Silvano Chiapparoli Logistica – Automatic plant for fast picking

Innovation is the key: new picking process to be increasingly competitive

A company like Silvano Chiapparoli Logistica must always be ready to respond to the needs of its target market by combining high quality service with business profitability.

For the plant in Livraga (Lodi), the customer needed to increase efficiency, speed of execution and flexibility of picking in order to strengthen its competitiveness in the market and be ready to manage e-commerce operations.

Timing:

Order to LCS: mid 2015
Mounting start: early 2016
Production begin: February 2016

Analysis and project solution

Based on the data analysis carried out with the customer, LCS has developed a detailed proposal respecting all the physical constraints of the existing building where the system would have been set up. The project included the design and implementation of the entire picking line starting from the mechanical components as well as the machines for taping and closing packages, the electrical installation for the control part, the supervision automation software, the WMS software for managing the plant interfaced with the customer’s company system.

Details

LCS has developed a solution based on a number of key concepts, including the differentiation of products according to the index of rotation and the relative quantity shipped, dividing them into three classes:

  • Class A+ products (whole packages) with high rotation and large quantities of shipment are handled on pallets and picked up in the traditional way by radio frequency equipment;
  • Class A and B products with medium/high rotation and with medium/small quantities of shipment are handled by packages on shelving with gravity roller conveyors with Pick to Light light system;
  • Class C products with low rotation and small quantities of shipping are stored in traditional racks in packages and are also picked up by radio frequency equipment.

Benefits

The picking solution implemented represents for the Customer an important technological advancement and it allowed to obtain the expected benefits and improvements:

  • faster turnaround times for shipments;
  • optimisation of operational flows;
  • reduction of errors;

All types of storage are distributed around an automatic picking and handling system for packages


Picking is done with Pick & Pack mode with LCS WMS management system that directly calculates the quantity and size of packages to be shipped based on the order content. The neck/order combination is assigned at the beginning of the handling line. The guided picking system Pick to Ligh is adopted in the area of the racking with gravity roller conveyors, where, in correspondence to each article, a picking display is arranged which indicates the number of pieces to be picked each time the article is requested. The “zone picking” guarantees a high speed of execution on peak days because the operator acts in an area of competence up to a maximum of 5 meters, while on days of low/medium handling the operator can cover two or more picking zones.

Automatically placed on a scale at the end of picking, the system checks the weight of each package to be sent


Weighing accuracy is also guaranteed by the detection of the tare weight of each package at the start of picking. Packages with a discrepancy between the theoretical weight and the actual weight are discarded and checked. At the end of the picking and weighing process, the parcels are automatically tracked and labelled with the shipping address and packing list and finally sorted by courier by means of a sorter.

Technical data

  • Year of construction: 2016
  • N° 6 picking zones
  • Length of picking lines: 40 meters each.
  • Theoretical/actual weight checkpoint and deviation if N.O.K.
  • N° 3 branches for automatic taping and labelling of packages
  • Parcel sorting sorter with 10 courier outputs
  • LogiWARE software for line management, connected with company host
  • LogiCON software for line control and supervision
  • LogiTRASP software for plant automation
  • No. 6 types of shipping packages
  • Items handled: n° 1.400 of which 600 in channels with gravity roller conveyors for packages (medium/high rotation)

Case History