Midland's based Keymas Ltd has enabled yet another leading distributor to increase its capacity using automated warehouse systems.
Warehouse automation specialists Keymas Ltd have confirmed completion of one of their biggest projects yet, helping a leading UK distributor to make massive increases in both productivity and capacity.
Keymas was called in after the distributor acquired a competitor, doubling its capacity overnight. Facing the the unenviable task of building a brand new warehouse or modernising its existing facilities from the ground up, it approached the West Midlands warehouse automation firm for the solution. The Keymas design team was tasked with devising a cost-effective, efficient and seamless solution that would minimise impact on operations.
With a reputation both nationally and internationally for warehouse solutions, the resultant sophisticated automated system made use of conveyor systems, sub-management systems and radio data terminal picks. Each of these functions was integrated with Keymas' own warehouse management system, K-Store.
Although using the distributor's existing building should have been a constraint, Keymas handled the situation by removing all existing equipment to create a blank canvas. Static shelving was determined to be the best option for the company's warehouse, along with a combined conveyor system which was to be integrated with K-Store. This solution would send the outer packaging around the picking system following a recognised route created by the software's algorithms.
The automated warehouse system created by Keymas has been praised for its flexible and efficient design. Not only has it facilitated the company to handle the doubling of capacity, but it has enabled them to increase their picks per hour to a whopping three hundred and seventy items. Per day, the number of picks has leaped from ten thousand five hundred to thirty thousand. Rather than having fourteen to eighteen staff working in the warehouse for ten to twelve hours a day, the distributor is now able to have seven to nine pickers working for eight to nine hours a day.
The Head of Logistics and National Distribution said, "Keymas has successfully revolutionised the warehouse, automating antiquated systems and enabling our client to achieve picking targets that were once thought impossible. We have future proofed the system, enabling the Keymas solution to grow with the client as they adjust to their new productivity levels."