DC Velocity - April 2017

www.dcvelocity.com APRIL 2017 DC VELOCITY 47 fer vehicles (STVs) that ride on rails. The STVs deliver the pallets to either the food miniload (case unit-load AS/RS) or one of six stations where workers batch-pick cases from the pallets, labeling them for Ito-Yokado’s stores as they deposit them on an adjacent conveyor. Some of these cases will also be used to replenish the split-case picking areas.

Pallets that still contain more than two cases after picking go back onto the STVs to be returned to the AS/RS. If a pallet contains just one or two cases, however, the worker may be instructed to pick these items rather than return a nearly empty pallet to unit-load storage. In this case, the system will divert the cases to the miniload automated storage system to be held until needed.

The smaller food AS/RS holds 4,986 pallets and contains four aisles, with a single crane that has access to all nine levels of the system operating in each aisle. This area holds slower-moving foods and is served by the STVs, which also deliver pallets to the adjacent large AS/RS for case picking.

The third AS/RS holds pallets of “everyday products,” which are household and non-food items sold in the grocery stores. The DC does not ship full cases of these products to the stores, so this system holds products used to replenish a separate split-case processing area.

Individual cases of slower-moving food items are stored
in the 19-level automated miniload, which has the capacity
to store 42,408 cases. The cases are removed from their
pallets in receiving and automatically conveyed into this
system, which features 12 rows equipped with cranes for
putaway and retrieval. Cases are removed from the system
when needed for an order that will ship directly to a store.
The case is retrieved and its bar code scanned by a fixed
reader. A label is generated and automatically applied, and
the case is then conveyed to the shipping sorter. Cases need-
ed to replenish picking areas are conveyed to the facility’s
pick modules.

Medium-fast–moving (“B”) cases of food products are stored in yet another automated system—in this case, a shuttle system. The system contains four rows and 17 levels where 34 shuttles (two per level) store and retrieve goods. The shuttles discharge cases onto vertical lifters at each end. As with the miniload, products from this area can be sent directly to the shipping sorter.

SPLIT-SECOND PRECISION

The split-case picking area for food products is housed in a two-level module. The cases here are stored by food type in flow racks. Fifty manual pick carts are used to gather items into four staged totes that ride along on each cart. Totes holding food products are colored green to differentiate them from other totes in the facility.