The second largest printing company in the United States, RR Donnelley & Sons, needed to upgrade its materials handling to keep up with increased throughput resulting from improvements of printing press and bindery equipment.

As a result, the company installed a high-density automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), improving overall productivity and inventory tracking at its Mattoon, Ill. facility. The rack-supported storage structure consists of three aisles of double-deep, unit-load storage. There are approximately 16,000 storage locations.

RR Donnelly also installed a material tracking and control system (MTC). The radio frequency data communication (RFDC) based control system orchestrates the movement of more than 30 forklift drivers within the 1 million square foot plant.

Drivers retrieve work-in-process pallets throughout the facility as assigned by the RFDC terminal on each of their trucks. The MTC tells drivers whether to take pallets to the bindery or the AS/RS or queue for later consumption. The tracking system also directs loads out of the AS/RS and onto forklifts headed to replenish bindery equipment. It directs movement of finished goods from the bindery to the shipping docks as well.

The AS/RS, adjacent to the bindery, reduces the distance forklifts travel within the plant, minimizing unproductive movements of drivers. Both the AS/RS and the MTC reduce storage and movement expenses throughout the facility. Moving the 16,000 stored pallets off the production floor saves space for production expansion.