Westbrook, ME (PRWEB) June 25, 2014 -- The Danish town of Esberg is home to NiceHair.dk, an online retailer of hair products, cosmetics, and accessories for women. The young company operates in the rapidly growing online retail sector, with success and double-figure growth rates year on year.
Started as a home business in 2008, NiceHair.dk has grown to distribute 10,000 different brand name products, with a staff of 40 people. “We wanted to simplify our processes,” says Lasse Bendixen Andersen, Partner. “Our criteria were as follows: speed up order picking, save storage space, and more ergonomic workspaces.”
Automation Consolidates SKUs
NiceHair.dk has recently consolidated around 80% of their SKUs into six Megamat RS 350 automated vertical carousels from Kardex Remstar. The Megamat RS vertical carousels manage 70,000 SKUs in only 388 square feet. The space-saving storage is supported by software-assisted storage strategies such as “put-to-fill.” New SKUs are stored in places where similar SKUs are already stored.
The system also easily manages a 2% order return rate. If something does get sent back, it is simply returned to the Megamat RS vertical carousels.
Software Improves Picking Productivity
Power Pick Global (PPG) warehouse management software directs the order picking process. The carousels operate on the “goods to person principle,” rotating to deliver all items directly to the operator. Integrating the vertical carousel with PPG software forces the Megamat RS to rotate via the shortest path to the access opening at all times.
Further, the Megamat RS vertical carousels are integrated with light directed picking technology. The warehouse management software works in coordination with the pick to light TIC (transaction information center) to direct the operator to the exact location and quantity to pick, increasing productivity by 150%.
Picking 6,000 Lines Per Shift
With the implementation of the carousels, all 6,000 order lines are filled in one shift. Now, 90% of the orders are delivered the following day, if they are ordered by 3 p.m. As soon as the system receives the order, various color-coded pick carts are each loaded with 36 order boxes. Employees first take the carts to pick in the pallet warehouse to pick the fast moving SKUs. Once the fast movers are picked, the employees move to the automatic storage area. Employees continue picking items for the orders and place them in the boxes. When the orders are complete, they are brought to the shipping department. Along with picking, replenishment can be performed in the same process.
Kardex Remstar, LLC, a company of the Kardex Group, is a leading provider of automated storage and retrieval systems for manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, offices, and institutions. For information about our dynamic storage solutions, call 800-639-5805 or visit http://www.kardexremstar.com.
Chelsea Tarr, Kardex Remstar, LLC, http://www.kardexremstar.com, +1 800-639-5805, [email protected]
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