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Assembling the Sunday newspaper inserts at the Chicago Tribune improved considerably with automated storage/retrieval and materials tracking systems.

By Megan McCoy, Associate Editor -- Modern Materials Handling, 7/1/2003

Out with the old and in with the new. That is especially true in the newspaper industry, where there's nothing older than yesterday's headlines.

For the Chicago Tribune, keeping up-to-date meant changing how it puts together 30 to 40 advertising inserts by hundreds of zones for its Sunday edition. That required a move to an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and integrated materials handling tracking system that assembles all of the Sunday inserts as a single collated package rather than as a collection of multiple packages. The result: every advertising insert is automatically stored, tracked, collated and shipped, all with complete accuracy and accountability.

In addition to replacement of antiquated handling equipment, the Tribune built a new 117,000 square foot facility adjacent to its main building, the Freedom Center, to handle the inserts. That eliminated the need to truck packages of inserts several miles from a remote, 64,000 square foot location to the Center for final distribution. And when the new facility opened last year, it was just in the nick of time as the Sunday insert business had expanded to an estimated 1.4 billion pieces a year.

The new facility, called Freedom Center North, is dominated by a receiving area with a high- density AS/RS (HK Systems) that stages incoming inserts for future Sunday editions. A materials tracking and control system (Irista) was installed too. It manages the receiving, storage and movement of all outside supplied advertising inserts as well as all printed feature sections of the newspaper such as the Sunday magazine, comics, Parade and TV Week. The system also coordinates lift truck movements within the production and shipping departments.

Because the newspaper's advertising inserts differ based on delivery locations, maintaining product accountability throughout the facility is imperative. 'With the AS/RS and materials tracking system, we know where every item is throughout the plant and the manufacturing process,' remarks Mike Adams, manager of production, planning and control. In fact, 'we are the first in the newspaper industry to implement a combined AS/RS and tracking system coupled with collating,' he adds.

The old days

On Sundays, the Chicago Tribune circulation tops one million. The newspaper offers advertisers the option to place their piece in any of the 350+ zip codes to which the paper is delivered. Every week, 30 to 40 advertisers choose to zone their insert in the Sunday edition. That makes assembling the Sunday inserts one complicated undertaking.

Before the new system, the Tribune trucked over inserts, brought them up to the fifth floor of the Freedom Center and then transported the bundles on a tray system down five floors to 28 docks for loading on over-the-road trucks.

'The tray system was an aging technology that cost a lot to maintain,' said Adams. 'More importantly, it was a single point of failure, which meant that when the tray failed, production distribution was compromised. It was difficult for us to get the newspapers and inserts to the trucks because freight elevators were our only option.'

The Tribune needed a more reliable and efficient system that could track materials from the time that inserts are received at docks to the time they are collated and shipped to distribution centers for final assembly with the newspaper. And that's just what they got with the new handling and tracking system.

The two-aisle, double-deep AS/RS stages up to 4,000 captive pallets measuring 52 x 52 inches. The aisles are 50 bays long and 10 levels high, or about 60 feet tall. The rows accept different skid heights ranging from 48 to 72 inches. Pallet loads can weigh up to 3,000 pounds, but generally do not exceed 2,500 pounds. In addition to storing up to three issue dates of newsprint at one time, the AS/RS stores assorted packaging materials.

Designed specifically to support materials management in the publishing industry, the warehouse management software tracks the micro-zoned pre-print advertisements. The new system provides real-time visibility and inventory control as it interfaces to the collator controls to coordinate movement of the AS/RS and the fork trucks. It also features computer control redundancy in case a computer malfunctions, so the Tribune's single point of failure is gone.

From pieces to packages

The manufacturing process begins with the order entry of advertisements based on the zip codes selected. The purchase order is then given an order number. Once the advertisers' printers deliver their shipments to the receiving docks, the warehouse management system (WMS) records the skid and its corresponding issue date, identification number and a stock keeping unit, which is the issue date and order identification number.

Freedom Center North receives approximately 1,500 pallets of inserts per week. On Fridays and Saturdays, the facility stores the skids and prepares them for the collating process occurring Sunday through Thursday for the following Sunday's issue.

The inserts are scanned and placed onto captive plywood pallets on a conveyor that feeds the AS/RS. The conveyor system automatically replenishes the pallet dispenser/collector in front of the AS/RS. Before being stored, the skids are sized and weighed. The WMS also calculates the quantity of inserts per pallet based on a piece-count of ten pieces, and calculates the height and weight, which determines where each skid will be placed in the AS/RS.

Because the stored inserts are used on a weekly basis, the AS/RS is usually only 60 to 70% filled. 'The AS/RS was built for increased storage needs in the future. As the newspaper's localized zoning becomes more finite, we will get more skids and need more storage capacity,' says Adams.

Initiating the manufacturing process, the collators relay work order data to the WMS. The WMS then directs the AS/RS to dispense a pallet just-in-time and deliver it to the point where an assigned fork truck retrieves it. The fork truck driver scans the pallet to determine a location at which the material will be needed on the collator. By assigning tasks to fork trucks, the WMS minimizes unproductive movement of drivers. It also monitors the volume of pallets on the floor, ensuring that no more than four are retrieved from the AS/RS due to space constraints.

Once collated, the inserts are palletized and stretch wrapped before a bar coded label is attached. The fully palletized and bar coded packages are scanned for assignment to one of nine outbound docks. The WMS indicates if the palletized load can be loaded and shipped to a distribution center or if it needs to be staged because a truck is not present.

Less than a year after opening Freedom Center North, Adams says the AS/RS and WMS deliver more accurate and efficient packaging and distribution. As a result, the Chicago Tribune will be able to offer advertisers more targeted zoning of ads and deliver newspapers that better meet customers' expectations.

These new systems have 'revolutionized the packaging and distribution process for the Chicago Tribune,' says Adams.

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