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15_0874 DC Velocity OCT_AK.indd Mod: August 11, 2015 11: 26 AM Print: 08/11/15 11:26:05 AM page 1 v7
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OVER 4,000 MATERIAL HANDLING
PRODUCTS IN STOCK
COMPLETE CATALOG
1-800-295-5510
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The AS/RS is spread out over three separate
104,000-square-foot freezer rooms, with five aisles and
cranes per room. It features 18 possible points of entry and
exit. Typically, nine are assigned to incoming goods and the
other nine to outgoing products, though all 18 can serve
either purpose. The monorail
usually delivers the pallet to the
entry point closest to the assigned
storage location, where it is automatically discharged onto pallet
conveyors to enter the system.
From there, a storage/retrieval
crane picks up the pallet and fer-ries it to the assigned lane, where
a small robot known as a “mole”
(supplied by Automha) takes over
and carries the load down the lane
to the next available position.
From two to six pallets are
stored in each lane, with most
lanes devoted to a single stock-keeping unit (SKU). Product
is put away in multiple aisles to create redundancy throughout the warehouse. This assures that all SKUs are accessible
when a crane is down for maintenance and provides for
easy access to faster-moving products.
“We have a lot of flex built into the system to manage
inventories,” says Taylor. He adds that customers often
have different rotations for their goods. Some rotate stock
according to first in/first out principles, while others rotate
products based on expiration dates.
Full pallets are retrieved from
the system via a process that’s
essentially a reversal of the entry
process. The moles retrieve the
goods and then transfer the pallets
to the storage/retrieval cranes for
transport to output stations. From
there, the monorail system picks
up the pallets for transport to outbound docks.
In addition, Preferred Freezer
builds “rainbow” pallets of mixed
goods for customers. For these,
the monorail delivers pallets to
four picking stations, where a
When a completed pallet is ready to ship, it is conveyed to
the docks via either the monorail system or lift truck.
Many of the mixed pallets are picked in advance of shipment to balance workflow. In this case, the mixed pallets
enter the monorail system for transport back to the AS/RS,
where they’re held until the shipment date. They are then
picked in the same manner as standard full pallets.
HOT RESULTS FOR A COOL SYSTEM
By allowing the AS/RS to do most of the work in the freezer,
Preferred Freezer can assign its human employees to areas
away from the cold, such as the dock, where temperatures
hover at a relatively balmy 40 degrees Fahrenheit. “When
you look at the labor force and being an employer of choice
in the freezer business, it is an advantage not to have people
needing to access the freezer,” says Taylor.
While the AS/RS’s bone-chilling conditions would make
it quite uncomfortable for people to work there, other factors make it downright inhospitable. This is the first freezer
system in the country (and the second in North America) to
incorporate a low oxygen environment for fire prevention.
Nitrogen is introduced to the atmosphere inside to virtually
eliminate any chance of combustion. Furthermore, the new
installation is a lights-out system.
At present, operations are continuing to ramp up in
the new building, which is expected to house 200 million
pounds of inventory by next month (it’s designed to hold
up to 250 million pounds). When it reaches full capacity,
the facility is projected to have a throughput of 2 billion
pounds of products a year.
