DC Velocity - September 2011

was that the increased aisle width would lengthen worker’s travel time because products would be spread out over a larger space. To help compensate for this, the new racks, provided by Frazier, are 30 feet high, compared with 20 feet in the prior facility, and most are double-deep, so more products can be stored within the basic footprint.

TRUCK SELECTION

Once the teams had settled on the storage setup, Malin helped The Container Store set specifications for the lift trucks to service each function and rack type. Here, as in the design phase, the retailer turned to its employees to help it evaluate potential lift trucks for the new building. As part of the process, lift truck suppliers brought in equipment for team members to test under regular working conditions during a six-week period.

The Raymond Corp. was selected as the supplier for the facility’s new lift truck fleet, which includes 51 different vehicles designed for a variety of tasks. The fleet today includes four stand-up counterbalanced trucks for unloading tractor-trailers, as well as 15 Deep-Reach trucks, which are used to move products from the dock to putaway in the double-deep reserve storage racking as well as to move products from storage down to the bottom levels, where primary pick locations are found. Twenty-four rider pallet trucks are used to pick from these bottom-level pallet and flow racks. (Workers in this area are also being outfitted with voice terminals from Lucas Systems to direct picking activity.)

In addition, four order-pickers are used to pick slower movers and specialty items, as well as to conduct cycle counts. Rounding out the fleet are two tow tractors, which move trash hoppers and recycling materials to compactors, and two sit-down counterbalanced lift trucks, which are used to move heavier loads throughout the building.

BIG BOOST IN PRODUCTIVITY

The new facility design allows multiple vehicles to work in the same aisle simultaneously, minimizing wait time and increasing productivity.

was that we were limited in what we could do in each aisle,” says Coronado. “Now that we can get multiple pieces of equipment in an aisle, we can turn products faster. It is common now to see five or six vehicles working at the same time in an aisle.” He adds that even with increased volumes, the new facility is 30 percent more productive than the old operation.

In addition, the design provides greater flexibility, as the facility is better able to handle its direct-to-consumer business, which is its fastest-growing channel. Most of the items sold through this channel are delivered by lift truck from reserve storage to flow racks and shelving, where products are picked and packed for delivery directly to end users.

In addition to the big gains in
productivity, the facility was also
able to achieve some of the compa-
ny’s other goals, like providing a
comfortable working environment.
Not only is the building well lit and
brightly painted, but it’s also
equipped with 71 large ceiling fans
provided by MacroAir Technologies
to boost air circulation.