AS/RS retrofit takes control

An upgrade of Burlington Industries' automated storage and retrieval system sets new performance standards.

By -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2001

For nearly 20 years, Burlington Industries' automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) had taken good care of the distribution center in Hurt, Va. However, the system no longer operated as efficiently as it did when installed in 1981.

While the storage/retrieval machines, racks, and rails had been kept up over the years, the controls had not. In fact, the obsolete hardware and proprietary software was not only difficult to support but inventory control was subpar. Furthermore, Burlington needed to increase daily shipping productivity and the 14-aisle, 130,000 storage location AS/RS was instrumental to making that happen.

The decision was made to upgrade the controls on the system.

To begin, the original Digital Equipment computers were replaced with two HP 9000 D370 computers with disk mirroring capabilities. An Oracle relational database was added. Programmable controllers were also upgraded.

A link was made between the new controls and the location's IBM host as well as to all other divisions of the apparel and interior furnishing soft goods manufacturer. The new system handles all order processing, and creates shipping labels, electronic packing lists, and bills of lading, creating a truly paperless operation.

With the upgrade, the new shipping goal was met in no time. Furthermore, plant manager John Collins notes, "due to the increased processing capability, we are able to plan our shipments 2 hours earlier each night which gives us a jumpstart on loading out our trailers." He adds that within 6 months of installation, the system "broke all of their old production records realizing a 10-15% increase." The retrofit controls also provide the DC with a more responsive AS/RS.

In addition to increasing productivity, the new system quickly moves products to customers and provides them with immediate, accurate shipping information. Providing customers with shipping information sometimes took hours with the old system, but now the information could be accessed in just minutes.

"Prior to the upgrade, we had only one PC in the shipping office area, and only the office workers were familiar with using it. Now we have twenty-one workstations that are located throughout the plant and practically everyone at the center is able to use the PC to perform some aspect of his or her work on the system," says Collins.
Retrotech Inc.
716-924-6333
www.retrotech.com