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Oct 15, 2020 at 7:35 AMDematic GmbH has integrated a space-saving pocket sorting system into the existing facility for returns and shipping logistics at HABA Group B.V. & Co. KG. This allows returned items to be processed immediately and made available for re-shipping as quickly as possible.
(Heusenstamm)– Dematic has automated the returns and shipping logistics of HABA Group B.V. & Co. KG. To this end, the intralogistics specialist has installed a space-saving Dematic pocket sorting system in its distribution center in Bad Rodach, where it supports the toy manufacturer in quickly and efficiently processing e-commerce orders.
The company distributes its products from there under the brands HABA, Qiero!, Fitz, and Jako-O. The automated hanging system on roller adapters stores and sorts both hanging and lying goods as well as flat-packed items and boxes in a single system. The item intake into the pockets occurs automatically, as does their emptying. This makes the system suitable for fully automated order processing for pure e-commerce as well as for omni-channel retail.
Space for up to 40,000 products
At HABA Group, the pocket sorter connects the goods receipt and shipping department over two floors. In a total of 18 buffer loops, where the pockets circulate and wait for new order assignments, up to 40,000 products can be accommodated. Thanks to the Dematic solution, returned goods are ready for sale again in the shortest possible time.
Seamless integration into existing facility
“Our previous returns management was no longer able to meet the demands of modern e-commerce. With Dematic’s pocket sorting system, we shorten access times to returned items and make them available for shipping as quickly as possible,” explains Torsten Kreußel, Head of Process Management, Production, and Logistics at HABA Group B.V. & Co. KG. The company from Bad Rodach placed particular importance on the fact that the new technology could be seamlessly integrated into the existing facility. For the installation, Dematic therefore utilized the previously unused airspace in the distribution center.
Tracking possible through RFID and barcodes
For the transport of goods, the system uses pockets that are space-savingly suspended on rollers and run in an overhead rail. Thanks to the modular design and variable chain length, the pocket sorter can be compactly installed in almost any application environment. Various product shapes and sizes weighing up to three kilograms can be stored in the pockets. “The individual pockets are identifiable by RFID tags and barcodes, allowing us to see at any time in the system where each item is located,” says Kreußel.
Buffer for up to 40,000 products
After processing returns, the automatic pocket loading takes place on the ground floor. The system then transports the pockets via a steep conveyor to the second upper floor. There, they circulate in a dynamic buffer that can temporarily store around 40,000 products on 18 conveyor loops, each 128 meters long. In the event of an order assignment, the sorter transports the requested goods to the pocket collector, which assigns them to their respective batch via batch picking on 17 parallel rods. At the repacking stations, the consolidation of the overall batch with goods from the manual warehouse takes place. For this purpose, the system automatically unloads the pockets at predefined locations and transports them back to the empty pocket line on the ground floor after sealing, where they wait for their next use. “The pocket sorter stores up to 750 items per hour and workstation,” says Kreußel.
Capacity increases possible
In the planning, Dematic has already considered a potential expansion of the pocket sorting system. This allows HABA Group to easily increase the capacity of the facility even afterward and respond flexibly to changes. With the high availability of goods, especially returns, that the pocket sorter guarantees, Kreußel is already satisfied: “What used to take several days is now done by the system in just under an hour. This saves us both time and money and ensures even higher customer satisfaction through shorter delivery times.”
www.dematic.com/de www.haba-firmenfamilie.de
Photo: © Dematic GmbH
