Overview
The Dematic Case Pick System for Route Delivery using Convey and Sort is an order fulfillment system for direct-to-store delivery of mixed case pallets. The system builds pallets following logistics rules such as “heavy on bottom, crushable on top” as well as by route and stop sequence.
The primary application is for direct-to-store delivery from a production operation or regional distribution center. These systems are often implemented by companies involved in food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, groceries, apparel, general merchandise, and industrial supplies.
Benefits
- Process improvement, optimized case pick operation
- Standardized system, easy to manage, predictable performance
- Improved service levels and responsiveness
- Lot control for traceability
- Real-time control, visibility, and insight of operations
System description
The Dematic Case Pick System for Route Delivery using Convey and Sort system has a pre-engineered, standardized design configuration that ensures predictable performance. Here is the general order of how the system functions:
- Put-away: Pallets of finished goods from production are transferred to pallet rack structure that supports the pick faces in multi-level pick modules.
- Case pick: The order fulfillment process starts when instructions (via either pick-to-light or voice technology) direct operators to pick cases from the pick modules and place them on the conveyor.
- Sort and palletize: As the conveyor transports the cases, a reader scans their barcodes, and the sortation sub-system sends them to the appropriate shipping door where workers palletize them. The completed pallets are loaded in reverse stop sequence onto delivery trucks.
System management
The Dematic Warehouse Execution System (WES) software manages pick face pallet replenishment, order picking, case sorting, and palletizing. The Warehouse Management System (WMS) is responsible for inventory management and coordination of receiving and shipping workforce tasks.
The Dematic WES software can accept orders from the WMS in multiple ways, but typically in waves. The Dematic WES software includes supervisor interface screens to provide a global view of picking, order picking, pick performance, system progress, order information, picks per operator, and total picks.
Warehouse Management System (Host)
- Order entry
- Inventory
Fulfillment orders
Status and completion
Dematic Warehouse Execution System
- Route-based wave planning
- Order management and execution
- Order attributes, priority, changes
- Direct pallet replenishment to pick modules
- Direct case picking
- Scan and sort control
- Balance workload
- Reverse-route stop sequence loading
- Visibility and insight
Comparison
Dematic case picking systems are more accurate, require less labor to operate, and use less warehouse space than conventional case picking systems.
| Conventional Case Picking | Automated Case Pick — Replenishment |
| Manual operation throughput | Semi-automated with real-time control, visibility, and insight into operations |
| Single order picked with one pass through warehouse (discrete order pick) | Efficiently batch pick in waves |
| Case pick at floor level | Three level case pick modules, smaller system footprint |
| Non-strategic mixed case pick and palletize | Strategic and synchronized case picking and palletizing |
| Case pick to pallet on fork truck | Case pick to conveyor |
| Manual fork truck transport to shipping | Conveyor transport to shipping |
| Less throughput capacity | More throughput capacity |