CASE STUDY: Large Products Fulfillment System

Problem:

A distributor of long and large products is experiencing inefficiencies from handling product multiple times in the order fulfillment process.

The Solution:

CASI customized several if its standard products to handle large items up to 72" long. The system automatically sorts empy cartons to pack stations followed by sorting each item to that order. After the packing process, cases are automatically conveyed, heat shrunk, and manifested. The following text describes the entire process.

Large Product Fulfillment System Overview

A wave of orders is released to the CASI controller. Boxes are manually inducted to the sorter after coming off the CASIrector robotic case erector. A license plate barcode is already adhered to the leading edge of the carton for automatic identification.

Empty cases travel on inclined conveyor and are inducted to the sorter.

Each case is automatically scanned and sorted to a pack station.

Once the pack stations are full of empty shipping cartons, the products associated with the shipment are then inducted to the sorter. Once all products for that shipment are ready for packing a green light is given for the packers to pack each order.

An in-house system of hand scanning and verifying product to each carton ensures 100% order accuracy. A touch screen monitor is provided to instruct as needed and close out each order as complete and ready for shipping.

Cartons are prelined with a film designed for heat shrink. A heat shrink tunnel is used to seal the product to the carton without the need for void fill.

Each carton is pushed through an automatic case sealer.

Each carton ID is scanned one last time to communicate with the host system and receive a shipping label for the order. The shipping label is automatically printed then applied to the carton. A verification scan is provided to provide 100% assurance the label that was printed indeed was attached to the carton it was intended.

Cartons are collected at the end of the line and palletized for carrier pickup.

Benefits and New Efficiencies

The benefits of this system include great reduction in number of touches to fulfill an order. The handling of large items is now greatly reduced from the time the item is picked to the time it is ready for shipment. Labor associated with each order is drastically reduced as each shipping carton simply waits for each item to arrive before it is packed.