Overview
The Dematic Automated Piece Picking System for Parts and Components uses a high-density automated storage sub-system with goods-to-person order assembly to support parts and components distribution. The system accommodates order fulfillment for distribution operations that pick, pack, and ship spare/replacement parts and components for automotive, aerospace, construction equipment, farm machinery, and healthcare markets. It is also ideal for electrical equipment distributors and all types of industrials supplies.
Typical applications handle a large number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and offer same day shipping. The system requires less warehouse space than conventional picking systems, supports multiple channels, provides high order accuracy with a low number of line items per order, and handles wide variations in daily order volumes.
Benefits
- Increases throughput and capacity
- Provides inventory security/accuracy with controlled access
- Goods-to-person picking supports productivity and improved ergonomics
- Eliminates manual pick face replenishment and slotting
- Allows picking of orders in advance by staging in automated shipping buffer
- Reduces operating costs, errors, time for process transactions
- Provides real-time control, visibility, and insight of operations
System description
The Dematic Automated Piece Pick System for Parts and Components has a pre-engineered, standardized design configuration to ensure consistent performance, operational flexibility, and scalability.
The system enables multichannel distribution and supports an omnichannel customer experience that allows products to be accessible online anywhere, anytime. The order fulfillment system processes website and phone orders. Orders ship from the facility to dealers or regional distributors and retail stores. Consumers can go to the facility storefront for will-call pick-up. Orders can also be sent directly to consumers.
System management
The Dematic WES software manages a continuous flow of orders for processing downloaded from the host WMS. This processing strategy increases productivity and operational effectiveness by synchronizing workflows in real time. It operates dynamically by managing a revolving queue of orders. Work is pulled to resources so the software can process orders on-demand, continuously, and dynamically instead of in pre-defined static waves.
Every time an order completes, a new order is activated for processing. The software evaluates each order upon receipt and constantly re-calculates urgency level for real-time prioritization, planning, and execution (for example, for "will call" orders).
The system can pick orders in advance and buffer them in the automated storage sub-system. This separates order picking from shipping cut-off times, which balances daily workload and minimizes daily peaks. Furthermore, buffering sequences cartons to the palletizer based on business rules.
Warehouse Management System (Host)
- Order entry
- Inventory
Fulfillment orders
Status and completion
Dematic Warehouse Execution System
- Order management, plan, execution
- Order attributes, priority, changes
- Inventory location management
- Inventory allocation, tracking
- Synchronize and optimize processes
- Balance workload
- SKU pick strategies
- Visibility and insight
Comparison
The Dematic Automated Piece Picking System for Parts and Components is more accurate, requires less labor to operate, and is more efficient than manual piece picking systems.
| Non-Automated Piece Picking System | Automated Piece Picking System |
| Manual process | Semi-automated process |
| Manual put-away, slotting, re-slotting, pick | Put-away is automated: Pick faces, slotting, re-slotting is eliminated |
| Traditional low-density shelving for storage | High-density automated storage |
| Workers operates pick carts or industrial trucks | Automation provides optimized throughput with less labor |
| Requires workers to search entire warehouse | Automated storage and retrieval of inventory totes |
| Discrete order picking method in shelving aisles | Goods-to-person method allows workers to complate multiple orders simultaneously |
| Manual process prone to errors —inefficientand slow | Dematic WES software directs put-away, pick, pack, and sort to carrier |