of the processing areas (bottling,
the automated storage system, and
the crate pick areas) until every-
thing needed for a shipment has
been accumulated and the scheduled
truck arrives. Typically, the building
can process about 10 truckloads per
hour. Labertaler operates its own
fleet but also contracts with for-hire
carriers when needed.
As for the results? By all accounts,
the new system has been a success. Today, the high-bay warehouse
and automated systems at Labertaler
keep the beverages flowing like, well,
water. N
MIXED BEVERAGES
Other pallets coming from the high-bay
warehouse replenish a crate picking area
on the upper floor of the two-level DC
(on the floor above the transportation
hall). Picking items in crate quantities is
a growing trend, as an ever-expanding
array of flavors and varieties are being
shipped to stores. As a result, mixed pallets now make up the majority of loads.
The crate picking area is divided into
four modules. It features 320 different
SKUs of products and has one picking
slot assigned for each of those SKUs. Four
rail shuttle cars move within the modules,
one per module, to automatically restock
products. Each of the 320 storage locations holds two pallets, so that a fresh pallet is always available for picking. In effect,
the system has a capacity of 640 pallets.
While the WMS is capable of dynamically assigning storage locations in the
crate pick area (as in the high-bay warehouse), Labertaler has found assigning
SKUs to fixed slots to be more efficient.
That’s because it has a fairly stable SKU
base, with items that are selected repeatedly. Plus, in contrast to the high bay,
humans are involved in the picking here,
and fixed slots make it easier for them to
find product and help assure accuracy.
The WMS uses a voice system to provide workers with instructions for selecting crates and building mixed-SKU
order pallets onto walkie rider trucks.
Approximately 2,800 crates an hour can
be selected in the crate pick area. While the
warehouse turns its inventory every few
days, stock turns even faster in the peak
seasons—summer time when demand
for water spikes, and holidays such as
Christmas and Easter. During these periods, the manufacturing plant operates
around the clock, while a second shift is
employed in the distribution building.
Once a mixed pallet is complete, the
operator moves it to one of the shuttle
system’s input stations. The shuttle then
delivers it to the conveyors for transport to shipping (or if it’s not needed
immediately for loading, it can be sent
to temporary holding in the high-bay
warehouse). The shuttle system in the
shipping area also has some buffering
capability to gather pallet loads from all
