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Video on Small Items Storage
Overview of Odd Size Storage Comparison Article on Storage Systems and Material Handing Article on the way you set things up can pay off g... Article- Cantilever Rack reduces waste, simplifies... Voice out
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Overview of Small Item Storage
Saturday, December 29, 2007 @ 1:47 AM
Tote Pans and Bins In tote picking systems, conveyors are used to transport tote pans through successive picking zones to enable order completion. The tote pans are used to establish order integrity, for merchandise accumulation and containment, and/or for shipping. Order picker may walk one or more totes through a single picking zone, partially completing several orders at a time, or an order picker may walk one or more totes through all picking zones, thus completing one or more orders on each pass through the picking zones. Tote picking rates range from 150 to 300 lines per person-hour. The improvement over cart picking must be sufficient to justify the additional investment in conveying and sorting systems. Modular Storage Drawers/ Cabinets Modular storage drawers/ cabinets are called modular because each storage cabinet houses modular storage drawers that are subdivided into modular storage compartments. Drawer height range from 3 inches to 24 inches, each drawer may hold up to 400 pounds worth of material. Storage  cabinets can be thought of as shelving units that house storage drawers.The primary advantage of storage drawers/ cabinets over bin shelving is the large number of items that can be stored and presented to the order picker in a small area. A single drawer can hold from 1 to 100 items( depending on the size, shape, and Inventory levels of the items), and a typical storage cabinet can store the equivalent of two to four shelving units worth of material. The excellent storage density accrues from the ability to create item housing configurations within a drawer/ cabinet that very closely matches the cubic storage requirements of each SKU. Also because the drawers are pulled out into the aisle for picking, space does not have to be provided above each SKU to provide room for the order picker’s hand and forearm. This reach space must be provided in bin shelving storage; otherwise, items deep in the unit cannot be accessed. By housing more material in less floor space, the overall space requirement for storage drawers is substantially less than that required for bin shelving. Additional benefits achieved by the use of storage drawers include improved picking accuracy and protection for the items from the environment. Picking accuracy is improved over that in shelving units because the order picker’s sight lines to the items are improved, and the quantity of light falling on the items to be extracted is increased. With bin shelving, the physical extraction of items may occur anywhere from floor level to seven feet off the ground, with the order picker having to reach into the shelving unit itself to achieve the pick. With storage drawers, the drawer is pulled out into the picking aisle for item extraction. The order picker looks down onto the contents of the drawer, which are illuminated by the light source for the picking aisle. Excellent Item security and protection are achieved because the drawers can be closed and locked when not in used. Storage Cabinets equipped with drawers range in price from $1000 to $1500 per unit. Price is primary a function of the number of drawers and the amount of sheet metal in the cabinet. Because the cost per cubic foot of storage is high, storage drawers are only justifiable for items with very little on-hand cubic inventory ( typically less than 0.5 cubic feet) and for operating scenarios in which the cost of space and the need for item security and protection are very high. Mechanised Systems  Carousel Horizontal and vertical carousels are a rotating set of shelves bringing the product to the operator, eliminating walk and search time, which accou8nts for as much as two-thirds of an employee’s time. The vertical carousel, where the inventory moves vertically as with a ferries wheel, is stand-alone unit providing high storage with a very small footprint. On the other hand, horizontal carousels are operated from the nose end and can be clustered, side by side, greatly increasing storage volume while providing a compact working station and allowing dramatic cost efficiencies in certain applications such as split-case order picking. Either horizo0ntal or vertical carousels can be utilized efficiently in a warehouse or distribution center operation. The implementation of a WMS allows for real-time communication with the carousel system to perform the following picking or put-away replenishment activities. Carousel Benefits  In addition to high picking rates and sequenced and batch picking, carousels provide fast replenishment and hot pick capabilities. These machines have an inherent simplicity, reliability, durability, and low routine maintenance. Carousel operators can be easily supervised and fatigue can be sharply reduced because operator travel time is reduced and pick rate per hour is more consistent than that with manual pick systems. Put-away operations and cycle counts can be interspersed with order picking for variety. Today’s carousel designs allow the reengineering of the warehouse process to maximize automation, giving convenience and time savings to downstream activities. Carousels integrate easily with warehouse management systems, increasing the efficiency and accuracy of order picking and inventory management.  Louvre Panel Systems Louvre Panel Systems are mainly used in stores, and also mounted on to trolleys for movement, example between storage and assembly operations. They can be used to hold tote pans, and also other attachments for more awkwardly shaped items such as vee belts, tool holders, etc, using spigots. |
