BS Handling Systems automates carton processing for Advanced Supply Chain Group
Leicester based materials handling specialist, BS Handling Systems, has automated carton processing for supply chain service provider, Advanced Supply Chain Group. When looking to enhance processes to improve efficiency and productivity for its fashion retail operation, Advanced Supply Chain Group turned to BS Handling Systems to automate carton processing. At its Bradford facility, Advanced Supply Chain Group reprocesses circa 1.5 million units of stock from around 150 different suppliers every week. Personnel unpack deliveries, ensure the consignment is correct and then carry out quality checks before repackaging the items into a compliant box size suitable for the automation system. As part of a £350,000 automation project, BS Handling Systems installed two conveyor systems at the Bradford facility. The first conveyor is an 84 metre long two-tier powered system which runs in-between a series of workbenches. Repackaged items are placed on to the bottom tier of the conveyor where they are taken to the other side of the building for sortation. Waste cardboard packaging is placed on to the top tier of the conveyor. Each end of the top conveyor meets in the middle where waste cardboard drops on to a 24 metre long dunnage conveyor which transports it to a compactor. At this point, the two-tier conveyor system rises up to a height of 2.4 metres, allowing personnel and trucks to safely pass underneath. At the end of the main line, the conveyor splits into three lanes. There are two lanes for despatch destinations and a third lane for any rejected cartons which are incorrect or unreadable. A barcode scanner checks the item and then a swivel wheel sorter directs it to the correct lane based on its outbound destination. Orders are grouped together by both barcode number and destination, then stacked on pallets.