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Rapidpac™ Automated Pick/Pack System
An efficient and cost effective approach to picking and packing
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W&H Systems’ Rapidpac™ automated pick/pack
system provides a highly efficient and cost effective alternative to any
traditional, manual picking and packing operations. Rapidpac brings the work to
the operators, eliminating costly personnel travel time, and combines the
picking and packing operations. In short, Rapidpac minimizes product handling
resulting in improved productivity and reduced costs. It also substantially
minimizes floor space utilization since a majority of the system is overhead. |
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Rapidpac Operation: In typical picking
and packing, a picker travels throughout a facility picking merchandise from
various locations. The time required for traveling from point to point is
generally the largest labor component in many distribution centers, and
therefore the most costly. Rapidpac eliminates this situation. Although each
system is custom designed for your specific needs, there are three basic
components provided by Rapidpac:
1) a supply of items to be picked,
2) cartons to be packed from this supply and
3) a means to transport filled cartons to shipping.
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First, a supply of product
to be picked is transported by conveyor to an area near a picker/packer. This is
often provided as pre-ticketed merchandise in plastic totes, or as garments on
hangers, and is accumulated in an area convenient to the operator. The second,
and most productive, feature of Rapidpac is the transport of cartons to be
packed to the operator. The cartons arrive at the pick area on mechanized trays.
Each tray contains one carton, typically destined for one store. Normally, a
small “train” of trays, representing several stores, is transported to the area
at a given time. The picker removes merchandise from the totes and places the
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quantity in the appropriate carton. The quantity
is determined from either standard, traditional pick sheets
or by an optional paperless picking system.
Once fully packed, the operator prepares to move the
carton to Rapidpac’s final component, a take-away conveyor.
In many installations, the operator first applies a bar-coded
label, indicating the store location, to the carton. The
carton is then pushed from the tray on which it arrived
to a conveyor positioned behind the trays. This conveyor
transports the filled cartons to the shipping area or other
sorting operation.
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RAPIDPAC™
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Combination of Picking and Packing Operations
By providing a fixed work station and bringing the necessary material to the worker, Rapidpac can combine these two
critical functions. The system provides a means to supply material to, and remove it from, an operator station.
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Flexible Design Supports Many Situations:
A Rapidpac system can be designed to support from 12 to 1,000 or more stores,
providing the most cost effective solution to your needs. This flexibility also
allows Rapidpac to be easily integrated into your existing distribution systems.
Proven Design: Since 1983, the basic
design has proven to be both durable and reliable. The system’s simple
mechanical design, as well as its refined and powerful controls system, has been
instrumental in providing distribution center managers with efficient
operations.
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Interface with Other Automated Systems: Rapidpac can be used as a stand alone unit or in
conjunction with some of today’s other highly automated
systems. A common interface is with a paperless picking
system, such as AL System’s DynaPack, to further improve
your facility’s productivity.
Rapidpac will dramatically improve the productivity and
competitiveness of your existing or planned distribution
center. The chief benefits of Rapidpac are:
Improved Productivity: By bringing the
work to the workers, costly travel time is eliminated and productivity is
substantially improved. Most Rapidpac installations will experience overall
facility improvements of 30%; some have improved by greater than 50%.
Reduced Costs: This productivity improvement also results in lower
operating costs, particularly in labor costs. Typical
reductions in cost per unit are in the 20% to 30% range.
One distribution center has reported a reduction in unit
handling cost from 14 cents to 5 cents per unit.
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Optimized Space Utilization: By substituting wide pick aisles with conveyors and
overhead equipment, Rapidpac requires much less floor
space than a traditional operation. The result is lower facility
operating expenses and, in the case of a new facility,
minimized real estate and construction costs.
Simplified Manpower Supervision and Scheduling: Supervision is improved by eliminating the need for
employees to travel across wide areas. Supervisors only
need to visit operators at the fixed Rapidpac work stations
to monitor productivity.
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