Small Item Sortation: Solving the BIG Problem of Sorting Small Things

Transcription

1 Welcome to Session 206 Small Item Sortation: Solving the BIG Problem of Sorting Small Things Presented by: Sponsored by: John Park: Doug Jones: Product Manager Director, Business Development 2012 Material Handling Industry. Copyright claimed as to audiovisual works of seminar sessions and sound recordings of seminar sessions. All rights reserved.

2 What does your facility look like? Manual Pick & Pack operations Pick one or few orders at a time All small items, many SKUs look the same Retrieve pick sheet Estimate box size Walk to pick location and pick products Place in box Send to packaging line Slide 1

3 Breaking Down the Problem Smalls Sortation Product / Equipment Challenges of sorting a small product Limitations related to the material handling equipment Process Inefficiencies due to smaller pick quantities Inaccuracies related to a manual process Slide 2

4 Product / Equipment Challenges Too Small / Too light Items fall between belts Difficult to detect Gravity-based diverters may not work Irregular shape Don t transport well Can be tough to divert Tend to roll Space constrained Mezzanine Secured area Slide 3

5 Addressing the Challenges Too Small or light Specialized conveyor that minimizes the gaps Flexible product detection technology; application knowledge Customized diverters to handle range of product sizes Irregular shape Use of specialized conveyor system Use of push diverters Longer stroke length Space constrained Modular system that fits available space High density diverts Bi-directional diverts Slide 4

6 Tackling the 2 nd issue Smalls Sortation Product / Equipment Challenges of sorting a small product Limitations related to the material handling equipment Process Inefficiencies due to smaller pick quantities Inaccuracies related to a manual process Slide 5

7 Batch Picking Purchase Order Each picking Pick Sheet Batch Picking Decrease number of pick passes Increase number of items per pick Increase number of orders per pick Slide 6

8 Bringing it Together Smalls Sortation Product / Equipment Process Material Handling / Automation Batch Picking Automated Small Item Sortation Slide 7

9 Solution: Small Item Sorter Automates the sortation of small items while increasing throughput and reducing errors by enabling batch picking Induction area Control/Monitor station Label Printers Divert chutes Diverter Scanning Slide 8

10 Where Implemented Returns processing Order Fulfillment Vertical Markets Jewelry Medical devices Entertainment Pharmaceuticals Contact Lenses Check Book printer Slide 9

11 Case Study: Order Fulfillment Customer Background Medical Devices Manufacturer Produces replacement joint products Key Issues / Unmet Needs Mis-shipped items results in loss of certification and delay in medical procedure Space constrained Ability to pick orders in batches for maximum efficiency and labor cost reduction High dollar-value items Eliminated mis-shipped items Solution deployed in a small footprint Pick up to 12 orders per pick pass Batch picking Elimination of wasted travel time Slide 10

12 Case Study Returns processing Customer Background Entertainment media retailer 30% of shipped items get returned unsold Key Issues / Unmet Needs Need to quickly sort and move returned product Sort for RTV, reserves and order fulfillment High volume of product Option for automated re-price labeling Product staged for days for manual processing Reduce product staging by weeks 90% reduction in staging floorspace Reduced staffing from 12 to 6 people Slide 11

13 Payback and ROI Initial Payback Incremental ROI Throughput Capacity Efficiency Accuracy Operational efficiency Pick wave efficiency Shift efficiency Slide 12

14 Things to consider Current process Direct ship vs store ship Product mix Automated Smalls Sortation Cost of a mis-pick Volume of orders Items per order Slide 13

15 What does your facility look like? Manual Pick & Pack operations Pick one or few orders at a time All small items, many SKUs look the same Retrieve pick sheet Estimate box size Walk to pick location and pick products Place in box Send to packaging line Slide 14

16 What does your facility look like? Automated SIS Pick many orders at a time Less trips to pick locations Less time walking Less errors Higher capacity Slide 15

17 For More Information: John Park Mobile: Doug Jones Mobile: Visit Accu-Sort Systems at Booth Material Handling Industry. Copyright claimed as to audiovisual works of seminar sessions and sound recordings of seminar sessions. All rights reserved.