Features/Benefits Provided: Reduced rejected cases from 300/day to less than 20/day Reduced downtime by 57% Reduced overtime days from 13 to 1 in first 3 months of operation Simplified system architecture Increased supportability by site personnel

A Fortune 100 Company was facing aging equipment challenges in one of its distribution centers (DCs). Many components of the control system were unsupported. Furthermore, problems associated with case picking and delivery operations could be minimized or eliminated with new technology that was not available when the original system was installed. To address these concerns, the Company selected the Supplier to upgrade the control system to current technology and to simplify the system architecture for improved maintainability and reliability.

The primary objectives of the upgrade were eliminating risk of interruption to business operations and handling while also improving performance sufficiently to permit future pick module and pick line expansions. An additional key objective was capturing and identifying 99.99 percent of all errors prior to cases leaving the pick modules.

Although the existing conveying and sortation infrastructure remained, a new Pick-to-Light (PTL) system was installed and all system controls were replaced. The Supplier designed, programmed, and installed their warehouse control system that interfaces with a new Rockwell ControlLogix PLC-based Conveyor/Sorter Control System, a new PTL system, and an existing WMS. A workstation provides real time graphical views of all equipment activity, system alarms, and the warehouse control system’s dialogs and reports.

Integrated productivity improvements were also installed. These included pick line verification scanners, pick line operator PCs, new automatic shipping label printer/applicators, and wipe-down label devices. New pick line scanners and workstations allow picking errors to be detected and corrected before the cases leave the pick module.

The project was completed ahead of schedule, under budget, and met upgrade objectives, all without interruption to shipping operations in the distribution center.

This modernization allowed approximately $200,000/year in labor savings from reduced rejects and increased throughput.

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