processing stations, which are located at the end of each lane. There, each item is scanned, and ceiling-mounted cameras record the items in the shipping carton. After the serial numbers have been confirmed (or “committed”), the package is sealed, weighed for quality control and shipping fees, labeled, and placed on an adjacent conveyor. The packages are conveyed through a scan tunnel, which reads the shipping bar code on the top of the carton.

The associated sortation system automatically diverts
each carton to the appropriate parcel consolidation con-
tainer in the shipping area. OWC can program the sys-
tem for each day’s mix of orders and carriers, and the
sorter will push the cartons and envelopes to the correct
loading stations. “We used to do all that manually,”
O’Connor says. “That was an area where we saw a huge
labor savings while eliminating parcel-to-carrier sorta-
tion errors altogether.”
OWC has deployed some other technologies in its
order processing and shipping processes, such as multi-
carrier shipping software integrated with its enterprise
resource planning system. So why not go with a fully
automated system? “OWC’s application of technology is
a highly targeted process, rather than a blanket
approach,” O’Connor says. “We have found that our
paper-based system—combined with effective pick-rou-
tine strategies and a targeted, compact facility layout—
provides the efficiencies required to meet our current
and future order picking needs.”

SAME SPACE, TWICE THE THROUGHPUT

The new picking lane, conveyor, and sortation setup,
which went live in November 2011, reflects OWC’s green
approach to operations. Because the system reduces
errors, it saves electricity and fuel that would have been
consumed by re-shipments or supplemental shipments,
O’Connor notes. The conveyor system, moreover, uses
40 percent less electricity than its predecessor. It saves
energy by running only when optical sensors detect
packages. “Before, we ran a zero-pressure accumulator
for 16 hours a day. It was always on, drawing juice,”
O’Connor recalls. “The new system wakes up when we
need it and goes to sleep when we don’t.”
Dematic’s engineers were able to narrow the width of
the conveyor and reduce its length by half compared
with the previous configuration. Yet order fulfillment
capacity has doubled, according to O’Connor. “We are
approaching half a million orders, which would have
been the maximum capacity of our old system. This sys-
tem is capable of sorting over 1 million orders in the

Other World Computing’s corporate campus in Woodstock, Ill., has earned the coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. The building includes offices, a 24/7 call center, an Internet operations data center, a light manufacturing and assembly area, and a distribution center. Here are just a few of the many environmentally friendly features that have helped OWC earn the Platinum designation:

• An on-site wind turbine produces more than enough electricity to power the entire operation. The turbine feeds power to the local electric company, which distributes it back to OWC and shares the excess with other customers. A tiered system of electricity from the grid, wind, generator, and battery backup systems ensures a reliable supply of energy.

• The distribution center uses reusable plastic pallets, shipping supplies made from recycled materials, dock sealing devices, and energy-efficient material handling equipment along with a recycling program to reduce energy use and minimize waste.

• A daylight “harvesting” system collects and concentrates light and then redistributes it via optical fibers. Interior sensors detect light levels; dimming-capable fluorescent lighting systems supplement the fiber light until darkness requires full electric lighting.

• Geothermal heating and cooling, plus highly insulated walls and roof, keep temperatures comfortable year-round at minimal cost.

For more about OWC’s environmental efforts, go to http://eshop.macsales.com/green/.

OWC’S DC GOES PLATINUM

same footprint.”
The new system is modular and easy to reconfigure or
scale up or down. OWC is pleased that its Platinum LEED
facility can now handle whatever comes its way. “In con-
sumer electronics, we have to be extremely flexible
because of the nature of the business,” O’Connor says.
“When a new device comes out, the whole game changes.
If we cannot react overnight, then we can lose our advan-
tage. We need very high levels of rapid flexibility, with
very little investment required to make changes.” ●