Dress hire firm orders sortation system from Dürkopp

The technology is installed at the firm’s distribution centre in Lanarkshire where more than one million hire garments are stored.

The additional system is designed to reduce the time needed to load clothing and accessory items onto the system, increase storage capacity and enable the condition of adapters to be checked automatically. Any that are found to be damaged are removed so that maintenance work can be carried out. This latest installation is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.

ACS operations manager Anthony Burns said: "Following the successful installation and commissioning of the Phase 1 Dürkopp garments on hangers (GOH) automation system, which has greatly improved our efficiency and working practices, we have decided to invest in further automation from Dürkopp. We have ordered phase two of the design which will additonally improve and streamline our operation."

The system enables ACS to track individual garments using RFID technology. Garments being returned from hire can be put into either static storage or dynamic storage for popular items that need a quick turnaround. Any garment can be retrieved automatically from the dynamic storage section for delivery to the three-stage sorter within one hour of the order appearing on the WMS.