Pouch above your weight

What sets the flexible MonaLisa sorting system apart is its high speed: it makes both picked and returned product available to be sent out later in the picking window, which will particularly interest eCommerce retailers.

We are seeing strong demand for systems that are able to handle unit picking – single-order to multiple-order picking – and that are capable of stretching the online cut-off for overnight deliveries to 23:00 and beyond. These systems enable retailers to streamline and synchronise the flow of product to packing tables, and allowing orders to be prepared much faster. As many consumers shop online late into the evening, stretching the cut-off to the latest possible time gives those with the technology a significant competitive edge.

By using a pouch to hold a hanging or flat product, items can be buffered in ‘carousels in the air’ with product being pulled off automatically, and very quickly, when required. SDI’s MonaLisa enables the retailer to pick a wave of product and then pull that product very quickly to a packing station when required. This overcomes the difficulty of lots of ‘ones and twos’ or late order calls where pickers are under pressure to find items that may be at the furthest point in the distribution centre.

Using this technology can take an hour or two off the time taken to get picked items to the packing stations, but in addition, the innovation is very cost effective, as hanging garment technology costs a lot less than shuttles, buffer stock, conventional pallet conveyors and box conveyors. Successful applications in Germany are proving their worth.

Asda upgrade
SDI Group has won a multi-million pound contract with George at Asda to expand capacity at the clothing brand’s Brackmills regional distribution centre in Northampton.

As part of an on-going series of projects for George at Asda, SDI Group will maximise the cube of the RDC by installing a four-level mezzanine structure - increasing ‘Garment-on-Hangers’ capacity, providing an SDI LS900 carton sortation system and equipping a new packing operation with conveyors and benches.

In addition to the mezzanine structure, SDI Group will boost the site’s carton storage capacity, through integrating a further two mini-load cranes within the existing automated carton store. In the receiving area a new loading bay door will be installed together with accompanying conveyors for transporting incoming goods to adjacent storage areas.

The contract follows the upgrade of George at Asda’s Lymedale RDC last year where SDI Group installed almost identical systems to those now being implemented at Brackmills. The success of the Lymedale project, where all work was meticulously planned to avoid disruption to the daily performance of the distribution centre, contributed strongly to the award of the Brackmills contract.

"We were impressed by the way SDI Group tackled the challenges of upgrading our warehouse systems at Lymedale without disrupting operations on site. So when it came to replicating the process at Brackmills we were confident they would deliver,” said Nathan Bower of Asda Distribution.

In May 2013 SDI Group was contracted to take on responsibility for the 24/7 maintenance of all materials handling equipment across the three George at Asda sites of Lymedale, Brackmills, and Washington.

Maintenance steps up a gear

SDI Group has expanded its Maintenance Support operations by 70% in the last twelve months, signalling a growing imperative for businesses to achieve maximum uptime of critical automated logistics processes.

"As store replenishment and eCommerce operations become more complex and time-sensitive, businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on sophisticated automated materials handling systems to achieve store replenishment in single items and extended cut-off times for online orders. Mechanical or software failure can quickly affect dispatch performance, impacting customer service and ultimately brand value, so ensuring any issues are dealt with swiftly is absolutely vital.” says Barry Pemberton, Senior Support Supervisor at SDI Group.

SDI Group has a fast developing systems maintenance business, providing full-time, on-site engineers for many of the world’s leading retail brands, across multiple international territories.

Maintenance Support provides around-the-clock backup for automated systems under maintenance contract, helping to support on-site maintenance teams by deploying highly trained engineers to problem sites under strict KPIs to ensure maximum system uptime. Maintenance Support also makes regular visits to smaller systems and operations where there are no on-site engineers – and provide accident, sickness and holiday cover for on-site teams.

SDI Group’s Maintenance and Support operations cover installations designed and built by both SDI Group and other manufacturers.