27.05.2008

Doubled productivity with “Pick-n-Go”

Gothenburg - Danaher Motion, the specialist in drive and control technology, is now offering a solution that is proven to double order picking capacity. The Group’s tried and tested “Pick-n-Go” system ensures that order pickers are supported by an automatically controlled fork-lift truck throughout every step of the process in the warehouse. Time-consuming vehicle operation is no longer necessary, and the palette is always close by and can be loaded quickly. Further advantages of Pick-n-Go include lower error rates and a decreased risk of accidents and injuries. It is easily combined with the Pick-by-Voice products from Vocollect, which increases the effectiveness of the system.

The Pick-n-Go solution from Danaher Motion increases productivity by automatically controlling all tasks that do not directly involve picking the articles.  Among other things, depending on the load conditions, the height of the forks can be set so that the optimum loading height is always achieved. Once a palette is full or an order is prepared on the palette, the supporting vehicle moves automatically to its destination. And before this even happens, a new vehicle with an empty palette is summoned so that the order picker can continue to work directly after the previous vehicle has moved away.

Thanks to this automated, uninterrupted procedure, both productivity and operation accuracy are increased. As employees no longer have to interrupt their work or worry about whether a new palette is required or how to move the vehicle through the distribution center, they are able to concentrate on more picking. The simultaneous use of the Pick-by-Voice system from Vocollect, with which employees are guided through their tasks by a ‘voice’, further increases efficiency and decreases the risk of errors. Furthermore, Pick-n-Go also reduces the risk of accidents and injuries, as automatically controlled vehicles are now much safer than vehicles operated by humans. The adjustable loading height also prevents employees from developing back problems.

The Pick-n-Go solution has been designed to be future-proof and can be used also in deep-freeze warehouses. At the heart of the new solution is the Danaher Motion Group’s well established and highly flexible technology for automated guided vehicles. The new methods can be introduced during operation and with the existing warehouse trucks, regardless of make and model. The system can also be easily customized. The Pick-n-Go solution simply needs to be integrated into the existing warehouse management system (WMS), with the Pick-n-Go vehicle solution integrated into the vehicles. All vehicles equipped with this new system can still be operated manually, should any automation errors occur.