Picking Up the Pieces–Smartly
Written by: Roger Morton
June 2007
In the right situation, pick-to-light is helping raise overall warehouse performance.
Of technologies available to automate warehouse operations, pick-to-light enjoys success by boosting picker productivity with increased speed and accuracy of picks. That translates into better system throughput.
In general, here's how pick-to-light works: Light indicator modules are mounted on storage areas. When a product stored in the location is needed, a light flashes. The worker picks the product and then presses the light button to confirm the pick. The system is paperless, so operators don't need to take their eyes off the work at hand.
Getting away from a paper based picking system was a major plus for Steve Eckman, vice president of Corporate Development for Beauty Brands, Inc. (www.beautybrands.com) as company growth led to a move from a leased location to its present 140,000 sq ft distribution center (DC) in Lexana, KS. He explains that Beauty Brands is a specialty retailer with 7,000-8,000 sq ft full service salons and day spas in premier locations. The company is regionalized in the central part of the United States, with salons ranging from Phoenix, AZ to Charlotte, NC and everywhere in between. It serves 13 markets from its 50 different stores.
Beauty Brands builds its new store packages at its DC. "We are direct with almost every one of our manufacturers," notes Eckman. "So we get large shipments inbound, process them at the DC and ship less than truckload (LTL) daily to the stores. We have just the one DC where we receive everything and put it in inventory, with very few things cross-docked. Right now we stick with salon-exclusive products, only authorized to be sold and recommended by licensed professionals. Most locations just get one shipment a week. If there are promotional items to be sold, sometimes they will receive a separate promotional shipment."