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Great flexibility for order picking, staff and products
Case: Electrolux Distriparts AB
Electrolux Distriparts AB, with its 200 employees, is located just outside Jönköping by the southern parts of Lake Vättern, one of Sweden's most important areas in terms of logistics. The company is responsible for the distribution of spare parts and accessories for the Electrolux Group and Husqvarna AB—well-known brands for products primarily in gardening and household appliances, such as AEG-Electrolux, Zanussi, and Frigidaire. Regarding household appliances and appliances for professional use, more than 40 million products are sold every year to 150 different countries by Electrolux, making them world leaders.
In 2007, a major project was undertaken where an extensive crane warehouse from the 1970s was replaced with a manual picking warehouse. During the period up to January 2008, 35 km of shelves were replaced, and over 80,000 different items were relocated. The decision was based on difficulties in obtaining spare parts for the older warehouse and to promote the desired flexibility. Flexibility was one of the key parameters when analyses for staffing, warehouse capacity, and picking speed were completed.
In connection with the commissioning of the new warehouses, 9 trucks from Helge Nyberg AB were also delivered. Among the staff, the trucks are referred to as warehouse mopeds. Today, 15 trucks with accompanying step trolleys for order picking navigate the warehouse aisles.
Rail guidance in the floor simplifies order picking for the truck operator. The picking height is 2.8 meters and easily reached from the ladder.
" – The trucks are very ergonomic with their low entry. Additionally, we can operate them on the mezzanine areas. With the truck and trolley solutions, as well as manual trolleys, the order picking is never at risk of stopping."
Stipe Milicevic, Process Developer at Elextrolux Distriparts
Sorted an ready on the picking trolley streamlines packing.
The staff picks about 14,000 order lines per day, which corresponds to approximately 150,000 items. The items are distributed among different box warehouses based on picking frequency. The picking height where these trucks are used is up to 2.8 meters. One of the picking warehouses is located on a mezzanine floor and is accessed via a ramp. The peak season occurs in May and June. If necessary, manual trolleys from Helge Nyberg AB are also used for order picking during this period.
Flexible solutions
Traffic in the picking warehouses flows smoothly because the boxes are arranged in a logical pattern based on picking frequency. Stipe Milicevic, process developer at Electrolux Distriparts, emphasizes the importance of flexibility and using a large dose of common sense.
- With flexible solutions, we avoid the vulnerability that can occur if a crane warehouse comes to a standstill. With the truck and trolley solutions, as well as manual trolleys, the order picking is never at risk of stopping. In this way, we avoid delays and can also effectively compensate for seasonal variations, says Stipe.
- The trucks are very ergonomic with their low entry. Additionally, we can operate them on the mezzanine areas.
The trolleys, with ladders adapted to our picking heights, were designed by Helge Nyberg according to our own wishes. The same applies to the hundred or so manual trolleys they have delivered to us," he concludes.
Valuable knownledge and experience
Looking ahead, more material handling projects will emerge. Having the experience and knowledge from the project of transitioning from a crane warehouse to a manual picking warehouse is considered by Stipe Milicevic to be a significant advantage for solving internal logistics in a smart and efficient way in the next development phase.