Modern Materials Handling - October 2011

modern system reportRandom HouseWestminster, Md.Size: 1.3 million square feetProducts handled: BooksSKUs: 45,000+Throughput: 500,000 units per dayEmployees: 450 with seasonaladjustmentsShifts/Days: 3 shifts/5 dayslocation for one of the storage areas (3).There, the load will be retrieved by anarrow-aisle, wire-guided turret truck.The turret truck operator scans and isdirected by the WMS to a storage location.The operator confirms the putawayby scanning the storage locationlabel.Picking: Orders are received inthe WMS and batched into waves.Depending on what has to be pickedand shipped during that shift, a wavemay be created based on a variety ofcriteria including a customer, a carrier,carrier pick-up times and internationalorders. Picks are also grouped by fullpallet picks, full carton picks and eachpicks.• Pallet picks: Pallet labels aredistributed to the turret truck operatorsin the storage area (3). Once they scana pallet label, the WMS directs them toa pick location. After the pallet is deliveredto a staging station, it is picked upby another lift truck operator and deliveredto the stretch wrapper if necessaryand then to the shipping dock (4),where it is staged for loading.• Carton picks: A full carton contains12 copies of one book title. Forfull carton picks, labels are printed inadvance and divided into clusters of 60cartons, the equivalent of a full pallet.Whenever possible, all 60 cartons willbe picked from one aisle in the warehouse.Working from a pallet truck, theorder selector is directed to a storagelocation after scanning a carton label.The selector then applies the label tothe carton, places it on the pallet andthen repeats that process until thepallet is complete. The pallet is thendelivered to an induction point whereanother associate loads the cartons ontothe shipping conveyor (5). Once on theconveyor, the cartons are diverted toone of 16 shipping lanes by a slidingshoe sorter (6). At the end of the shippinglane (4), the cartons are palletizedfor delivery.• Piece picking: Individual itemsare selected from pick locations in theloose pick area (7). Associates in thisarea are directed by a voice-pickingsolution. To start the process, an orderselector scans a label on a tote containerand is directed to a pick location. Thepick is confirmed by voice or by scanninga bar code. Once all the items forthat tote have been picked, the order isclosed by scanning the label on the toteand placing it on a conveyor (8). Thereit is transported to an induction pointfor the tilt-tray sortation system (9) onthe mezzanine.Packing: Just as orders are batchedTilt-tray sorter9Packing1010PackingStorage3Loose pick78ConveyorStorage3Storage32StagingShippingsorter65Shippingconveyor4 Shipping1 Receiving22 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1 / Modern Materials Handling mmh.com