Garment picking races to 1,000 outfits an hour

ACS started out in the early 1990s as a chain of successful menswear shops in the west of Scotland.

The firm then diversified into the hiring out of traditional Highland wear which proved to be a successful move and the business soon began to supply other retailers in the region and added formal wear and a wide range of accessories to its product range. Now ACS is a multi-award winning, £13 million turnover group and the largest formal dress hire group in Europe with their Cameron Ross brand available through a network of 180 retailers across the UK.

Tony Burns, operations director at ACS, said: “Our original picking system was time-consuming with jackets, trousers and waistcoats all being picked manually. The selected accessories – such as shirts, ties and shoes – were then also selected by hand. As volumes increased it became increasingly difficult to sustain the high level of customer service for which ACS was widely respected. We looked at enlarging the area for packing but the problem is, that as you add more lines, the operators have to walk further to pick a full outfit which is inefficient and leads to errors. So, automating the process was the only answer.

“We looked at several companies before choosing Dürkopp and their Roll Adapter system. Another issue was timing – our busiest months for weddings, school proms and university events are May-September and we could not afford any interruptions during this period. Work at our new DC in Lanarkshire meant that Dürkopp could not start installing the conveying system until December 2012 but they finished on schedule in April last year in time for the peak season.”

Picking linked to in-store touchscreen ordering

Customers can now walk into a store and view and order garments through a touch screen system. They can check in real time if the product size and colour they want is available – a first for the industry – arrange a free trial fitting and also order outfits for the whole wedding party in one process. 

For additional flexibility, customers can also browse the Cameron Ross website where an interactive tool enables them to ‘build’ their bespoke outfit online, mixing and matching accessories to suit their individual style.

The Dürkopp system allows ACS to track individual garments using RFID technology. When an order comes in, ACS’s warehouse management system communicates seamlessly with Dürkopp’s control technology. The Dürkopp WCS first checks outfit availability in the seven dynamic buffers – which can each hold 5,000 items – using RFID tags for selection and tracking. The correct garments are then released to the fast sortation stage.

Here they are sorted automatically into customer order sequence and joined by any items that have had to be picked in other areas. This process helps ensure that ACS can meet last minute orders which are then despatched for next day delivery to the retailer. It also enables ACS to prioritise returned garments as to which needs cleaning first so the time involved before that garment can be hired out again is significantly reduced.

“The investment in technology means that we can now pick up to 1,000 outfits an hour,” added Tony. “In addition, it has simplified the ordering process so that co-ordinating a wedding party’s outfits couldn’t be easier – even if the various members of the wedding party are spread throughout the UK.”

Dürkopp Fördertechnik is a member of the Knapp group and its hanging garment technology can be combined with Knapp’s expertise in the handling of flat-packed garments, goods in totes and palletised stock. The ability to cater for a wide SKU range is an increasingly important factor for leading retailers.