Order Picking Solutions: Mix & Match to Improve Customer Service

Order picking is one of the main processes within a warehouse – and the most labor intensive. Most warehouses use a variety of order picking solutions within their operation, including carton flow, static storage, and pallet flow. As order picking is one of the most costly activities for a warehouse, supply chain managers today are focusing on improving these processes and lowering costs, while improving customer service levels.

Choosing the best order picking solutions for you depends on any number of requirements such as cost, complexity, ​the number of customer orders, size and number of items, etc. Every business has its own unique requirements and a mixture of order picking solutions may be the best way to fulfill orders.

For example, carton flow racks have a high order picking rate of up to 150 picks an hour, but combined with a pick-to-light system that uses lights to show workers what items and how many to pick, you can increase pick rates by three-fold. UNEX Span-Track has over 30 different end-treatments for Span-Track, allowing you to add a pick-to-light bar or an end-treatment that can integrate labels so that pickers can easily distinguish locations and make the right pick every time if using pick-to-voice. UNEX flow racks allow warehouses to store a mix of fast-moving and slow-moving items in the same rack – allowing pickers to quickly pick a variety of items from the same area.

UNEX provides a variety of end styles for Span-Track, like our “pushback” track that sits on top of step beams with stops on the front and rear, making it ideal for applications where product is loaded and picked from the front. High profile ends sit on rack beams and can overhang the structure, allowing tracks to extend past obstructions. High profile knuckle overhangs the structure with an angled front end for increased efficiency. Low profile knuckle track has an optional angled front end for increased efficiency in each picking applications. These solutions are available in both roller and wheel formats, and can speed flow, improve FIFO storage, and allow multi-sized products to be positioned within the same shelf level.

For picking from pallets, UNEX Pallet Tracks allow you to pick from one side as gravity flows the second pallet forward, eliminating the need to travel and speeding the order picking process. This is a great option for really fast-moving SKUs, and provides a more efficient and ergonomic pick than a typical static pallet position.

Regardless of your warehouse environment, UNEX has the order picking solutions for your business. Contact our Pickologists today to customize the best system for your facility!

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source http://www.unex.com/order-picking-solutions-mix-match

Promat 2017: What We Learned

Promat 2017 has come and gone. Over 40,000 people attended with over 900 exhibitors showcasing new technologies. We got a chance to listen to some of the keynotes, visit other exhibitors and attend several interesting educational sessions. Here is what we learned:

Day 1 Keynote: Session on sustainable solutions lead by author Andrew Winston, with other executives discussing how to build a sustainable supply chain and use it for competitive advantage.

Day 2 Keynote: Given by Markus Lorenz, partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group on Smart Machines said, “The new breed of intelligent machines that are core to Industry 4.0 will eliminate waste in supply chains and enable new business models, but industry also needs to think about how smart machines will disrupt jobs.” Industry 4.0 is the next industrial evolution that merges the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart, connected devices, allowing businesses to weight containers as they are loaded or manage maintenance by knowing when the next machinery service is due.

Day 3 Keynote: NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson told the crowd that it is more important to over-deliver to customers than to create business strategies, which are also important. But, he said it is more important to always think of your customers first, which will lead to customer loyalty. He also stressed that every business should routinely evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

UNEX’s prototype guardrail for Span-Track wheel bed

We showcased new order picking products and prototypes in our Promat booth, including:

• Our new Flow Cell “cantilever cart,” featuring cantilever beams and handlebar. This cart is designed to make transporting awkward, bulky material through your facility fast and easy- without the need for a fork truck or other powered solutions.
• A newly re-designed Pick-Plank prototype. This solution sits in a wire deck position in pallet rack and allows order pickers to slide the rear of the device forward easily. This helps pickers improve the ergonomics of their picks, keeps the needed product at the point of pick, and helps to maximize storage density.
• A new guardrail prototype for Span-Track wheel bed. This guardrail drops and locks right on to the hex hub wheels, allowing users to create dedicated lanes while retaining the flexibility Span-Track wheel beds provide.
• A prototype AGV cart. This solution utilizes our modular Flow Cell structures for automated transport with a tunneling AGV. This solution brings dynamic storage to facilities where AGVs make their automated rounds, and is designed to handle up to 4,000 pounds of material.

UNEX’s prototype AGV cart

Other things we saw that were of big interest at Promat included:

• Virtual reality, used for training exercises, such as training operators on driving new forklifts.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate the shortest paths for forklifts or other equipment to speed fulfillment rates.
• Visual camera and depth sensor that captures load density, trailer fullness, number of packages, etc. to improve trailer loading quality at the loading dock.
• A “box factory in a box” that makes any size box on demand within 12 seconds.
• Lots of robotic applications, including one with a gripper hand for picking small objects, another that served ice cream cones and another that juggled balls.
• WCS, WMS and WES software updates that add mobility and analytics.

Our very own VP of Operations, Howard McIlvaine, worked the show as a volunteer student guide through a program sponsored by MHEDA and MHI. Howard led a group of students from college, high school, and vocational schools on a guided tour of the show, highlighting the new technologies and trends shaping the supply chain and logistics industries. This was Howard’s second year leading such a group.

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source http://www.unex.com/promat-what-we-learned

UNEX Introduces New Material Handling and Order Picking Solutions at ProMat 2017

UNEX’s Promat Booth S429 to Showcase Innovative Solutions Designed For Improving Efficiencies in the Warehouse

UNEX Manufacturing, Inc., the trusted industry leader in providing innovative order picking solutions, announces the company will be introducing new material handling and order picking solutions in their Booth S429 at ProMat 2017. UNEX will showcase prototypes of their new Pick-Plank for pallet storage and guiderails for Span-Track, along with other carton flow and lineside storage solutions that help companies to maximize space usage, increase pick rates and improve ergonomics at the point of pick.

“To help businesses meet customer demands for ever-faster fulfillment, eliminate out-of-stocks and efficiently manage growing inventories, UNEX offers solutions to speed order picking operations, such as our patented Span-Track that reduces travel time between picks by 85 percent,” said Brian C. Neuwirth, VP Marketing and Sales at UNEX Manufacturing. “From retailers to assembly operations, our innovative solutions are the most durable, reliable and efficient, keeping clients’ processes flowing and profits growing.”

At the UNEX Booth S429, show visitors will see:

• Pick-Plank Prototype – In order to gather feedback from show attendees and gather interest in possible beta sites, UNEX will show their newly designed Pick-Plank solution that eases loading of pallets on storage shelves. The new Pick-Plank rests in a position similar to the wire deck in pallet racks, allowing manual replenishment so that a full pallet does not have to be moved from one position to another via a forklift.
• Span-Track Guiderail Prototype – New guiderails can be added to Span-Track, allowing companies to create a dedicated lane of carton flow on UNEX’s Span-Track universal wheel beds. The new guiderails are made of an aluminum rail that drops onto the Span-Track and locks into place, reducing assembly time and installation. This niche solution is ideal for companies who need the flexibility of the Span-Track wheel beds, but still want the benefits of dedicated lanes offered by the UNEX roller lanes.
• Span-Track helps companies manage their inventory with the FIFO methodology – first in, first out – which ensures products are always fresh and within date limits. Span-Track is available in a variety of options from light to heavy duty capacity and a drop-in design, allowing you to fit any pallet rack type. Multiple-sized products can be positioned within the same shelf space with the new guiderails separating products for easier slotting of items.
• Pixelbility Arcade- UNEX has designed two unique arcade cabinets using Flow Cell structures and accessories. Visit UNEX’s booth and enjoy a round of Pacman, Frogger, and more!

ProMat 2017 takes place in Chicago at McCormick Place on April 3 – 6, 2017 with over 950 exhibitors and 100 educational seminars.

 

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source http://www.unex.com/promat-2017