Automated Horizontal Carousels Increase Picking Rates & Save Floor Space

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push-button horizontal carousels manage distribution center SKUs

A retail company distribution center needed a more efficient way of managing their inventory. The center distributes a variety of front store items to approximately 300 retail locations, and their orders for these items were increasing rapidly. To accommodate this growth and demand, the company installed two automated horizontal carousels to increase picking rates and save floor space in their distribution center. Click here to learn more about the 5 key benefits of horizontal carousels.

how the horizontal carousels increased picking rates & floor space

The distribution center is 85,000 square feet with a 60,000 square foot warehouse that manages 18,000 SKUs. The SKUs were spread over multiple pick zones that included pallet racking, flow racking, standard shelving, and bulk areas. The warehouse’s previous shelving zones occupied 3,900 square feet on each level. The automated horizontal carousels now occupy 1,625 square feet of floor space on each level, resulting in 58% space savings. (See videos )

With product demand increasing, the company replaced two zones of static shelving with 6 horizontal carousels stacked and arranged in two zones of 3 carousels. Each zone has a 10 position batch station. Due to the productivity afforded by the carousels, picking productivity has increased from 50 lines per hour in the shelving zone to 350 lines per hour on the bottom level and 575 lines per hour on the top. The carousels now average a 90% faster pick rate with a 72% reduction in labor required.

To pick orders, the operator assigns a tote representing an order to a location on the batch station. When the operator pushes a button, the 3 carousels spin to retrieve the SKU’s to be picked while the light tower displays the location and quantity to pick. The operator picks the required quantity and distributes them among the orders on the batch station as directed by the put light. Before placing the SKU into the tote, the operator scans the SKU for accuracy with the scanners mounted at each end of the batch stations. When the orders have been distributed, the operator pushes a confirmation button to complete the order.

contact us for automated horizontal carousels to increase picking rates & save floor space

Southwest Solutions Group® provides design and installation services for distribution centers and warehouses needing automated horizontal carousels to increase picking rates and save floor space. SSG will even offer a free consultation to determine your warehouse or distribution center’s exact needs before the design process begins. To learn more or to speak with a material handling specialist, call us at 1-800-803-1083 or send us a message today.