Semi-Automated Storage Solution Maximises Capacity, Performance and Safety

Shuttle Storage With Dynamic Picking

One of Scotland’s leading Grocery Wholesalers has turned to an innovative storage solution that maximises capacity, performance, and safety in its new purpose built warehouse.

The company had previously been using standard APR Pallet racking and block stacking for all its SKUs but had faced considerable bottlenecks. However, after discussing the position with Thistle Systems, the management team decided to completely redesign their approach.

The initial analysis found that 15% of their SKUs accounted for approximately 85% of their unit sales, and sales could be either by the pallet or by the case which caused major problems in the warehouse.

Working with the SKUs and the data on throughputs, Thistle Systems designed an innovative solution that combined shuttle racking with gravity-fed rollers to the bottom level to provide the perfect combination of bulk storage and picking by the case.

The solution provides 33 Picking Lanes for different SKUs, each seven pallets deep fed by gravity-fed rollers, with an additional four levels of shuttle racking above to provide a total of 924 pallet positions in a fraction of the floor space compared to pallet racking or block stacking.

Picking speeds by the case have been transformed thanks to a more efficient picking layout and a constant feed of pallets with zero interruptions from forklifts to replenish stocks.

Full pallets can now be taken from the bulk shuttle storage and loaded straight onto the wagon, delivering significant savings in floor space.

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What we did

• Shuttle Racking to provide Bulk Storage
• Dynamic Picking With Gravity Fed Rollers
• 33 Picking Lanes for Individual SKUs
• 924 Pallet Positions
• Creation of safe picking zone for operators