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Automated Storage Towers
"We took our existing picking operation and condensed it into a floorspace only 20% the size of the previous facility."
"We increased the speed of our pick and replenishment, cutting pick hours by half"
"We got a return on our investment in less than 18 months"
Wouldn't it be great if this was you talking? We can show you businesses that have achieved some or all of these business step changes with the implementation of a relatively simple and proven technology, automated storage towers.
For some reason the UK storage market is pretty reluctant to embrace automation within small parts storage, lagging far behind the US and Continental Europe. Myths abound about the lack of flexibility and reliability of the equipment that just aren't true. Not sure why, something about the short-sightedness of UK business culture?
We've made it our mission to utilise this technology to help our customers create a step change in the efficiency of the use of space and pick time.
What are automated equipment storage system?
Two vertical runs of densely packed shelving utilising a central rapid retrieval crane to present trays to a pick face. Although they look a little like a carousel, the concept is quite different. Unlike a carousel, only the tray you want moves, removing all the problems of balancing weights, increasing speed and creating the opportunity to constantly maximise storage density in real time through the height optimised put away system.
Automated equipment storage system can:
- Utilise the full height of the building for readily available small parts to pick - we can build to 20 m and beyond
- Condense the stock through eliminating the space required for a picking hand when stored in the tower - all trays pass through a light curtain on put-away to determine the height of the tray and are allocated the minimal space in the tower on 75mm increments.
- With the rapid retrieval tray and the huge reduction in the pickface walk, reduce pick times and replenishment times dramatically.
- All goods picked at waist height to minimise any weight lifting issues.
- Depending on the layout of the installation, make the whole pickface visible to the supervisor.
- Be highly adaptable as your product shape, size and quantities change - shelf space design lends itself to adaptation to a changing stock profile.
- Be easily uplifted and re-assembled on a new site.
- Use a pick to light system as standard to maximise pick accuracy.
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With an intelligent processor as standard, and with a range of IT enhancements possible from our software teams, the automated equipment storage system technology can provide:
- Real-time stock quantity checking and tracking
- Warning of re-order levels
- Printing of transit labels at pick face
- Scanned put-away and retrieval
- Automatic reallocation of floating pick locations to parameters set by you
- Simple software links to your back office system. Several machines can be linked together ensuring that goods were constantly presented to the picker, providing maximum pick efficiency
- Can create a paperless pick.
- Have an auto-optimise function so your most frequently accessed items are stored closest to your pick face.
To enquire and get advice on the automated equipment storage system please click here
