44 DC VELOCITY SEPTEMBER 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
s
p
ec
i
a
lre
p
or
t
FA
C
I
LI
TY
D
E
S
IGN
(WCS) supplied by W&H Systems determines picking
waves, working in conjunction with Manhattan Associates’
warehouse management software. The waves are based
on multiple tiers of algorithms that consider product and
delivery route. Picking for six trucks can be performed at
the same time within the wave. Orders for each truck are
picked in reverse delivery sequence so that the order for
the first stop is loaded onto the truck last.
Pallet flow racks hold full cases of fast-moving
items, while slower-moving cases are presented
to workers in case flow rack locations. In both
instances, workers select the cases onto a belt that
runs through the middle of the two case picking
modules, following directions transmitted by
the Jennifer voice system. Each worker is also
supplied with a stack of customer labels that are
printed to match the picking sequence that the
Jennifer system provides to him or her. Combining
voice with the labels is much faster than simply
using pick-by-label selection, since the worker
does not have to stop to read locations off of the
labels. Instead, the associate can be moving
as he or she is listening to the voice prompts,
saving valuable seconds with each pick.
Once a worker arrives at the appropriate section, he or
she recites a check digit to confirm the location and then
removes the number of cases required, placing a customer
label onto each before depositing it onto the takeaway conveyor belt. The voice system then directs the picker to the
next location.
Meanwhile, the conveyor transports the selected cases
through a five-sided scan tunnel that matches the customer
label and the product UPC label to assure that the right
product has been selected.
BOTTLES UP!
The bottle pick area is specifically designed for fast throughput. A setup that combines flow racks, the voice system, and
other material handling equipment allows for an average of
600 bottles to be picked per person per hour, which is one
of the highest picking rates in the wine and spirits industry.
Two conveyor lines run through the bottle pick module.
An “express line” is used for faster-moving products, which
are selected only from the bottom level of the two-level
module. This constitutes about 85 percent of the individual
bottle picks made here. The DC uses the pick-and-pass
order selection method in the bottle pick area, with workers
selecting bottles within their zones from deep-flow racks
and then passing the order carton along to the next worker
for additional selections.
A carton erector builds a box to begin the process. The
voice system then takes over to direct picking. First, a work-
er reads a carton ID into the voice system to match the car-
ton to the products it will contain. The voice system then
tells the worker the quantity of bottles to select from each
location. Again, a check digit is used to confirm the right
items were picked. Completed cartons are conveyed to a
quality assurance area, where randomly selected cartons are
checked against actual orders.
The remaining 15 percent of bottle picks consist of both
fast- and slower-moving items. These are picked onto a
conveyor belt known as the “local line.” Pick-and-pass is
also employed here, with the carton passed through
the various pick zones and bottles added to it. In some
cases, the cartons require additional items from the
second level, where most of the DC’s medium-mov-ers are stored on flow racks. In such cases, the cartons are placed on an AmbaFlex spiral conveyor,
which whisks them to the next level.
The facility’s 4,000 slow-moving stock-keeping
units (SKUs) are stored in static shelving. Two cases
per SKU are housed in each slot on the shelves. When
needed, bottles from the shelving are batch picked
onto rolling carts that can hold from 100 to 120
bottles in numbered locations. The voice system
directs picking from the racks and also tells the
worker where on the cart to place the bottle.
Once the batch has been picked, the voice
system instructs the worker to push the cart to a station near
the quality assurance area on the second level. The voice
system then directs bottles to be removed and combined as
needed with items selected for each customer order.
After undergoing quality checks, the orders are conveyed to an Intelligrated sliding shoe sorter designed for
the gentle handling of cartons filled with glass bottles. The
sorter carefully diverts the cartons to six dock positions.
To assure that the right carton is loaded onto the right
truck, the company installed a camera capture system from
Blue Violet Networks at the docks. Tied to the warehouse
control system, the system uses cameras to capture three
distinct views of each carton. To resolve discrepancies, an
operator can dial in a carton number and see exactly which
truck the carton was loaded into.
THE RIGHT TONIC
Ashland is one of four new distribution centers that RNDC
is building within a 12-month period. Several existing facilities are also undergoing renovations. Many of these will
incorporate similar designs, with the goal of duplicating
the impressive gains that the Ashland facility has recorded
in just half a year of operation.
Ashland can process some 3,200 cases per hour, which
is double the rate achieved in the previous facility. Plus,
orders are shipping on time, which has virtually eliminated
overtime, and accuracy is at an all-time high. And there is
room to grow, as the material handling systems can handle
up to 3,600 cases per hour at peak. “We did not expect to
be hitting the throughput numbers this quickly,” notes
Kirshenbaum. “It has produced a lot of smiles from top to
bottom. I truly believe we hit a home run here.”
