6 Ways FASTPICK Future-Proofs Retail Fulfillment Against the Unpredictable

Retailers managing omni-channel, pure e-commerce, or direct-to-store replenishment processes of general merchandise continue to be battered by product delays and stock-outs, tremendous growth in e-commerce and curbside pickups, and shifting customer demands.

They’re also facing continuous order profile changes, pick accuracy challenges, difficulties managing dynamic inventory churn and growth, volatile stock keeping unit (SKU) velocities, the inability to batch pick, and a severe shortage of available workers that makes it virtually impossible to meet throughput targets.

While these issues represent the current state of retail fulfillment, without a trusty crystal ball there’s simply no telling what’s coming next.

That’s why the next best solution to future-proof your multi-channel fulfillment operations against both short- and long-term unknowns is to consider leveraging scalable, flexible, and adaptable automation, such as the FASTPICK shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).

FASTPICK combines goods-to-person picking workstations with a flexible, scalable shuttle-based ASRS that automatically sorts and sequences picks one order at a time. Items too large to be stored in the ASRS can be picked manually, while robotic picking arms can be deployed to complement a limited workforce.

Further, FASTPICK addresses six key challenges faced by today’s retail fulfillment operations. These include:

Continued Changes in Order Profiles

FASTPICK’s freely roaming shuttles retrieve stored items from anywhere within the system. They swiftly deliver their payload to a product lift dedicated exclusively to a single picking workstation, sorting, and sequencing the items to fill one order at a time.

With goods-to-person delivery of each product associated with a single order, picker productivity and throughput increase dramatically. As a result, shorter order cut off times and high consumer expectations for fast deliveries are met.

Inaccurate Picks and Errors

Because the FASTPICK shuttles deliver items pre-sorted and sequenced by order, associates pick only the items presented to them at their workstation as directed by an integrated touchscreen. This eliminates any mis-picks or errors, producing consistently high order fulfillment accuracy.

Dynamic Inventory Churn and Growth

The highly dense ASRS can store up to 60% more than conventional storage methods, such as pallet rack and shelving. Further, as a modular and scalable system, FASTPICK can be easily and affordably expanded as storage and throughput needs change. For example, to increase fulfillment rates, additional shuttles can be inducted into the system and/or more picking workstations can be added on different levels.

Perpetually Shifting SKU Velocities

Because each FASTPICK shuttle moves in three dimensions — side to side, back and forth, and up and down on dedicated lifts — the system’s control software directs item storage independently of velocity classifications. Fast-, medium-, and slow-moving items are stored anywhere within the system, generating higher throughput rates.

The Need to Evolve Beyond Batch Picks

As each shuttle roams freely throughout FASTPICK, the system automatically sorts and sequences retrieved items prior to delivering them to the workstation lift for fulfillment one order at a time.

This renders batch picking and sorting of single picks into discrete orders obsolete. It also saves time and increases throughput regardless of order commonality, ensuring that customer’s expectations for faster deliveries are always met successfully.

Labor Shortages and Attendance Issues

As a goods-to-person picking system, FASTPICK supplements an existing workforce. This enables higher throughput rates with less reliance on headcount. Additionally, because the workstations can be equipped with robotic picking, associates can be reallocated to higher value tasks, including returns processing, exception handling, and value-added services.

Related Resource

Prepare for an Unpredictable Retail Future with Goods-to-Person Automation
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