Custom pick module gives Werner Electric Supply a competitive advantage

To double its sales to $500 million by 2020, Werner Electric Supply built a 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center in Appleton, Wisc. As a result of the expansion, the electrical and lighting distributor not only replaced its previous 100,000-square-foot facility—it also was able to give up the lease on additional warehouse space.

According to Lloyd Fabry, Werner Electric Supply’s regional DC manager, the new facility holds 28,000 items in inventory, including everything from nuts and bolts to 20-foot conduit lengths and 7,000-pound reels of wire. In addition, the company has also installed a custom pick module, which provides a competitive advantage.

“Our pick module essentially eliminates secondary packing,” Fabry adds. “That means we need less equipment and training.”

Pick module systems combine dynamic rack systems with conveyors or other flow components to increase productivity and decrease costs for broken pallet or broken carton order-filling operations. When designed as a multi-level rack supported system, pick modules also allow a dense storage of products, a reduction of materials handling and the ability to quickly fill multiple SKU customer shipments.

“With the new facility, we’re capable of taking orders later in the day, filling the orders and delivering them to our Wisconsin and upper Michigan customers by 6 a.m. the next day,” says Fabry. “We’re aiming for a zero order backlog at end of each day.”

The pick module was built from a boltless, closed tubular upright pallet rack. All beams are constructed of high-strength steel. And, when compared to open-back roll formed columns, the closed tubular uprights are 44 times more torsion/twist resistant, with 250% greater frontal impact resistance.

“[The storage racking product manufacturer] worked with us to maximize our storage within our warehouse footprint,” says Fabry. “So we’re able to efficiently store and access products for our customers.”

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