Plus Retail (supermarket chain in the Netherlands) has taken a new material handling system into operation at its National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Middenbeemster, the Netherlands. The NDC supplies all 300 Plus Markt shops with their more slowly selling items. The automated order picking system, built by Vanderlande Industries, enables Plus Retail to move product ranges from its Regional Distribution Centres (RDC) to the NDC. This will result in considerable savings, both in the four RDCs and in the NDC.
In the new distribution centre two order picking strategies are combined into a single, integrated system.
Slow-moving products are picked via a fully automated ‘goods-to-man’ Compact Picking System. Products are stored in 5 miniloads with a total of 26,000 storage locations. The miniload system takes care of the automatic storage and retrieval of totes. From there, article totes are transported to 3 order picking workstations, where orders are picked into order totes. Completed order totes are automatically transported and sorted. Emptied order totes are automatically transported from the packing area to the CPS workstations. Emptied product totes are automatically transported from the CPS workstations to the Goods Receiving area, where they are automatically stacked.
Medium movers are picked based on a ‘man-to-goods’ zone picking concept. Zone picking areas are placed on either side of the miniload. The flow racks in the zones are automatically replenished by the two outer miniload cranes. In this area operators pick products directly into roll cages aided by pick-to-light displays.
By mechanising the order picking process Plus Retail is able to move product ranges from its Regional Distribution Centres (RDC) to the NDC. This will result in considerable savings both in the four RDCs and in the NDC.
Voor verdere informatie kunt u contact opnemen met:
Vanderlande Industries Nederland B.V.
Robert van Ree
Tel.: +31 413 495 481
Fax: +31 413 495 025
E-mail: robert.van.ree@vanderlande.com