To provide high volume distributors with smarter, safer, more cost-efficient alternatives to manual mixed case palletising, Dematic has developed ErgoPall Ergonomic High Rate Palletising Stations and AMCAP (Automated Mixed Case Palletising).
 
Both systems employ a combination of automated storage, buffering and sequencing systems, advanced software and automated materials handling equipment, the main difference being that ErgoPall still uses people to build the pallets – but in an ergonomic way – while AMCAP uses sophisticated robotic palletisers.
 
Dematic ErgoPall Ergonomic High Rate Palletising Stations
ErgoPall Ergonomic High Rate Palletising Stations enable operators (one or two per station depending on the application) to ergonomically build mixed SKU pallets.
 
The ErgoPall stations are built on a mezzanine with integrated conveyors delivering a constant flow of mixed cases to the operator, enabling the operator(s) to simply slide the sequenced cases into position on the pallet.  Lifting is virtually eliminated and, as each layer of cases is completed, the pallet automatically lowers, enabling assembly of the next layer to begin. This significantly reduces the physical effort required, and improves the safety and speed of building mixed case pallets.
 
When all of the goods required for an order have been placed on the pallet, an integrated stretch wrapper wraps the pallet for stability, and the pallet has a label applied to it as it exits the system on an outbound conveyor.
 
Dematic AMCAP Automated Mixed Case Palletising
Capable of building a higher, more dense and more stable pallet, with improvements in system speed, order accuracy and store-friendly flexibility, these new, extremely accurate, fast and reliable automated systems can handle tens-of-thousands of SKUs.
 
Each AMCAP cell comprises two articulated arm robots installed on a mezzanine. Two conveyors automatically deliver the SKUs to the work cell, at which point they are aligned, oriented and presented to the robots for pick up, with the two robots building each pallet cooperatively. The combined dual-robotic cycle of feeding, grabbing and placing the SKUs enables the system’s high throughput rate of greater than 1,000 mixed SKU cases per hour.
 
One of the unique aspects of AMCAP is the multi-axis, end-of-arm-tool (EOAT) attached to the robots’ articulated arms. This universal tool can handle all standard types of packaging without stopping or changing tools. Once stacking is complete, the pallet is automatically lowered through the mezzanine floor, stretch wrapped, labelled and exits the system.
 
"The high cost and limited availability of skilled labour, workplace OH&S regulations and the need to process orders in ever decreasing timeframes make Dematic’s smarter, faster, safer order picking and palletising solutions increasingly cost-effective for many distribution applications," said Mr Tomasiello.
 
"Improved productivity at both the DC and the store, the ability to deliver to multiple store formats, increased accuracy and reduced distribution and transport costs are just some of the benefits," he said.
 
Further information: Pasquale Tomasiello, Dematic +61 2 9486 5276: www.dematic.com