CINCINNATI, April 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A global retailer of sneakers
and streetwear sought to increase throughput and optimize order
fulfillment efficiency in its existing Philadelphia distribution center. The
operation, which supports both e-commerce and retail replenishment,
has employee shifts nearly around the clock to keep up with
demand.
The retailer first engaged retail supply chain consultants
Claris Solutions (claris-solutions.com) to define the optimal
layout and technologies to meet their goals. Tony Chaplin, Claris Solutions' Co-Founder and
Managing Partner, led the project.
"First we determined that the existing building could sustain
both their forecasted growth trajectory and their desired
throughput," he said. "To do that, however, we advised the
installation of a 70,000-square-foot mezzanine above their existing
220,000-square-foot workspace, along with the implementation of a
shelf-to-person autonomous mobile robot (AMR) system."
For the mezzanine, Claris brought in Legacy Platform
(legacyplatform.com). Upon arriving at the facility, the first
thing Legacy Vice President John
Sloan noted was its age.
"The building is a historic brick structure that is several
decades old," he recalled. "That meant we first needed to verify
that the existing concrete floor could support the weight of the
mezzanine."
After conducting core samples in several areas, Legacy
determined that the existing floor could support a mezzanine
constructed of steel — but not one made of concrete.
"Not only would concrete have been too heavy a load for the
existing ground floor to support, but also the retailer wanted to
continue to operate their distribution center throughout the
construction of the structure," Sloan noted. "To build a concrete
mezzanine would have required them to shut down."
At the same time, Chaplin and Sloan both noted issues with the
concrete flooring's surface. It was not entirely level in certain
places, and there was wear and damage in others.
"A sloping, worn, and damaged concrete floor will prevent the
AMRs from traveling smoothly and predictably along their workflow
paths," explained Chaplin. "Yet to grind it down to level it would
be time consuming and extremely messy, particularly in an operation
that needed to continue running throughout the project."
Legacy recommended the installation of ResinDek® mobile robot
flooring panels from Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products
(resindek.com) for both the mezzanine surface and overlaid across
the existing ground floor.
With the retailer running loads of more than 2,000 pounds,
Dave Paquin recommended ResinDek MD
for the mezzanine floor. On the ground floor, Paquin advised
installing ResinDek HD, a 0.75-inch-thick panel capable of handling
robot loads up to 4,000 pounds and pallet jack loads up to 4,500
pounds.
"AMRs rely on sensors to successfully and safely navigate
through a facility. For that reason, all ResinDek robotic floor
panels have a customized finish that meets the specific coefficient
of friction, surface roughness, levelness, gloss, and wear
requirements of the AMRs being deployed," Paquin explained. "Every
floor we design is custom manufactured to meet the specified load
capacities and traffic volumes to ensure the operation attains the
performance and throughput they expect."
By working closely with the retailer's operations team to clear
inventory from work areas daily, the mezzanine construction and
flooring installations were completed in a highly aggressive 12
weeks. The facility is now home to more than 2,000 mobile storage
racks across the two different levels with 50,000 product
locations. Apparel and accessories are housed on the mezzanine;
footwear on the ground floor.
Conveyor transports received cartons to designated induction
stations on each level which direct putaway into empty shelf
positions. As directed by the facility's warehouse management
software (WMS), a fleet of 142 AMRs continuously delivers mobile
shelves to associates at workstations equipped with light directed
picking modules on both floors. Conveyors also transport completed
picks from the mezzanine down to the ground floor for order
consolidation as needed.
"The retailer gained three main benefits from this project,"
noted Chaplin. "First, by transitioning away from conventional
picking to shelf-to-person, they've been able to increase their
throughput without needing to increase their headcount. In a
challenging labor market, that's very important. Second, they've
reduced their inventory turn time and enhanced their service levels
because orders can be filled faster. And third, they've
significantly improved their space and capacity to accommodate
continued growth."
Media Contact:
Sandy Ball
513-996-4882
376756@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products