Smooth running retail
May 1st 2010

Automated handling of fast moving

items is challenging for retailers and

wholesalers but systems integrator

Witron has come up with a solution

It is becoming increasingly attractive for retailers and

wholesalers to stage fast-moving articles, goods from specific

merchandise groups and items for special promotions directly

into the store outlets by the quarter or half pallet.

Transferring these dispatch units smoothly and rapidly from

the manufacturer via the distribution centre straight to the store

means that no picking of single cases is needed. The value to the

customer is obvious – and even today, many retailers are handling

a considerable proportion of their volume using quarter and half

pallets.

However, the process does not deliver benefits all the way – it

causes headaches for logistics managers at the distribution centres.

Handling these logistical units often leads to time-intensive, labourintensive

and un-ergonomic operations and space problems. The

constantly growing number of items staged on quarter and half

pallets and the resulting ever-increasing dispatch volumes are also

confronting warehouse operators with constant new challenges.

There is an enormous amount of catching up to be done in

optimising these processes but we believe we have an answer.

Display Pallet Picking (DPP) offers a fully automatic concept

for the formation of customer orders consisting of different

quarter and half pallets.With DPP, orders can be picked onto

both pallets and roll containers. The automation covers all

operations – from placing loose incoming quarter and half pallets

on a slave pallet in the Goods Receipt to storage, order picking,

intermediate buffering, consolidation and securing for

transportation to staging in Goods Issue.

The end product can consist of:

Two different half pallets on one dispatch pallet;

Four different quarter pallets on one dispatch pallet;

Two different quarter pallets and a half pallet on one dispatch

pallet;

Equivalent logistical units can also be formed on roll

containers. The system can deal with both Euro and standard

UK pallet sizes.

After delivery to the distribution centre, the single-product

quarter and half pallets, delivered without an under-pallet, are

bundled and placed on a slave pallet. They are then stored in a

conventional pallet HBW. The HBW is also used for storage and

replenishment for other order picking areas. Fully automatic

order picking of the quarter and half pallets is carried out with

the system option DPP-HBW or DPP-Module depending on the

makeup of the order. After picking, the completed orders are then

delivered to Goods Issue. Order picking and staging in Goods

Issue can be done at different times.

We believe DPP offers users a wealth of benefits:

Automatic storing/staging of full pallets, half pallets and

quarter pallets;

Order picking and consolidation of full, half and quarter pallets

in one system;

High cost-efficiency because of the mechanisation of all

processes;

Minimised un-ergonomic manual operations;

Optimum, error-free order picking quality;

Generation of stable dispatch units;

Customer orders picked onto either dispatch pallets and roll

containers;

Minimum space requirement due to compact storage.

Spanish food retailer Mercadona uses the Module to optimise

full and half pallet order picking for both dry goods and fresh and

deep frozen products.More than 16,000 pallets, corresponding to

around 270,000 trade units, leave the distribution centre in

Madrid this way every day. Because it has been very successful,

Mercadona has already decided to implement the system in other

order picking projects.

The DPP concept is suitable for both new distribution centres

and can be integrated into existing systems and adapted to the

existing infrastructure and

customer requirements.

Ergonomic Tray Picking

Witron has also released Ergonomic Tray Picking (ETP), which is

designed to make sliding rather than bending, lifting and carrying

the norm for warehouse pickers.

The Ergonomic Tray Picking solution comprises a picking cab

guided by WMS which navigates at the touch of a button taking the

operator to picking locations in the most efficient order.

The cab lines up with the storage tray and the display shows the

operator the item to be picked and the quantity. The operator then

slides the items across the bench of the cab on to the pallet. A preprocessed

volume calculation ensures not only family grouping in

the picking process but also very densely stacked and stable pallets.

A beamer indicates the outlines of a case clearly showing where

on to the pallet surface items are to be placed The picking process

involves no manual lifting.

A layer picker combined with miniload cranes handle the

automated replenishment of the picking trays, ensuring availability

of all products in the pickfront.

The customer pallet is fully picked as the complete assortment is

available in one aisle. This is designed to eliminate inefficient

sequencing of customer pallets from one aisle to another. Products

are also picked to fit with the store planogram.

The ETP concept is specially designed for the regional warehouses

of the retail sector which build and supply mixed pallets and ROCOs

to their stores. Up to 4000 SKUs can be picked with a picking

performance of 500 SKUs man/hour, taking up minimal footprint.

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