Following the coronavirus pandemic, the market for Internet shopping is expanding worldwide. In particular, Thailand's e-commerce market is growing rapidly, partly due to the widespread use of smartphones. With this background in mind, in this article, we would like to introduce the latest information on the logistics systems Okura Yusoki has worked on in Japan for the Internet shopping industry. This is a case study of automating ".st (Dot Estee)” distribution center for the EC of Adastria, a major Japanese apparel manufacturer.
In September 2022, Adastria completely renovated its EC distribution center with the aim of improving the efficiency of shipping operations and reducing the workload of staff in order to respond to the further growth and expansion of its own e-commerce. The center is equipped with the latest material handling systems, including the GTP system, which consists of 120 AGVs (transfer robots) and 1,400 product shelves, as well as the Quick Shuttle (storage device) and PTI system (LED sorting device).
Minimizing use of human hand from picking to sorting to packing
The concept of this center is "a logistics center where "people" are free of manual labor." Shelves and equipment are designed and selected so that people do not have to walk around the vast warehouse of about 20,000 square meters looking for products.
The general flow from product picking to shipping is as follows.
Picking methods are separated for items shipped frequently and infrequently.
GTP system & PTI system that contribute to the reduction of human labor and errors.
The following is an introduction to the distinctive systems installed in the center.
■ GTP System
GTP (Goods-To-Person) system performs total picking of popular products (high-turnover products) that are shipped frequently, accounting for 30% of the total. It consists of 1,400 shelves and 120 transfer robots. AGVs lift shelves containing the relevant products from bottom and carry them to a station where pickers are waiting. The picker follows the voice and monitor guidance to remove products from the shelf and place them in the collection case. This eliminates the need for people to walk around the warehouse looking for products, as was the case in the past, and significantly reduces work time.
▲After a transfer robot carries the shelf containing the product to a picker, the product is manually loaded into the container.
■ PTI system (Sort by order)
A new LED sorting system that enables efficient sorting by destination after consolidated picking. The system minimizes human error in picking and achieves high work productivity by using LED lights with excellent visibility to indicate the loading frontage and an easy-to-read touch panel to indicate the number of items to be loaded. The center has installed 16 systems, and is now sorting by order with a minimum number of workers following LED lights and voice guidance.
▲Interior view of the center where the PTI system was installed
▲Sorting by order according to the PTI system instructions
The renovation improved the work productivity by 1.6 times
The renovation of the center increased the number of shipments per day from a maximum of 19,000 in the past to 34,000. Work productivity has improved by about 1.6 times.
In anticipation of the expansion of the EC business, we have renovated the EC distribution center. We believe in putting priority on well-being of the people who work at the center. Therefore, our aim was to realize accurate and efficient picking while reducing the complexity of human walking and searching. The implementation of a material handling system centered on GTP ("Goods-To-Person") has produced the expected results.
Although the case study introduced here is from Japan, we can also introduce automation equipment for EC logistics warehouses in Thailand. We can propose the best combination of equipment from our wide range of products and solutions.