Horizontal Carousel System

• “Good” carousel stock is typically a subset of the SKUs that have medium velocity

• They are called for often enough to make automatic retrieval sensible, but not demanded so often that the system slows down through too frequent replenishment

• The accepted rule of thumb requires that an 8 to 10 day supply of a given SKU should be able to fit within 10 cubic feet of a carousel bin space

• An 8 to 10 day supply only requires replenishment of a more manageable 8 to 10% percent per day

Warehousing and Distribution Operating Costs

• Order fulfillment is the highest priority for productivity improvements

• 63% of all operating costs are attributed to order picking

• Order fulfillment has become more difficult to manage due to the large numbers of SKUs handled

• Smaller quantities are delivered more often

• Greater emphasis on quality, customer service, picking accuracy, improved product handling and tighter inventory control

• Distribution applications need to pick faster with fewer errors at a lower cost

Of the 63% Spent picking the product, Walking consumes 38%

38%16%

6% 3%

Walking

Extraction

Searching

Other Activities

Warehouse Operating Costs

63%18%

13%6%

PickingShippingOthersReceive

Storage Media Selection

• In the process of designing an order fulfillment system, one of the first considerations to make, is what storage media is appropriate

• This decision is based on SKU (Stock Keeping Unit/part number) velocity

• SKUs with a very high velocity are better handled in A-Frame or Flow Rack

• On the other end of the velocity scale, the very slow movers are better stored on Static Shelving or Racking Racking

Shelving

A-Frame

Flow Rack

Vertical Storage Device

The Machine

• Series of Shelving Sections/bins Rotating on Closed Loop Oval Track

• Bins Either Suspended From Top or Supported on Bottom by Wheels

• Bins Vary in Width, Height and Depth

• Actuated by Footswitch, Keyboard or Computer Control

• Classified As ‘PARTS TO PICKER’ As Opposed to ‘PICKER TO PARTS’

• Eliminates Walking and Searching

History of Horizontal Carousels

• The concept of the horizontal carousel originated with White almost 50 years ago

• Dry Cleaning establishments needed to have garments delivered to the front of the store so that they could service a customer without leaving the front counter

• In the early 1960s White began to manufacture carousels for light weight industrial applications

• Since the early 1970s, White developed and patented heavy duty bottom drive carousels, Twin Bin and pallet carousels, robotic inserter/extractors, as well as other types of carousels

The Pod Concept (cont.)

• The pod allows an operator to work with several carousels simultaneously

• Typical pod is two to four carousels

• All equipment within the pod work zone would be under software control

• The premise of the Pod is that as the operator is picking from one carousel, the software is pre-positioning the other carousels for the next item to be picked

• Operator is being directed by lights for picks and puts

• Product moves in a continuous flow, eliminating operator wait time

• Multiple orders are picked in a single batch

• Very high throughput is achieved

The Pod Concept (cont.)

Picker to Parts

Up To 100 Lines Per HourParts to Picker

Up To 800 Lines Per Hour

Movie Clip

Parallel Picking

Video Clip

Pick and Pass

Video Clip

One Touch Distribution

• A new approach to picking and sorting orders utilizing carousels and tilt tray or cross belt sorters

• Depending on SKU velocity, carousels, flow rack or shelving can be incorporated into the system

• Eliminates moving and tracking orders from storage zone to storage zone

• Orders are consolidated into packing chutes

• Size of the sorter system is fully scalable and expandable

• Based on activity, the number of operators can be either increased or decreased

Video Clip

Carousel Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (CAS/RS)

• System automatically stores and retrieves cartons, totes and other types of containers

• Links stacks of carousels to inbound and outbound conveyors

• Handles multiple size containers within the same system

• Designed to run 7/24/365

Movie Clip

Other Horizontal Carousel Applications

Put Systems

• At the put pod, the carousels bring orders to the product rather than the other way around

• Many orders can be active simultaneously in the relatively small area occupied by the carousels

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Progressive Assembly

• Passing Kits From 1 Assembly Workstation to the Next

• Easily Modified For Virtually Any Product Configuration

Other Horizontal Carousel Applications (cont.)

New Horizontal Carousel Applications

Cart Carousel

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Full Case Picking

• Up To 400 Lines Per Hour

• 99.99% Pick Accuracy

• Batch Picking

Other Horizontal Carousel Applications (cont.)