Bristan taps into Swisslog

Since then, Bristan has grown rapidly. Over the last 35 years, it has become the biggest showers and taps company in the UK, with an estimated one in five British homes having a Bristan shower or tap fitted. With such growth, Bristan is keen to ensure its warehouse operation remains aligned to key business needs.

As part of its lifecycle replacement programme, Swisslog conducted a full RF health check to ensure Bristan’s warehouse still gave the bathroom manufacturer full wireless coverage throughout their picking area. Swisslog was able to analyse specific areas of the site and identify where efficiency levels could be optimised. The RF health check produced a heat map to check this coverage, to then review the required number of access ports and their strategic positions.

Following this health check, Bristan engaged Swisslog in November 2015 to replace all 22 access ports in the warehouse and the two RF controllers. Two spare access ports are also available and automatic failover to a secondary RF controller takes place in the event of any unplanned downtime.

A narrow timeslot for the upgrade work was allocated, to ensure the system enhancements were realised over one weekend. This was time critical so as not to impact the retailers picking operation when it recommenced on the Monday morning.

Swisslog completed the enhancements on time and within budget meaning Bristan now has futureproofed controllers and access points. This will prove vital when it comes to refreshing hand and truck terminals, which are also supported by Swisslog’s UK based RF service centre.

The new equipment also provides enhanced security options, unrivalled performance and reliability. Should the retailer decide to expand its picking operation at any time, the enhancement now provides the option for dashboards and embedded scalability.

The project was supplied with three years’ comprehensive support from Swisslog’s UK based RF service centre and all equipment is backed by the manufacturers advanced exchange programme.

As usage of any warehouse develops over the years, the wireless coverage can naturally change. Therefore, before refreshing any RF infrastructure, it is always recommended to first conduct an assessment of the site’s coverage and connectivity.

“Our partnership with Swisslog has allowed Bristan to develop an industry leading proposition, resulting in a clear competitive advantage,” says Richard Russell, Head of Logistics at Bristan.