Pick & Pack Cells with AMR’s

Axiom have produced Pick & Pack cells for many high profile customers.  The  purpose of this materials handling automation is to associate picked product with customer order data, any collateral and the despatch note and produce a labelled package ready for shipment without multiple operator contact points.

Increases in throughput over a manual operation of 3x the volume is commonly seen with equivalent labour giving >20% reduction in costs. The Axiom derived warehouse control system (WCS) will interface seamlessly with the customer warehouse management system (WMS) giving high visibility of customer order progress with integrated quality control (QC) such as check-weighing of the order and final image before packaging as proof of delivery.

Where are Pick and Pack cells used?

The cell is a benefit where-ever products are being shipped directly to a customer, whether this is consumer or business. They can be adapted to run any product from apparel and footwear to home technology, especially mobile tech.  Rate at 1200 – 1500 parts per hour, often the limiting factor can be the packaging technology integrated to the cell.

What packaging can be used?

Virtually any packaging system could be integrated with the automation. Traditionally bagging machines have been used to give security and protection to the product.  Modern materials commonly run with 50% PCR (post-consumer recycle content) to ensure environmental requirements are met. Made to size boxes or paper wrapping are gaining popularity, the line speeds of these solutions are now approaching the conventional bagging cells.

How can the cell be improved further?

A primary aim of any automation solution is to reduce the number of touch points during processing which add unnecessary cost to the process.  To improve efficiency during despatch, the Axiom Pick and Pack cell is proven to work. 

A further area Axiom GB can assist is the picking of the product to load onto the cell.  Often orders are waved, collated together, where multiple orders for a single item are picked in one pass of the warehouse.  To minimise operator movement and increase efficiency, the use of autonomous mobile robots (AMR’s) to move the tote or box between pick points and then to the line.

Axiom can also provide conveyor systems to assist with the movement if a fixed system is the optimum solution.