Worldwide, manufacturers of human-assistive devices are looking for new solutions that would improve processes carried out in various links of goods movement logistics chains. Among these processes are order picking tasks, which can be characterized as burdensome and time-consuming, especially when dealing with a large variety of piece goods.
During the World Fair for Material Flow and Logistics –
CeMAT, an industry event held as part of HANNOVER MESSE 2002, the STILL company presented a new tool to improve the picking process. This tool is a special device –
the attachment shown in Fig. 1, for the EK 10 type order picking forklift truck visible in Fig. 2.
The presented attachment has a compact design with a cantilever frame structure, adapted to be picked up on the forks of a powered EK 10 type order picking truck. It has 3 storage levels, on which 6 to 9 storage fields (slots) can be created –
Fig. 3. Each of the storage fields is equipped with a non-powered roller conveyor segment, connected to a scale that works with the integrated STILL MMS IT management system. These segments have separate locks that prevent collective packaging from sliding off during driving and picking operations. All slots have their own barcode labeling and signal lights for the management system, which facilitate the control of ongoing picking tasks. Above the storage levels, there is a liquid crystal display monitor as well as a console and a system enabling radio communication with the MMS management system –
Fig. 4. The design of the device allows for picking into collective packaging placed in each slot, which can be, for example, cardboard boxes. Each collective package is marked with an independent barcode label, intended for correct identification of the inserted items. Depending on the configuration used, collective packaging with maximum base dimensions of 600 mm x 400 mm can be placed on the storage fields, into which the picked items are inserted. The mass of these items should be in the range from 50 g to 30 kg. Simultaneously, picking covering a maximum of 16 ordered items can be carried out. This means that more than one collective package with appropriately smaller base dimensions can be located in one storage field, as shown in Fig. 5.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 3/2003.