Software manages online grocer's order picking
Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 10/2/2001
Grocery Gateway, a Toronto, Canada online grocery business, needed a fulfillment system that could meet the company's promise of 100% order satisfaction. The system also had to enable Grocery Gateway to supply customers with products at prices competitive with local traditional supermarkets. And the fulfillment operation had to offer 5,000 products all delivered with a next-day turnaround guarantee.
To profitably ship slow and fast movers as well as perishables, Grocery Gateway chose a pick-to-light/put-to-light fulfillment system. This system is combined with order processing software (OPS).
OPS makes the steps of order filling and batch picking for put-to-light deconsolidation an extremely efficient, flexible, and cost-effective approach to order processing. Speed and accuracy of order filling is maximized by eliminating paper and by minimizing pick slot search time.
Real-time status of every order component is maintained through OPS. This system also directs the warehouse management system (WMS) to provide timely and accurate delivery of all order totes.
OPS knows the status of every tote, monitors which orders have been completed, communicates with the conveyor control system, alerts the WMS if orders are not filled accurately, and creates waves of work assignments to correspond with shipping schedules.
Groceries are stored in racks in the warehouse. The WMS sends pick task details to OPS, which in turn plans pick tasks across all areas of the facility. Using an order grouping algorithm designed to meet Grocery Gateway's next day order turnaround requirement, OPS minimizes the travel path for pickers.
Orders in totes go to an assigned loading dock as directed by OPS and WMS. Here the totes are merged into complete orders and loaded onto trucks for delivery.
Real Time Solutions, an FKI Logistex company
510-985-6300
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