Premier league picking
Since the Batson family started in business decorating T-shirts back in the 1980s, its company, Ralawise Ltd, has grown beyond recognition to become a leading B2B dot-com supplier of clothing across Europe with sales exceeding £100 million, around 4,500 product lines and over nine million items in stock at any time.
By 2010 the company’s growth was putting extreme pressure on the central warehouse near Chester. The size of the building and the manual picking system in use were compromising potential for growth and the quality of service, so the company invested in a larger warehouse with advanced order-picking technologies to resolve both issues.
At the heart of the new building is a highly automated conveyor system on four levels designed and installed by Nottingham-based Gebhardt European Conveyor Systems, which has dramatically increased picking efficiency. Picking staff now work near a conveyor that automatically forwards each carton or plastic tote between zones in the storage areas and then to despatch. Maximum throughput is 720 totes an hour, and the system also delivers stock from bulk storage to the live picking shelves.
From the induct station bar-code readers direct cartons or totes to the appropriate zones where the products required are located. A voice picking system enables staff to find products quickly before releasing the carton back on to the powered conveyor for onward travel. Cartons and totes are carried between the four levels in compact elevators that require much less space than typical belt inclines. The layout of the picking zones is replicated on all the levels so that staff can work flexibly with no loss of efficiency.
Once an order in a carton has been completed, it travels to the despatch area. Most cartons go directly through an automatic folding, compacting and lidding procedure. Cartons can be checked and re-packed before travelling on to be sealed, as required. Totes with small orders divert to a separate area for the items to be packed, with empty totes being returned to the induct area on a separate conveyor.
A spur on the ground floor feeds replenishment stock in cartons of various sizes into the main system. To allow for the random-sized cartons received from suppliers, the conveyors are 550mm wide supported by 110mm deep x 30mm-wide aluminium extrusions on either side. The entire system is electrically powered, using state-of-the-art 24V motorised rollers that are particularly quiet, energy-efficient and durable. The simple design minimises maintenance and allows the system to be altered easily.
The entire system is controlled by a single high-performance PLC with bespoke software specifically designed by Gebhardt-ECS to provide fully integrated automation with fast response times and high control standards. The control system is also easy to use, with touch-screen panels allowing operators to obtain information about the conveyor system immediately at any time.
The main contractor with overall responsibility for fitting out the new warehouse was Jungheinrich UK. Design and installation of the conveyor system, including electrical installation, controls and integration, were undertaken entirely from the Gebhardt-ECS Nottingham office.
