Value
from a warehouse management
system (WMS) and then transmits
directions to the handling equipment. But systems can also be set up
to accept order information directly
from an order entry system or enterprise system, bypassing the need for
a WMS altogether.
CARTON READY
When planning for the expansion of
its picking system, Polaris decided to
change its process to have workers
pick items directly into shipping car-
tons rather than in-house totes. This
saves the step of unloading items
from the tote and repacking them
more economical and productive. Some
systems now allow cartons to be intro-
duced at different start points, eliminat-
ing the time they would otherwise spend
passing by zones with no picks. “If vol-
umes are high and order sizes are small,
you don’t want the cartons to have to
flow through the entire system,” explains
Luther Webb, director of operations and
solutions consulting at Intelligrated, an
automated material handling technology
supplier. “You can also create ‘early outs’
so that the carton can go to shipping from
a number of the zones without passing
every zone,” he says.
Today’s systems also employ loops
so that if a traffic jam develops in one
zone, incoming cartons can be routed
around the zone and sent back to it later.
Alternatively, control software can be
deployed to direct the carton to another
zone that contains the same product.
Other conveyor technology advances,
such as 24-volt direct current operation,
help save energy and wear on equipment
components. Most zone routing systems
contain sensors designed to power down
sections of conveyor when no cartons
are present. Plus, new designs and faster
diverts allow for more efficient processing
than in the past. “Conveyors and diverts
now have the ability to handle higher
rates,” says Boyce Bonham, director of
integrated systems and controls at Hytrol
Conveyor Co. “In the past, we could
handle rates of about 20 to 25 [diverted]
cartons a minute. Better controls and
equipment now allow for about 35 to 40
cartons a minute through those zones.”
Since zone routing systems usually
incorporate conventional conveyors and
controls, implementation can often be
completed in a matter of months—a big
time savings over designing and install-
ing a fully automated goods-to-person
system. “It is a quick turnaround,” says
Bonham. “It is low risk, and a tried-and-
proven technology.” On top of that, the
technology is highly scalable—a plus for
fast-growing operations like Polaris.
As for the “brains” of the operation,
most zone routing systems are overseen
by a warehouse control system. Polaris,
for example, uses the Dematic Sort
Director, which receives pick instructions
