Overview
The Dematic Micro-Fulfillment Piece Pick System is an on-demand, space-efficient order fulfillment system that can be located close to the customer, typically in an urban/suburban service center or distribution warehouse. The system handles orders for e-commerce same day/next day delivery as well as consumer pick up. It uses a high-density automated storage sub-system with goods-to-person order assembly.
The system is ideal for retailers currently doing some amount of order picking from their store aisles. The system works best when there are a limited number of stock keeping units (SKUs) and order sizes are small. Consumers can receive orders by picking them up (retail store, service center, or distribution center), or orders can be delivered to their home or business.
Typical users include retailers and business-to-business distributors of industrial supplies, apparel, grocery, food/beverage, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, consumer electronics, sporting goods, and general merchandise.
Benefits
- Fast order turn-around
- Increases in throughput and inventory storage capacity
- Controlled access to inventory for better security/accuracy
- Highly productive and ergonomic goods-to-person picking
- Eliminates manual pick face replenishment and slotting
- Reduces in-store congestion for shoppers
- Real-time control, visibility, and insight of operations
System description
The Dematic Micro-Fulfillment Piece Pick System has a pre-engineered, standardized design configuration that ensures predictable picking performance.
System management
The Dematic Warehouse Execution System (WES) software manages a continuous flow of orders for processing downloads from the Warehouse Management System (WMS). The WMS is responsible for the overall operation of the facility, including inbound receiving and outbound shipping.
The Dematic WES software processes orders by synchronizing workflows with strategic management of the workforce, inventory storage and automated devices. The entire process is optimized from inventory put-away and picking to outbound staging. It increases productivity and operational effectiveness by synchronizing workflows in real time.
The Dematic WES software evaluates each order upon receipt and constantly re-calculates urgency level for real-time prioritization, planning, and execution. For example, when a customer arrives at the Micro-Fulfillment site to pick-up an order, the software places this order at the top of the queue.
The Dematic WES software can be configured to accommodate the quantity of SKUs and order volume required. Picking multiple orders simultaneously at each workstation provides high order assembly speeds. The software is scalable and can be expanded or re-configured as needed. Scan validation throughout the system assures order accuracy.
Warehouse Management System (Host)
- Order entry
- Inventory control
- Allocate inventory to orders
Fulfillment orders
Status and completion
Dematic Warehouse Management System
- Order management, plan, and execution
- Order attributes, priority, changes
- Inventory location management
- Inventory allocation and tracking
- Synchronize and optimize processes
- Balance workload
- Visibility and insight
Comparison
The Dematic Micro-Fulfillment Piece Pick System is more accurate, requires less labor to operate, and is more efficient than manual in-store piece picking.
| Manual In-Store Piece Picking | Micro-Fulfillment Piece Pick System |
| Less efficient order processing | Fast and efficient order processing |
| Aisle congestion, interference with in-store shoppers | Located in local service center, warehouse, or distribution center |
| Manual put-away, slotting, re-slotting, picking | Put-away is automated: Pick faces, slotting, re-slotting are eliminated |
| Traditional low-density shelving for storage | Compact footprint, high-density automated storage |
| Workers use pick carts | Automation provides optimized throughput with less labor |
| Requires moving through entire store to find inventory for the order | Inventory located in automated storage sub-system |
| Discrete order picking method in shelving aisles | Goods-to-person method, workers can fulfill multiple orders simultaneously |
| Manual process prone to errors, inefficient, slow | Automated with Dematic WES software directing put-away, picking, and packing |