Following the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, Utah saw such an influx of tourists and population that its Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) could barely keep store and restaurant inventories from running dry. As a result, the DABC expanded its facility and installed an automated storage and retrieval system to handle increased demand as well as manage overstock for peak periods. The new system processes an additional 350,000 cases of alcoholic beverages a month without extra labor or any delays to current operations.

The unit-load automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) specifically manages the increased stock needed to fill orders during seasonal peaks.

The rack-supported AS/RS features 6,160 storage locations in five aisles, each over 100 feet tall. This allows the DABC to hold up to 338,000 more cases at full capacity. A material control system and warehouse management system (WMS) that communicates with the DABC's host system manages inventory and equipment.

Operators scan received product with handheld radio frequency scanners, which transmit stock keeping unit (SKU) and quantity to the host system. If the product is not immediately needed to replenish inventory being picked for outgoing orders, it is directed to the overstock area. Other items are diverted to the picking area.

Fork truck drivers place product destined for the overstock area onto a pallet induction conveyor. The pallets then travel to a dimensioning station where size and weight are checked for proper fit into the AS/RS. Pallets cannot exceed 3,000 pounds each. Acceptable pallets are transported to the AS/RS input station and stored. The WMS notifies the host system when a pallet is received and stored.

As cases are needed to fill orders, the host system communicates the type and amount of requested product to the WMS system. The WMS, in turn, directs the AS/RS control system to retrieve a particular pallet and convey it to an output station. Items are then delivered to the picking area by fork trucks.

The fully automated system has not only increased capacity and eased order fulfillment, it has eliminated product damage and alleviated congested aisles too. The DABC now handles high-demand periods with ease as it keeps cases of alcoholic beverages flowing to retail outlets throughout Utah.