New Automated Case Picking System Vanderlande Lowers Order Picking Cost per Case by 40%
Vanderlande Industries introduced a new, revolutionary Automated Case Picking (ACP) system, which lowers the costs per case handled by 40% compared with a manual case picking operation. The system is especially aimed at food retailers, who require very high system capacity to handle a large product range.
In this system, pallets coming from bulk storage are automatically depalletised layer by layer. Each pallet layer is stored on a tray in a miniload AS/RS system. Storing pallet layers instead of individual cartons, significantly reduces the number of crane movements and therefore the number of AS/RS systems required to handle the workload. Hence, the ACP system requires a significantly lower initial investment and reduces order picking costs per case handled by 40% compared with a manual operation. The ACP system has a very short payback time, less than 4 years. The new ACP system also secures stock availability in the pick face and ensures short order processing time, improving service level to food retail stores.
The new Automated Case Picking system was demonstrated very successfully at the Logistica 2009 tradeshow in Utrecht, the Netherlands. A key element of the new concept is the MLS Spider of RSW IP. The MLS Spider is a machine that is capable of stacking cartons and totes with different dimensions and shapes with a high capacity on pallets as well as roll cages. The MLS Spider is the winner of the Logistica Award 2009.
