Making the switch, however, can be a nightmare if it means the DC’s process flow is going to be slowed or even severely interrupted. Nobody wants 5,000 cases an hour getting backed up for very long, or stopped altogether, while the makeover from manual to automation is working out its kinks. But the changeover can be done without a hitch. One company that has recently made the switch is Liberty Hardware. Operating a manual distribution center in the city of Ontario in Southern California, Liberty realized the need to automate its DC after company acquisitions expanded its product lines, and its desire to speed delivery times to its Southern California customers.
Liberty wanted to automate, but not diminish its manual throughput volume in the interim, a key problem faced by companies making the switch. Its solution was simple, build a new, completely automated DC literally right next to the existing manual operation, and switch operations to the new DC when finished. Providing thorough planning was done beforehand, and the project management was executed methodically, the switch had a high probability of succeeding. To co-design and manage the project, Liberty brought in Tom Zosel Associates and Dematic Corp., who also supplied the majority of the material handling equipment used in the facility. Working as a tight team, Liberty, Tom Zosel Associates and Dematic pulled off a very successful, and relatively quick turnaround of a 550,000 square-foot manual DC into a streamlined, state-of-the-art, high-speed, automated distribution center, without a hitch in process flow.
Download and read the full case study in our download portal
