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Step 1:
Order Placement & Van Route Allocation Step 4:
As soon as your order is placed, it’s
assigned to a specific van route based on Automated Picking with the A-frame
your ordering cut-off time and delivery
schedule. Roughly 50% of all orders pass through
It starts “When a member places an order, it’s the depot’s A-frame a key piece of
automation technology that speeds things
allocated to a van route and sits in a holding
up significantly.
queue,” explains Richard. “It stays there until
with a click that route is released typically around an “The A-frame is a shaped racking unit where
hour before departure.”
products are loaded into individual slots,”
explains Richard. “As the tote moves past
Step 2: on the conveyor, the A-frame automatically
releases the correct product into it.”
This system is ideal for fast-moving lines
Tote Allocation & Volumetrics and allows Birmingham to dispatch up to
1,200 totes per hour. It’s a major contributor
Once the cut-off is reached, the system to the depot’s overall efficiency.
calculates the size and shape of your order
and decides how it should be packed.
“At that point, the system assesses the Step 5:
volumetrics of the order,” says Richard. “It
determines whether it should go into small Manual Picking for Special Items
or large totes up to six totes in total for
Birmingham or be classified as a bulk order Slower-moving products or items not
if it exceeds that capacity.
suitable for the A-frame are picked
manually. Operatives use hands-free RF
scanning devices to collect these items,
Step 3: with every barcode scanned and recorded
for complete accuracy.
Tote on the Move Depending on the size and makeup of
the order, up to 15 different warehouse
From here, the tote begins its journey operatives could be involved in the picking
around the depot and that journey is a process. However, orders containing
literal one. The Birmingham depot runs on a controlled drugs (CDs), cold chain, or bulk
conveyor system stretching around one mile items are handled start-to-finish by a single
in length, guiding totes to the appropriate operative to ensure full accountability.
picking zones. In many cases, the product is
already waiting when the tote arrives at its
station.
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