Warehouse automation for on-time delivery of goods to more than 220 branches per day
PROSTOR is a beauty and care products chain in the Ukrainian market. Starting as a local retailer, it became one of the leading companies in the country.
- 16 years of experience;
- more than 427 shops in 132 cities;
- a wide range of goods (SKU – 20 000).
For a steadily growing company that is continuously expanding the number of its shops, it is important to offer its customers a high-quality service. The guaranteed availability of goods in the shops is not possible without well-functioning logistics processes.
The customer commissioned us to develop an automated conveyor system for picking, transporting and sorting goods.
This system should take over the following tasks:
- picking and transporting 1,200 prefabricated totes per hour for onward transport to the shops;
- organisation of container sorting in 22 different directions simultaneously;
- acceleration of picking from the (future) 2nd and 3rd intermediate level;
- increasing the productivity of warehouse staff to an average of 200 lines per hour;
- developing an efficient solution for handling online customer orders;
- integration of the new facility into the customer’s WMS system.
We developed and installed a new mezzanine configuration with uniform picking zones. The automated process of tote conveyance in the picking areas of the gravity racking and mezzanine guaranteed the customer high productivity – up to 1200 totes per hour. This was ensured by KAPELOU driven and non-driven roller conveyors. Thanks to the synchronisation of the logical zones, the installed system is energy-efficient: only the sections needed for transport are used.
To speed up the transfer of finished orders from the (future) 2nd and 3rd mezzanine floors, we have integrated two vertical KAPELOU conveyors. They are able to transport up to 700 containers per hour between the storage levels. The next step was the realisation of a container sorting line in 22 different directions simultaneously. For this, switches for automatic sorting were installed. Prostor can now deliver goods for more than 20 shops per hour. To minimise errors in the dispatch of goods, an automatic weight measurement module was installed. It checks the expected weight of all goods in the container against the actual weight of the container. If the weight corresponds to the predefined criterion, the goods are sorted according to the different directions; if there are deviations, they are subjected to a further check.
The Put-by-Light system has become an effective solution for processing customers’ online orders. Its special feature is the ability to handle 120 individual orders simultaneously. We also developed and successfully integrated the WXS system – software for fast data exchange between the WCS equipment control system and the customer’s WMS system. Thanks to the software we developed, it was easy to get the automation system up and running within a few days. Thanks to WXS, the customer can change the parameters of the conveyor system independently and also use it with modules from other manufacturers.
Installed equipment:
- Driven roller conveyors;
- Non driven roller conveyors;
- Belt conveyors;
- Vertical conveyors;
- Diverters 90∘;
- Put-to-Light System;
- Racking system;
- Automatic weight measuring module.
The installed automated system enables the customer to deliver on time to more than 220 shops per day. The overall productivity of the staff has been increased and the processes in all phases of picking for the shops have been optimised. As a result, staffing requirements have been reduced.
The project was carried out in close coordination between the customer and KAPELOU, resulting in a successful outcome. We are proud to help our customers grow and develop together with them.