A case study on automated fulfillment processes
Inontime is a transportation and warehousing solutions provider located in Holland, Michigan. They provide warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment services to manufacturers in West Michigan.
Challenge
Inontime serves clients in West Michigan’s furniture manufacturing industry cluster. One of their clients was shipping its products from a production facility in Holland to a large warehouse in Ohio for storage and order fulfillment. This required frequently trucking the product back and forth long distances.
Their client wanted to find a more efficient local solution to store their chairs and quickly fulfill individual customer orders. However, their product comes in many different styles, colors and configurations which makes order fulfillment complex.
Solution
Inontime devised an innovative automated order fulfillment system to meet the client’s demand. They designed a custom storage system using rolling racks rather than traditional pallets to maximize space and reduce lifting. Workers use RF scanners and computer prompts to locate the exact parts and products needed for each order.
The products have existing barcodes that Inontime is able to integrate with their warehouse management system. When an order comes in, the system tells the worker which part to pick based on FIFO inventory management. The worker scans the barcode which triggers their label printer to automatically print a shipping label for that chair.
Results
- Increased storage density by 20% over pallet system
- Automated process reduces lifting injuries from moving 70 lb units
- Accuracy ensured by matching existing barcodes on product to customer orders
- Easy training as all worker instructions come from the computer system
- Faster fulfillment with single-piece flow directly from storage to shipping
The automated fulfillment process reduces waste and safety risks while providing excellent service. Inontime can scale up rapidly if their client chooses to move more of its distribution business local. The flexible system could also be adapted for other manufacturing clients in the future.