Adore Me System Report: Putting automation to work

Adore Me Services

Secaucus, New Jersey
Size: 130,000 square feet
Products: Apparel
SKUs: 25,000
Throughput: 5,000 to 7,000 orders per day
Shifts: 2 shift per day/5 days a week; 1 shift/2 days per week

Read the full feature article on the Adore Me Distribution Center.

Adore Me Services’ New Jersey distribution center relies on robotic goods-to-person picking and an automated putwall to fill as many as 8,000 orders per day.

Receiving: When a scheduled delivery arrives at receiving (1), the shipment is split into inventory for reserve storage (2) and replenishment of the robotic order picking system (3). Reserve storage inventory is audited, inspected for quality and palletized. Once those steps are complete, the receiver scans the product into the system and the pallet is ready for putaway. Inventory for the order picking system is also palletized for delivery to an induction location (4).

Putaway: Pallets are picked up by a lift truck driver, who receives putaway instructions on a mobile computer. Product is scanned into a rack or floor location in reserve storage (2).

Replenishment of robotic order picking system: The order picking system (3) can be replenished from newly received inventory for which there is an immediate need or from floor storage in the reserve storage area. Pallets are delivered to an induction station (4) where associates transfer items from a carton into a tote. Once a tote is scanned into the warehouse management system (WMS), it notifies the order picking control system what to expect. The system’s robots then put away totes into a storage location.

Picking: Picking takes place inside a tunnel underneath the order picking system. On top of the system, mobile robots pick and place totes on a conveyor that delivers them to a picking station. There, operators receive their picking instructions on a computer screen and transfer the required items from a donor tote to a batch-picking tote. Donor totes are then returned to the top of the system for putaway back into storage. Once all of the items for a tote have been picked, the warehouse control system determines whether it should go to one of the two automated putwalls (6), a conventional putwall area (5) or a singles line packing area (7).

Order sortation: There are two different putwall processes.

Automated putwall: When a tote arrives at an automated putwall (6), an operator verifies that the tote is expected at that area. If so, the items are inducted into the system by way of a conveyor. The putwall robots sort them into one of 400 cubby locations.

Conventional putwall: An operator scans a newly arrived tote and then directs it to one of four putwalls (5). There, operators are light directed to put the contents of the tote into cubby locations.

Packing and shipping: A green light alerts an operator at the automated putwall (6) that an order is complete and ready for packing. The items are removed and conveyed to packing. There, items are first placed in an Adore Me shipping box. Next, the box goes to a packout station where tissue paper is applied. Finally, the box is closed and a label is automatically printed and applied. Packages are sorted on the shipping conveyor (8).

Once all the items for an order are in a cubby at the conventional putwall (5), an operator removes the items and places them in an Adore Me shipping box. From there, the order is completed and sorted to shipping just like an order coming out of the automated putwall.

Single line orders (7) are packed in a shipping container and sorted to shipping (8).

System suppliers:

• Systems Integration: Bastian Solutions
• Robotic Order Picking System: AutoStore
• Automated Putwall: OPEX
• Conveyor & Sortation: Bastian Solutions and Hytrol Conveyor
• WMS: HighJump
• Mobile Computing: Zebra Technologies
• Lift Truck: Raymond
• Rack and Shelving: UNARCO Material Handling
• Print and Apply: Panther