Automated order fulfillment system for Entertainment UK
Entertainment UK is the UK’s leading wholesale distributor of home entertainment products. The company distributes approximately one quarter of the UK’s music and video industry’s entire output. Vanderlande Industries delivered a highly automated order fulfillment system, consisting of automated storage, handling and automated sortation of pallets, totes, cartons and items.
The order fulfillment system facilitates product movement through the distribution centre from goods receiving through to shipping. The assortment consists of 25.000 SKUs. In total 1,6 mio. items are shipped daily to more than 2.500 stores.
Products are received in cartons or totes as palletised loads of single or mixed SKUs. Products are stored as full pallets or totes using a 4 aisles pallet high bay storage and an 8 aisle QUICKSTORE miniload system. Each miniload can store and retrieve up to 4 totes simultaneously. Batches of approximately 50 store orders are picked through a combination of methods to optimize workflow and productivity in the distribution centre. Fast movers are picked from pallets into totes. Medium movers are picked from totes onto ‘goods-to-man’ workstations. Slow movers are picked from shelves. Automated pallet stacker cranes replenish the fast-mover picking area. At the induct stations products can be labelled or tagged, depending on customer requirements. The automated sortation system with 3 tilt tray sorters and a capacity of 43.000 items per hour sorts products to individual store orders, which are then packed and shipped.
Entertainment UK has been able to significantly improve customer service by improving throughput and offering Value Added Services, such as labeling and tagging.