Industry Solutions • distribution & fulfillment • MANUFACTURED HOME GOODS

Two years ago, this company was picking orders onto pallets one store at a time. Things have changed dramatically since then. The company is now processing more orders, more efficiently with only one third of the staff. The difference: a new distribution center with a streamlined and efficient conveyor system.

This is a success story of the new economy. The company is a producer and retailer of candles, glassware, and brass items. They operate a network of company-owned retail stores across America. It also has a successful wholesale distribution and a catalog business. More recently, the company launched a Web site for online orders.

Each of these distribution channels poses its own challenges, which can be particularly tough when the business is growing. And their business has been growing at a rapid rate ever since the company was founded just over four years ago.

The order-fulfillment challenges were especially evident at the company’s existing warehouse. That facility handled product distribution for the company’s retail, catalog, and Web orders. Other facilities take care of the wholesale operations.

Order processing at the old warehouse had been entirely manual—an approach not particularly supportive of business growth. "When I started here over two years ago, we were picking orders onto pallets," recalls the company’s vice president of logistics. "We had no conveyor capabilities whatsoever. We were picking one store at a time, one SKU at a time."

The opportunity for change came when they acquired a new complex that had existing racks and shelving in place. The company worked hand-in-hand with a Hytrol Integration Partner to design a conveyor system that would capitalize on the existing equipment in place and deliver the kind of productivity needed to support growing business lines.

Basic & Reliable

The new installation incorporates some of Hytrol’s most basic and reliable equipment. Orders are picked off the racks and placed on a belt conveyor (RB) that runs though the picking area. The boxes pass over a gas-operated gate, which provides a passageway for personnel, and then onto a powered horizontal unit.

Before making a 180-degree turn, the boxes move onto a "zero-pressure" live roller conveyor with Hytrol’s exclusive EZ Logic feature. After the turn, the cases run on a section of skewed rollers to bring all the cases to the outside guard rail. The outside orientation allows for a more dependable scan. The EZ Logic accumulating system effectively controls the flow of product from zone to zone without product build-up or damage.

Orders then pass through a short belt break before being read by the computer controls. The computer can be programmed so that trucks are loaded in the most efficient manner based on delivery requirements for the day. Power pivot diverters smoothly transfer the boxes off the main powered line and down the gravity shipping lines.

These gravity conveyors in shipping are extendible, giving the company added flexibility during peak shipping times. If order volume gets particularly heavy in a given lane, a warning light will flash, indicating that the line needs to be extended to accommodate the boxes.

One other important feature of the system bears mentioning. It’s quiet. They specified that special rollers from Ralphs-Pugh be engineered into the system to help keep conveyor noise to a minimum.

On Time, On Budget

The new installation has had an immediate and positive impact on the company’s distribution operations. Whereas in the past, orders were picked one store at a time, They now can do a much more efficient bulk distribution pick. "We can pick orders in bulk for a dozen stores at a time and then sort to the appropriate stores. This is a direct result of the Hytrol conveyor system."

There were other benefits as well. "The system was implemented on time, on budget without one hitch," says the logistics V.P. "A lot of credit goes to our Hytrol Integration Partner who helped us design and implement the system."

While everything has worked out well to date, management is looking forward to the upcoming peak shipping months of November and December. "We expect fabulous results in the busy season." (noting that order volume can increase by a factor of four during this period) "We’ll be able to get as much done in a 12-hour shift as what used to take us 36 to 48 hours.

The Distribution Center

Order processing at the DC is simple and efficient. Operators fill the orders from racks in the picking area and place the boxes on a takeaway belt conveyor. Boxes move out of the picking area, over a gas gate, and onto a powered horizontal unit. They move onto a zero-pressure accumulating conveyor with EZ-Logic and then make a 180-degree turn. The boxes are "read" by the computer, which assigns them to one of six shipping lines that feature extendible gravity conveyors. Power pivot diverters automatically send the orders down the right line.

System Hy-lites:

• Facility Size: 100,000 square feet
• Employees: 50 (150 peak periods)
• Product Handled: Candles, glassware, brass items
• Throughput: 20 boxes per minute (max.)
• Types of Conveyors: Belt (RB), horizontal power (190-ACZ and 190-ACC), zero-pressure accumulating (190-ABEZ), gravity extendible, gas gate, PPD diverters

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