Combined system increases efficiency and conserves resources

Spain’s Mayoral Group, Europe’s market leader in the area of children’s fashion, rely on it. At the distribution centre of US shoe manufacturer Crocs, it contributes to the automation of the order and returns process. And at the omnichannel logistics hubs for well-known fashion labels s.Oliver and Mango, it represents the heart of automated order processing. What is “it”? The Skyfall pouch sorting technology from Swiss intralogistics company Ferag. The overhead conveyor system is known for its scalability and flexibility. It processes large distributions for B2C and B2B companies and has proved to be a highly efficient solution for conveying, buffering, sorting, order picking and returns management, especially in e-commerce and retail.

Increasing requirements of warehouse logistics

The non-stop growth of e-commerce as a result of ongoing digitalization and new customer needs is also increasing the requirements for modern storage and distribution logistics Rising orders, the increasing diversity of products and shorter times from purchase to delivery require a high level of efficiency, optimized material flows and faster and more intelligent access to warehouse stocks. Warehouse systems are increasingly strained, and as a result many distribution centres need to make plans to expand. Ferag has responded to these challenges by further developing Skyfall. It has connected the pouch sorting solution directly to automated warehouse systems, thus accelerating the entire order picking process significantly. Ferag calls it a #perfectmatch because Skyfall can be connected to any warehouse system to streamline the order picking process, can be integrated seamlessly and upgrades existing systems efficiently and over the long term.

A leap in quality in the order picking process

The wave picking process makes a significant contribution to the improvement in efficiency. Rather than picking goods from the warehouse for individual orders, the system selects goods for an entire wave of multiple orders, which are then grouped in the Skyfall system on the basis of certain characteristics and then picked. The system’s high level of flexibility also enables picking in accordance with priority and dynamic buffering. The buffer can be used to cache goods or as temporary storage for fast-moving goods and returns management. In general, the entire returns process can easily be integrated into the system. The optimized Skyfall solution stands out because of how precisely the entire process can be tracked as well as the high fault tolerance. Additional potential for improving performance can be achieved by connecting order picking with digital technologies and artificial intelligence. For example, unused pouches can be filled with goods that are expected – on the basis of the recommendations of algorithms – to be ordered soon.

Less need for space and resources

Optimizing the order picking process and expanding the buffering options can also reduce the amount of space required for storage or allow it to remain the same despite higher order volumes – a consideration that is especially appealing to distribution centres that cannot expand their infrastructure. The consistent use of overhead space – which is ensured by the Skyfall overhead conveying system – helps as well. As a result, the further development of Ferag means lower investments.