Found before they get lost
September 1st 2011 Leuze scanning technology eliminates manual searching of storage bins at JD
Williams, reducing instances of lost items
JD Williams specified the ROD 4 scanner from Leuze to
eliminate a situation where tote bins that did not empty
their entire picked loads would still be free to automatically
be sent back to take up position in a new order-pick cycle.
Only later would an alert be raised, items arriving at the final
packaging station not correlating with the actual pick list. It
meant a manual search to locate bins with the items. Items that
occasionally remain in the bin tend to be slim packs such as ladies
tights, the reason may be an ill-fitting adhesive label attaching the
pack to the side of the bin.
Two Leuze ROD 4 optical scanners are included in the tote-bin
return path immediately after the discharge point. Tote bins are
tilted through 160 degrees emptying their contents for final
transfer to the packing stations. After righting they are conveyed
on one of two lines back into the order pick process, but not
before passing beneath a ROD 4 scanner. These can be
programmed to sweep a 2D arc up to 190 degrees, permitting the
width, contour and position of an object to be detected. At JD
Wiliams both scanners are connected to a S7 300 plc and operator
panel. The system shows number of boxes scanned and errors
found, this is then integrated into the order picking control
system. The scanners sweep the internal dimensions of every tote
bin, any foreign objects are automatically detected and the bin is
sidelined for the item to be removed and returned to final packing
stations.
Since the introduction of Leuze electronic's ROD 4 scanner the
potential for lost items has nearly been eliminated. This is thanks
to the accuracy and adjustability of the scanner.
Return on investment calculations are receiving an increasing
amount of media coverage in these difficult times. The
introduction of ROD4 laser area scanners paid for themselves in
three months.
Ron Rutter,maintenance team leader, says: "The scanners have
paid for themselves in just three months, dramatically reducing
the number of items that need to be traced manually to around
1%, compared to 10% prior to fitting the Leuze scanners."
Leuze electronic's ROD 4 laser area scanners are the latest
addition to an integrated network of more than 400 Leuze
electronic scanners and sensors that are deployed throughout the
warehouses of JD WIlliams.
JD Williams, based in Oldham, handles in excess of 150,000
items per day. The nature of this Home Delivery service relies on
a highly efficient handling system that can track new orders from
pick to despatch as well as a returns department where items are
inspected and then only returned into the pick bays or bulk store.
The high operational efficiency calls for reliable sensing capability,
automating as many processes
as possible. More articles from Leuze electronic Ltd: | 
