The Challenge
Integrated Supply Network (ISN) is a wholesale automotive tooling distributor with an omnichannel customer base. The team at ISN was looking to improve productivity and reduce the pressure on labor challenges that were affecting throughput. They consulted with their WMS provider of 16 years, Körber, to find a solution that can easily be integrated into their existing facility. Their customers’ expect orders to be shipped same-day, so the solution needed to be flexible and scalable as demand changes.
The Solution
After reviewing options, the ISN and Körber teams determined that the Locus Robotics solution would help the facility with its throughput goals as well as the extra benefits of being able to increase accuracy, being able to have increased visibility over what’s going on in the warehouse, and being able to scale up for those peak demand periods of the year.
The Results
The Locus Robotics solution was deployed into this existing environment with almost no modifications, simply setting up a few induction and drop-off points. The Körber solution at ISN includes a cartonization feature that determines the shipping box needed for an order prior to picking. Combined with a total AMR solution, Locus robots now travel to fulfill orders through faster pick paths than associates with carts and skip a manual point of transfer at the packing station. Almost immediately, associates went from picking 20-40 lines per hour using a traditional cart to some reaching 100 lines per hour with robots. In addition to the productivity increase, the team saw order accuracy increase and a significant decrease in the time it takes to train associates. It has also made it easier to attract new employees looking for a more modern workplace without the physical tolls that come with traveling around a warehouse with a traditional cart. The team plans to extend the solution to include putaway functions and to implement in other ISN facilities.
The robots are doing all of the traveling and the team is really just doing the picking. So instead of paying people to travel, we’re paying people to pick.
We’ve seen our efficiency in terms of picks per hour double since we’ve implemented the solution.