Sunstar Selects Numina Group’s Omni-Channel Order Fulfillment Solution to Automate its New Schaumburg, IL North American DC Operation
Woodridge, IL (PRWEB) March 09, 2015 -- Sunstar, a globally recognized leader in oral care and dental healthcare products manufacturer, is partnering with the Numina Group to implement omni-channel order fulfillment at their new 300,000 square foot automated manufacturing-distribution operation. The combined manufacturing and distribution operation is scheduled to open in June 2015 and support North American retail, specialty distributors and Internet orders along with international shipments.
The Numina Group teamed up with Sunstar during the early stages of the project and was an integral design partner for facility planning, sizing and technology selection. Following completion of the final design, Sunstar selected Numina as the turnkey system integrator of material handling automation and WCS Warehouse Control System. The new DC’s entire order fulfillment and pick, pack and ship processes will be managed and controlled by Numina Group’s Tier One WCS, RDS™ Real-time Distribution System.
RDS™ will manage order release and work balancing with a lean voice solution that drives order picking and forward storage replenishment. The new DC features a two-level pick module with an automated conveyor system and other material handling automation including barcode-based order routing, in-line scales, print and apply labeling, and a shipping sorter system.
Designed to Support Both Business-to-Business and Internet Direct-to-Consumer Sales
The new facility is designed to meet Sunstar’s growing customer base of major dental supply and retail businesses, as well as its rapidly expanding North America online consumer business. The design goals for the new facility are to streamline all order fulfillment processes while reducing overall shipment delivery time windows. The facility is designed to support rapid response to changing product demand by using a conveyor to speed up product flow of finished goods from manufacturing and packaging, through the pick, pack and ship operation, resulting in a lean and efficient goods to customer operation.
Voice Picking to Drive Double-Digit Productivity Gains with Accuracy to 99.9%
Sunstar will use multimodal voice-directed picking with hands free 2-D barcode scanning for validation of SKU and lot code capture. Sunstar chose Numina Group’s voice picking solution, which utilizes topVox’s speaker independent voice technology; requiring zero operator voice training.
Accumulated Savings
Overall, Sunstar expects double-digit cost savings across the new operation, but equally as important in the facility investment is the overall improvement to their supply chain performance. As business growth continues to accelerate, it is imperative that Sunstar not only maintains its quality standards and accuracy, but also improves the order delivery response time while expending less man-hours.
The new design improves the flow from manufacturing, finished goods and the DC operation due to the investment in cutting edge automation. This investment enables Sunstar to react faster and stay ahead of peak order demands and future growth.
“We were honored to be chosen by Sunstar for the project and to see how Numina’s innovative software and technologies have made their forward-thinking initiatives a reality," said Dan Hanrahan, president of Numina Group. “Sunstar’s investment in technology will enable them to reduce costs and to achieve a faster response to order demand in their omni-channel order fulfillment operations.”
About Sunstar
Sunstar, a globally recognized leader in the oral care industry, has been providing research-based products and services in 90 countries for over 80 years. The company is committed to partnering with dental professionals and scientists to enhance the health and well-being of people everywhere. Sunstar manufactures an extensive line of preventive and therapeutic products under the brands GUM®, Butler® and Guidor®. For more information about Sunstar and its products, please visit http://www.sunstar.com.
About Numina Group
Numina Group has over 28 years of experience in the design and implementation of automated warehouse and distribution centers. Numina Group's Real-time Distribution System, RDS™ is a Tier 1 Warehouse Control System, (WCS) with an advanced order fulfillment automation module that delivers pick, pack, and ship process improvements for manufacturing and distribution operations worldwide. Numina Group provides a full range of services from consulting/design, voice directed picking, pack & ship order fulfillment automation, Warehouse Control Systems (WCS), conveyor systems, material handling and control for turnkey automated distribution operations. Their expertise eliminates bottlenecks and excessive labor while improving accuracy and throughput in order fulfillment. To learn more about Numina Group visit online at http://www.numinagroup.com and also at the ProMat 2015 Show, March 23-26, 2015, at Chicago's McCormick Place, Booth #3553.
Patrick Hanrahan, Numina Group, http://www.numinagroup.com/, +1 630-343-2629, [email protected]
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