Inside the warehouse:
features and operations
Pallets are received at one of the facilities’
three docks and either taken directly to the
new AS/RS or to the pallet racking storage
for full case picking.
For entry into the AS/RS pallet racking, lift
trucks transport pallet loads to an induction
station conveyor. Sensors within the station
automatically weigh and measure each pallet. To improve safety and product security,
pallets are also scanned to determine tolerance. Pallets that are loaded improperly or
damaged are diverted for repair or adjustment. However, most pallets are deemed
acceptable and conveyed to one of the three
161’ long aisles of the automated warehouse. Servicing each lane of the system is
a high-speed, double-mast, double-deep
stacker crane.
The 49’ tall stacker cranes are automatically summoned to gather any pallets diverted
to their lane for put away. Moving at speeds
of nearly 118”/second and lifting speeds of
nearly 51”/second, the cranes swiftly and securely place products in the double-deep
rack. The movements of each crane are precisely controlled by Mecalux’s Galileo software ensuring the pallet arrives at the appropriate picking station.
The primary output station is located near
the case picking area. Full case picks are directed by a voice system and placed onto
pallets.
A secondary output station is located on
the mezzanine level servicing split-case
picking. When a stacker crane delivers a
pallet to this station, a worker is given in-
structions on a computer screen to pick a
required number of cartons. The cartons
are removed from the pallet, labelled and
placed onto the split-case conveyor sup-
plied by IKML. Once the required boxes
have been removed from the pallet, a stack-
er crane returns the pallet to the automated
pallet racking for storage.
Not only will the comprehensive system provide for future growth without needing to
increase labor, but it will also increase the
building’s safety, productivity and reduce
product damage.
