tory must be managed on a strict first-in,
first-out basis. Ensuring proper rotation
is particularly important to Anheuser
Busch, as it markets its “born on” date to
promote the freshness of its products.
The facility is normally a hive of activity, receiving an average of 13 truckloads
a day six days a week and as many as 24 shipments a day during peak season. Orders are selected and prepared by the
night shift for delivery the next day via the company’s private
fleet. In total, it ships some 5 million cases of package products and 65,000 units of draft products each year.
For years, the company relied on a paper-based system to
pick those orders. But as business grew and the number of
stock-keeping units (SKUs) proliferated—Suncoast currently handles 636 SKUs—it became harder and harder to
ensure that orders were complete and accurate.
“We’d gotten to the point that there were so many SKUs
similar to each other that it was easy for a warehouse worker
to make a mistake,” says Mitchell. “When a worker has to pull
3,000 cases, it’s easy to make a mistake. We wanted to increase
accuracy in the warehouse.” Eventually, it became clear to all
concerned that some kind of automation was inevitable.
Not only is the
says. “If the system says pull 45 cases, it’s
easy to pick 44.” But the checks and bal-
ances in the voice system—goods are
scanned before picking, and the product
and volume are then verified—ensure the
errors are caught before orders get too far
along in the process.
new system more accurate, it’s more pro-
ductive as well. “Productivity comes from the worker’s not
having to go to a central location to get paperwork,”
explains Tim Post, a technology specialist for Dematic. “The
system doles out the work.”
The voice technology further enhances productivity by
freeing up workers’ hands and eyes, Post adds. “When [a
worker] finishes a location and gets back on the lift truck,
he’s not trying to read paper,” he explains. “A lot of the
process is eliminated. Because of the verbal interaction, he
has the ability to keep multiple tasks sequenced without
trying to juggle. Each step is validated for a smooth flow of
work. He is kept on pace and kept to task.”
The system has also proved to be a useful labor management tool, Mitchell says. He can get reports on each
employee’s productivity and picking accuracy, for example.
The system can be adjusted for each worker. “If we know
one employee has a lot of mistakes, we might do 25 percent
automatic verification. If we know another does not make
many mistakes, that percentage might drop to 10 percent.”
As it turns out, the improvements in order accuracy have
also allowed the drivers and sales representatives to be more
productive. Drivers no longer have to verify the count before
they head out for deliveries, or haul back product being
returned because of order assembly mistakes. Sales representatives spend less time with customers fixing errors.
New plans brewing
Along with providing picking instructions, the Dematic
system also develops truck loading plans to ensure efficient
loading and unloading. Post describes it as reverse-sequence loading, so that the last goods on the truck are the
first off for delivery. “That way, when the driver gets to his
destination, the right thing is in the right place,” he says.
Mitchell expects to eventually integrate that information
with a route planning system Suncoast has purchased, a
Draft pick
After evaluating various options for managing the flow of
goods through the facility, Suncoast selected Dematic’s
PickDirector warehouse control software. The solution
includes voice technology from Vocollect, which can be used
to manage picking, replenishment, quality assurance, manifesting, and truck loading activities, according to Dematic.
Today, Suncoast workers no longer need paper tickets.
They simply scan each product for picking, then receive
instructions through the Vocollect system regarding how
many to pick. (Suncoast has the system enabled for both
English- and Spanish-speaking employees.)
To minimize travel distances, most picking takes place in
the forward picking area, which houses a two-day supply of
inventory. There, employees using vehicles from the DC’s
fleet of 10 forklifts and five walkie-riders assemble the right
mix of SKUs for each order. After they finish picking, workers count the cases on each pallet. Any pallets with incorrect
counts get flagged and set aside so the problems can be sort-ed out. Once orders are ready, they’re loaded onto company
trucks. In the morning, drivers head out to make deliveries.
Mitchell reports that implementation went smoothly and
workers adapted quickly to the voice-picking system. “They
worried about the change that was coming,” he says. “Two days
after we implemented the system, we had a glitch for about two
hours, and they were complaining about going back to paper.”
UPS product called Roadnet.
As for what’s ahead, Mitchell says that Suncoast is now
implementing a second phase of the Dematic system for the
receiving function. Workers will scan inbound product and
receive instructions on where to store it. Having accurate
location information for all inventory will make it simpler
and faster for workers moving goods into the pick area.
Mitchell hopes to have that up and running by August, well
ahead of Suncoast’s peak season, which runs from
November through March. That’s when about 150,000
tourists visit southwest Florida each week, he says. And
many of them are looking for a cold brew. ;
The right stuff
As Suncoast hoped, the new system has cut down on the number of picking errors, although it hasn’t eliminated them
entirely. “Warehouse workers still make mistakes,” Mitchell
