CEVA Logistics

Diamond Phoenix finds the solution with an innovative paperless picking system

Problem

The traditional method for paperless picking in most of the CEVA warehouses in the UK is by RDT (radio data terminal). The warehouse operatives use hand- held terminals to complete the picking tasks required.

This system works really well for most products, but they needed to find a different solution as the contract involves the warehousing of the print and related material for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) who have more than 18,000 SKUs including stationery items, which can mean very intensive and time-consuming work.

Solution

The warehouse design team looked at a variety of methods of storing and picking to identify one most suitable for this contract and decided on the Diamond Phoenix ‘pick-to-light’ system.

Benefits

One main advantage is that the warehouse operative can have both hands free to count the single sheets of paper, which increases the speed of the pick, and ensures accuracy.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) iON contract’s product profile presents a special challenge, so our team found the solution with an innovative paper- less picking system.

The traditional method for paperless picking in most of the CEVA warehouse in the UK is by RDT (radio data terminal). The warehouse peratives use hand-held termi- nals to complete the picking tasks required.

“This system works really well for most products,” says Simon Robinson, warehouse design manager.“But for some of the product range and the way they are received and ordered on the iON contract means that we had to find a different solution.”

The contract involves the warehousing of the print and related material for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) CEVA’s part in the Xerox-led partnership called iON.

The warehouse design team looked at a variety of methods of storing and picking to identify one most suitable for this contract, the Diamond Phoenix ‘pick-to-light’ system.

There are more than 18,000 SKUs including stationery items.“About 850 of the products are ordered by single item literally a single sheet of A4 paper or one booklet,” explains Simon. “This involves very intensive, time- consuming work as a variety of methods of storing and picking to identify one most suitable for this contract and decided on the Diamond Phoenix ‘pick-to-light’ system. Our IT team developed the system interface to Red Prairie and Simon worked with Diamond Phoenix to develop the flow racking. The 50 fastest moving single- pick items are all located in one section on a carton-live rack which is split over six picking zones. Each of the 50 locations has an LED display panel at the front.The orders are interfaced from the Red Prairie warehouse manage- ment system and the operator selects five tote boxes on a trolley, each tote box representing an order. The totes are then scanned after which only the required LED displays light up showing the quantities to be picked and the totes in which the picked product is to be placed. When all items have been picked, the operator presses the button to indicate that the order is passed to the next zone. ”The main advantage is that the warehouse opera- tive can have both hands free to count the single sheets of paper, which increases the speed of the pick and ensures the accuracy” explains Simon.

Chris Clive, contractmanager, says that six people can work in the section at once. There are 70 people on the Daventry-based contract which will be fully impemented in the spring once all the products have been transferred to the central warehouse. By the end of the year, there will be a Xerox printing facility on site for the slow- moving products. The documents will be printed on demand and dispatched immediately. A tracking system will ensure full end to end visibility for all products.Ware- house work patterns are controlled through Odybuild, the Mendlesham-developed application used to pass instructions through the warehouse and smoothing the flow of work to ensure it makes the most efficient use of resources.

Steve Harding, senior general manager for the Xerox accounts, says the implementation has been greatly helped by the CEVA central support teams.“We had a new system and new people so a lot of training was required.” Our long-standing relationship with Xerox’s equipment and logistics teams has helped us build up the relationship with the XGS division, which is the primary partner in this seven year iON contract with the DWP.

Graham Boner, Sales Director at Diamond Phoenix com- mented on the project completion “This is further evidence of our ability to successfully integrate with existing and developing systems. We are very pleased with the results of our ‘pick to light’ system for CEVA Logistics”