FIRST PLACE WINNER

Student Design Team

Kevin Ferguson, Rachel Luken, Rachel McGuire, Craig Morin
Student advisor: Dr. Russell Meller (not pictured)

Customer services rules at this winning facility design, with features like same-day delivery and attention to damage control

THE DETAILS

• U-shaped flow of material is maintained with few exceptions throughout the facility, minimizing handling and length of travel path

• Pallet flow racks allow for faster picking times and quicker flow through for high-moving SKUs

• Separate picking areas for extremely fast-moving SKUs help expedite order fulfillment

• Internet catalog orders are handled in a parallel system, circumventing the sortation system for direct truck loading

• Pop-up skatewheel diverts on the sortation system ensure gentle handling of merchandise

• Automated dock levelers improve efficiency at the dock

ne of our main objectives was to provide the customer with the highest quality of service,” says Student Rachel Anne McGuire. She points out that a major problem with the existing Sneaky Sneakers facility is the high level of merchandise damage that occurred during manual processing. “In fact, we determined that the longer the product stays in the warehouse, the more likely it is to sustain damage,” McGuire emphasizes. The team opted for a semi-automated system, which they say strikes the appropriate balance between the need for quick handling and need to maintain product integrity.

The Material Flow
Incoming merchandise is palletized and transported to either static rack and pallet flow racks, or directly to forward picking depending on priority. Internet-catalog orders are picked from a forward picking location adjacent to the shipping dock. Picked orders for retail stores are placed on a sortation conveyor and sorted by order and location. Returned merchandise that passes quality inspection is sent directly to the forward picking area for repicking.

FACILITY LAYOUT