When a traditional warehouse, one where the order selectors walk or ride from one pick slot to the next, has more SKU than pick slots, many start doing things that are, for the most part, counterproductive.\u00a0 They may be regarded internally as essential to operations; but a disconnected outsider will most likely view it otherwise.\u00a0 A few examples include the following:<\/p>\n
There are alternatives to these that effectively reduce operating costs \u2013 some are better than others.<\/p>\n
One alternative solution is to add building space.\u00a0 Besides being an expensive option, the single most significant negative for this option is that the order selector\u2019s travel distance increases for each order picked, increasing labor cost for only a fractional gain in product sales.<\/p>\n
A second alternative solution is to purchase powered pallet trucks that raise the operator\u2019s platform, bringing the selectors to the pick level more ergonomically.<\/p>\n
A third alternative solution is to invest in a \u201cpick-to-belt\u201d system where the order selectors pick multiple orders simultaneously (i.e. \u201cwaves\u201d or \u201cbatches\u201d), picking cases to a powered conveyor.\u00a0 In the right application, studies prove that labor productivity for pick-to-belt systems is quite high in spite of the need created to sort and palletize the cases once they\u2019re picked.\u00a0 Though the capital investment for a system like this one is higher than the option to add building space, the investment return is typically better as well.<\/p>\n
A fourth alternative is Velociti\u2019s CasePick\u00ae system.<\/p>\n
CasePick\u00ae can be a manual alternative where selectors pick to pallets; or it can be an automated alternative where selectors pick to conveyor.\u00a0 Both methods, manual and automated, tackle the challenges caused by Pareto\u2019s Principle, where medium and slow moving inventory items equal or exceed 80% of the SKU, producing only 20% of the workload.\u00a0 And both process multiple orders at the same time, reducing the number of trips through the pick system, utilizing Velociti\u2019s patent pending inventory management software system.<\/p>\n
One key advantage for Velociti\u2019s CasePick\u00ae system is the reduced capital investment in powered conveyor and the elimination of multiple mezzanine pick levels.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t require the capital investment of \u201dmiles\u201d of conveyor and hundreds of square feet of mezzanine (plus stairs) as do the \u201cpick-to-belt\u201d systems.<\/p>\n
With CasePick\u00ae, success metrics show that inventory storage and product utilization is typically doubled, and pick slot counts are typically increased by 30% as compared to the traditional warehouses that employ hand stacking, re-palletizing to smaller pallets, or three high pick slots.<\/p>\n