UNEX Wins SDCE 100 Award for 2nd Consecutive Year

UNEX Manufacturing, Inc., the trusted industry leader in providing innovative order picking solutions, announces the company has won the prestigious SDCE 100 Award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine. The SDCE 100 is an annual list of 100 great supply chain projects. UNEX Manufacturing was chosen for improving order picking operations by increasing pick efficiencies for Thermo Fisher.

“We are pleased to be recognized for our space-saving solutions that help customers better manage picking organization, optimize space utilization and reduce the amount of reaching and bending required to pick certain items,” said Brian C. Neuwirth, VP Sales and Marketing at UNEX Manufacturing. “As an SDCE100 winner, clients recognize our customizable solutions maximize productivity, speed fulfillment and make the best use of limited warehouse space.”

“Our goal with 2017’s Top 100 is to shine the spotlight on successful and innovative transformation projects that deliver bottom-line value to small, medium and large enterprises across the supply chain,” says Ronnie Garrett, editor of Supply & Demand Chain Executive. “The selected projects can serve as a roadmap for supply chain executives looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. We congratulate all of our winners for a job well done!”

Thermo Fisher helps its customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. At one of the company’s manufacturing and distribution centers, workers fulfill customers’ orders by picking from thousands of unique SKUs, including many that must be kept in cooler or freezer areas to preserve the product. The cooler and freezer areas were redesigned to create an ideal carton flow and order picking scenario at the plant using UNEX Span-Track to house the plant’s fasting moving, temperature-sensitive SKUs. Span-Track maximizes flexibility for slotting SKUs of many different sizes and provides full visibility of products to support a 0% mis-pick rate. Span-Track offered condensed, organized storage, allowing the plant to improve pick efficiencies by more than 45%.

The SDCE 100 projects can serve as a map for supply chain executives who are looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. These projects show how supply chain solution and service providers help their customers and clients achieve supply chain excellence and prepare their supply chains for success. The SDCE 100 will appear in the June 2017 print issue of the magazine and in their digital issue hosted on their website.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage.

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source http://www.unex.com/unex-wins-sdce-100-award-2nd-consecutive-year/

Carton Flow Shelving: Problems and Solutions

Stop us if you’ve seen this before: an order picker is leaning all the way into a bay of carton flow shelving with a shepherd’s hook. After a brief struggle (and maybe a few choice four-letter words from the order picker), they re-emerge from the rack, box in hand. The bottom of the box is dented and badly warped.  The order picker places the carton on a conveyor and moves to their next pick, only to face the same problem moments later.

For many distribution operations utilizing carton flow shelving, this is a scenario that replays itself over and over in their distribution centers. Many carton flow shelving manufacturers ship their racks with plastic wheel rails- a carton flow track solution featuring small inline wheels mounted in steel channels. For companies storing and picking lightweight products in high quality cartons, these flow tracks are a perfectly adequate solution for their needs. However, for operations prioritizing maximum storage density with heavier products, plastic wheel rail solutions simply can’t cut the mustard. How can you tell if your existing carton flow isn’t up to the task at hand, and how can you make sure you get your hands on a solution that is?

First, you need to take is to step back and understand the scope of the problem. What percentage of your cartons are getting hung up on your flow tracks? Are your order pickers resorting to shepherd’s hooks, or even brooms to dislodge a stuck carton? How much does this hang-up slow down your picks? While one or two hang-ups may not be very consequential to your operation, if the problem is persistent and widespread, you will begin to see the wasted seconds (and the wasted dollars) ticking away.

Second, understand how the problems related to these flow tracks are currently being solved. If a flow track is showing signs of being a persistent problem, is that track replaced immediately? Do you wait until the end of the month to fix larger problem areas of your order picking operation? How much of your budget is invested in these replacements and repairs? How much downtime is required to get that problem area in working order?

For many distributors, these observations lead to a simple conclusion: plastic wheel flow tracks simply cannot meet the demands of their operation. But what does the ideal solution look like? It must be able to do these six things:

• Reduce product hang-ups.
• Provide great flow and restart.
• Lower your maintenance budget.
• Reduce the labor involved in replacement.
• Increase picking efficiency.
• Allow more orders picked per shift for higher profits.

UNEX manufactures Shelf Track, a line of carton flow shelving solutions specifically designed to bring all these benefits to your operation by retrofitting into your existing carton flow shelving. Shelf Track is a carton flow track available in roller or wheel options that provides more surface area underneath your cartons, reducing imprinting and eliminating hang-ups. It eliminates the need to replace damaged or inefficient flow tracks, and can be dropped into your existing carton flow shelving to minimize maintenance and labor costs. It allows for double and triple stacking of cartons to ensure maximum storage density. Finally, Shelf Track is backed by our 7-year Platinum Warranty, guaranteeing that this replacement for your carton flow tracks will stand the test of time.

So you’ve reached the conclusion that your plastic wheel carton flow tracks need to be replaced, and you think Shelf Track might be right for you. What’s next? We prove that Shelf Track is right for you by installing a test level of tracks in your existing rack for evaluation, free of charge.

Here’s everything you need to know to get a free Shelf Track sample that fits your existing carton flow shelving:

• Who is the manufacturer of the rack?
• What is the width of the bay?
• What is the inside dimension of the shelf?
• What is the length of the plastic wheel flow track?
• How deep are the front and rear ledges of the shelf?
• How far apart are the intermediate supports?
• What are the dimensions of the cartons?
  • Average size
  • Minimum size
  • Maximum size
  • Average weight

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source http://www.unex.com/carton-flow-shelving-problems

UNEX Named Top Green Supply Chain Provider for 2nd Consecutive Year

UNEX Manufacturing, Inc., the trusted industry leader in providing innovative order picking solutions, announces the company has been named to Food Logistics Top 100 Green Supply Chain Provider Awards for 2017. This is UNEX Manufacturing’s second appearance on this prestigious list. UNEX was chosen for helping clients lower energy usage and costs, while improving efficiencies and speeding fulfillment.

“UNEX solutions do not require any energy to use them, which saves a tremendous amount of costs, while improving visibility and accessibility at pick points for faster picking operations,” said Brian C. Neuwirth, VP of Sales and Marketing at UNEX Manufacturing. “Flexible rack configurations with carton flow maximizes space for new and existing SKUs, eliminating the need for more warehouse space and reducing pick paths. This space optimization can lead to green savings. We are pleased to be recognized once again for our outstanding ability to reduce energy usage within client operations.”

“The future viability of the world’s food supply chain is dependent upon our ability to integrate sustainability from farm to fork,” says Lara L. Sowinski, editorial director. “Transportation and logistics comprise a significant part of that supply chain, and we commend those companies in our industry that embrace their role as environmental stewards, while raising the sustainability bar for their peers.”

Implementing environmentally friendly material handling equipment can include no-noise, non-powered products, which lack any use of electricity, thus saving energy costs. UNEX gravity-powered conveyor moves products smoothly and quickly without being motorized. UNEX also offers flow racks that can be used in return lanes to send cartons back through the warehouse for reuse, saving on packaging materials and boxes. Well-designed pick lines that minimize product handling, reduce search and lower picking time also help UNEX customers to reduce errors and ensure reliable flow.

For grocers, UNEX optimizes space in the freezer cooler area with Span-Track, instead of requiring companies to have to expand that section of their operation. This helps them avoid dramatically increasing energy consumption that comes along with larger freezer cooler areas.

Food Logistics’ annual Top Green Providers recognizes companies whose products, services, or exemplary leadership is enhancing sustainability within the food and beverage industry. Each year, the criteria for earning a spot on the list become more stringent for applicants. For example, the editorial staff evaluates a company’s participation in such programs as the EPA’s SmartWay and other recognized sustainability programs; facilities that are LEED-certified, and/or feature solar panels, LED lighting and other energy saving installations and retrofits that produce measure reductions in GHG emissions, to name a few.

This year’s Top Green Providers list includes grocers, 3PLs, cold storage providers, pallet and packaging manufacturers, software and technology companies and others whose products and services are elevating sustainability to a competitive advantage. The Food Logistics 2017 Top Green Providers will be showcased in the June issue, as well as online.

About Food Logistics

Food Logistics is published by AC Business Media, a business-to-business media company that provides targeted content and comprehensive, integrated advertising and promotion opportunities for some of the world’s most recognized B2B brands. Its diverse portfolio serves the construction, logistics, supply chain and other industries with print, digital and custom products, events and social media.

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source http://www.unex.com/unex-green-supply-chain-2nd-year

FIFO vs. FEFO- What’s the Difference?

FIFO, First-In, First-Out, is important for companies that distribute products with expiration dates, such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage. It is a safe practice that ensures your products will not expire or go bad. With FIFO, the oldest products are used or picked first, ensuring product quality and safety. When products are picked for an order, newer arrived products slide forward from the back to replace the just-picked item. Replenishment occurs from the back of the shelves.

FEFO, First Expired, First-Out, is similar to FIFO in that items closest to the expiration will be shipped first. The “E” refers to the expiration date of the product. The APICS Dictionary defines FEFO as “a picking methodology assuring that the usage shelf life of items is optimized.”

In order for the FEFO methodology to be used, items must have serial or lot numbers on them and the item has to be posted to inventory with an expiration date. The serial or lot-numbered items to be picked are sorted with the FEFO methodology, i.e. the items are listed in the order of expiration, so items closest to expiration are picked first. This is useful for pharmaceuticals and medical products that can expire quickly, but can cause significant issues if shipped past the expiration date.

 

FIFO works for items in any type of packaging, whether it’s a can, bottle or bag. FIFO can be used for fresh, frozen or canned items as well. When used correctly, the FIFO rotation method ensures companies are serving safe products and reducing spoilage. When adding new items to storage units, push them to the back of the shelf or load shelves from the rear so that older items will be moved forward and used first. With the FIFO methodology, workers won’t have to continually check expiration dates, saving them time in picking operations, because they know to use older items first.

Labels placed on storage shelves serve as a visual aid in assisting workers to rotate products, maintain quality items and minimize waste. Shipping a product that has expired to a customer can lead to big problems, especially if products are regulated by the government or industry group. Expired products, such as food on a grocery shelf, can affect a brand’s image, not to mention potential consequences from regulators.

Let the UNEX Pickologists help you pick the best storage products and methodology for your needs. Contact us today.

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source http://www.unex.com/fifo-vs-fefo-whats-the-difference/

Just-In-Time Manufacturing & UNEX

Just-in-time manufacturing originated at the British Motor Corporation in Sydney, Australia in the mid-1950’s, was later adopted in Japan, and became more prominent in the US in the 1970s when Toyota adopted the methodology. Just-in-time manufacturing, or JIT for short, was renamed lean manufacturing in the 90’s, and is still called this today.

Just-in-time manufacturing, also known as just-in-time production or the Toyota production system (TPS), is a methodology aimed primarily at reducing flow times within production as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. Items are manufactured to meet demand, not in advance. In other words, manufacturers make only what is needed, when it is needed and in the amount that is needed. Other names for just-in-time manufacturing include the Kanban System or the Supermarket Method.

 

The  concept was described by Henry Ford in his 1923 book, My Life and Work: “We have found in buying materials that it is not worthwhile to buy for other than immediate needs. We buy only enough to fit into the plan of production, taking into consideration the state of transportation at the time. If transportation were perfect and an even flow of materials could be assured, it would not be necessary to carry any stock whatsoever. The carloads of raw materials would arrive on schedule and in the planned order and amounts, and go from the railway cars into production. That would save a great deal of money, for it would give a very rapid turnover and thus decrease the amount of money tied up in materials.”

But the concept really took off with Toyota and remains foremost in the minds of many manufacturing businesses as a way to eliminate waste, which is the main concept of lean manufacturing, while streamlining operations, lowering operating costs and improving customer service.

Toyota has six rules to describe how this works:

• Later process picks up the number of items indicated by the kanban at the earlier process.
• Earlier process produces items in the quantity and sequence indicated by the kanban.
• No items are made or transported without a kanban.
• Always attach a kanban to the goods.
• Defective products are not sent on to the subsequent process. The result is 100% defect-free goods.
• Reducing the number of kanban increases the sensitivity.

UNEX manufactures lineside storage solutions which can store and flow products from the initial demand point bin. UNEX also makes manufacturing supermarkets which can store and flow products from the inventory control point bin. UNEX’s manufacturing supermarkets provide lineside shelving where workers pull components from as needed for manufacturing. Miniature stock locations are located close to the assembly line, allowing the lines to be replenished quickly and easily.

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source http://www.unex.com/just-in-time-manufacturing-unex/

Warehouse Space- When Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Warehouse space is becoming a premium in today’s fast-paced e-commerce world. There just isn’t enough warehouse space available to store products to meet online customer demand. This is partially due to the fact that very little development occurred a decade ago because of the economic downturn, and the market just hasn’t been able to build enough warehouse inventory fast enough to keep up with demand.

It all comes down to space and time. The race for space is all about augmenting storage capacity, increasing labor productivity and speeding throughput.

As our industry faces the pressures of omni-channel commerce, including exponential increases in the number of SKUs handled and percentage of item-level picking required, DCs and warehouses are busier than ever.

How do you know how much warehouse space you really need? Are you sure you’re optimizing the warehouse space you already have? Can you adapt existing space or equipment to maximize utilization and efficiency? Can you add space by expanding up or out? Should you lease additional supplemental space? Or should you start planning for new construction that’s designed to anticipate future needs? How would this new expansion affect your picker’s travel time and pick rates?

Building a new facility is expensive. Expanding an existing one is time-consuming and costly. A warehouse that is too crammed with products is inefficient.

The answer is that instead of worrying about finding a new warehouse location, you could try to optimize your existing warehouse space using UNEX Span-Track. Span-Track is designed to eliminate dead zones in the warehouse – empty pallet rack space – by maximizing space utilization within existing pallet rack.

Using Span-Track, you utilize the entirety of your pallet rack depth by loading SKUs behind the facings. Instead of lining a shelf with one SKU, you can load all those SKUs behind each other and let them flow forward to your order pickers, allowing more SKUs in less space. This will help maximize space utilization while reducing travel time and distance between picks.

Other things you can do include:

• Store packing materials in above-door racks to free up floor space in the dock area
• Add a mezzanine, which creates an elevated storage platform for additional storage and the floor space below is fully accessible for additional storage
• Optimize pick faces by storing similar SKUs in the same pallet rack so workers don’t have to search for products
• Speed picking with tilted storage units that follow the FIFO methodology

When a new facility is not in your budget and there is no room for expansion, using Span-Track can improve space utilization by up to 20 to 50%. Using the existing space in your warehouse more efficiently can speed throughput, while keeping costs low.

Contact UNEX Pickologists today to find space within your existing warehouse. After all, bigger isn’t always better.

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source http://www.unex.com/warehouse-space-when-bigger-isnt-always-better/

A Mother’s Day Supply Chain

This weekend is Mother’s Day, a world-wide tradition of honoring mothers on the second Sunday of May with flowers, cards and other gifts.

Here are some Mother’s Day statistics of interest:

• Total number of moms in the U.S.: 85.4 million
• Total amount of money spent on Mother’s Day Cards annually: $671 million
• Total amount of money that will be spent for mothers on Mother’s Day: $20.7 billion
• Total amount of money spent on flowers for their mothers on Mother’s Day: $1.9 billion
• The average amount American consumers will spend on mom for Mother’s Day: $168.94
• Percent of Mother’s Day gifts bought online: 28.5 %

No matter what you get your mother for Mother’s Day, whether it’s a card or flowers or candy, stores have had to gear up their inventory levels to avoid any stock-outs of products. Plus, companies that deliver flowers, or other gifts, have to be ready for the increased number of orders and tight delivery windows.

How do retailers know how much inventory to carry or how much inventory to store in safety stock? Using historical data, retailers can uncover peak demands and better understand seasonality. The goal is to have the right amount of inventory at the right location at the right time so that you don’t have any left over or excess inventory that you will need to put on sale.

The next big problem with seasonality is the need for storage space in the warehouse, or storefront, where you will fulfill orders from. Renting more warehouse space can be expensive – especially when you can use products like UNEX Span-Track to consolidate SKUs and reduce storage space by up to 20%.

UNEX will work with you to evaluate your current storage capabilities and uncover ways to improve space utilization, freeing up valuable space to store seasonal products. Using our carton flow solutions, you will use your available space as efficiently as possible.

UNEX is a one-stop shop for all your order picking and storage needs, offering solutions that maximize space for optimal storage. Our Pickologists will help you get better organized so you can keep up with seasonal demand.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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source http://www.unex.com/mothers-day-supply-chain