3 ways to automate load building processes

Cartonization, store ready pallets and trailer optimization are three of the load building processes that you can automate for efficiency.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 6/17/2008

What are some of the most common load building processes that are ripe for automation? Modern asked three supply chain execution software providers for their best ideas.

Optimize cartons: Efficient load building actually begins with the cartonization process, says Eric Lamphier, senior director of product management for Manhattan Associates. “When you think about load building you start with the basics of downloading an order, putting the pieces of that order into cartons, loading the cartons onto a pallet and ultimately loading the pallets into a trailer in sequence.”

A cartonization application looks at all the pieces of an order and figures out the most efficient way to pack those items in the fewest cartons. “The application not only looks at the size and weight of products,” says Lamphier, “it can find ways to use certain products as dunnage that can cushion harder or fragile items.” A cartonization solution also looks for usable cavities that can nest together, like packing lampshades or garbage cans.

Build store-ready pallets: In Europe, where stores are small and backroom storage is almost non-existent, retailers are increasingly looking for pallets and roll carts loaded with product designated for a specific department or even aisle location in a store. While that may increase the cost of filling an order in the warehouse, those costs are off-set by reduced stocking costs in the retail store, says Donal MacDaid, vice president of marketing for Aldata. “They are asking to have pallets and roll cages stocked and loaded onto the truck based on how the store is laid out,” says MacDaid. By integrating a store’s planogram into a WMS, the solution can direct picking according to a store location.

The next level is to integrate picking operations with voice and imaging tools. “The system can tell the operator what item to pick,” says MacDaid. “Meanwhile, the operator can see a 3D image on his RF device of the load he’s building so he knows exactly where to put the product.” While the scenario described by MacDaid is most common in Europe, U.S. retailers that are highly replenishment-driven are also looking for store-friendly pallets and totes.

Optimize the trailer: If filling totes and containers and loading them onto pallets is the first step to efficient load building, the next step is building efficient trailer loads. Today’s WMS systems can optimize loading based on a variety of constraints including the cube of the trailer, whether or not the pallets are stackable, and how the load is distributed over the truck axles. For distributors with route deliveries, WMS systems can be used to load a delivery truck according to the preferences of the driver. “Drivers who are selling off their trucks want quick access to their inventory,” says Chad Collins, vice president of global strategy for HighJump Software. “The WMS system can maintain the profiles of individual drivers, and then utilize rules sets to make sure that the right product is loaded in the right location inside the trailer.”

You can read more about load building in the best practices in load building in the June issue of Modern.