Wouldn’t it be nice if every SKU was stored in the right place all the time? For sure. But being in the same right place all the time may only be half the answer when it comes to bins and totes in manufacturing and distribution. Just ask Ed Granger, Quantum’s director of sales.

That’s when he trots out an unexpected word: mobility. Mobile totes, really? You bet. It’s also when he’s likely to send you seven or eight links to everything from mobile slanted shelves with bins to carts with totes as well as mobile louvered panels with bins and totes.

Opens up a whole new world, doesn’t it?

It’s too easy to always think of bins and totes in one, static location. “Mobility is not new, but it’s a hidden gem,” Granger says.

“Mobility is all about getting SKUs to the location or even locations where they’re needed most at any given point in the day. A cart of totes can be in one corner of the production floor in the morning and moved elsewhere for the afternoon based on production or distribution schedules. Doing that saves steps and improves efficiencies,” he explains.

Granger characterizes mobile bins and totes as unlocking potential. He tells stories about companies that tried it and wished they had done it long ago. Others are just rushing through the day to meet schedules and never took the time to look at new ways to improve their operations. Then Granger told them about mobility. Time to exhale.

And with the next breath realize that we aren’t talking a major capital expenditure here. The cost of mobile bins and totes is a far cry from the cost of new conveyor, says Granger. It also helps to know up front what’s in the budget and stay within it. “There’s nothing wrong with starting small with mobile bins and totes and adding as they become an increasingly important component of operations,” he adds.

Furthermore, return on investment at any spending level is typically less than a year. It’s not unusual for mobile bins and containers to increase part picking productivity by double digits, Granger adds.

One of the other advantages of mobile storage is that it allows workflows to be reconfigured easily and frequently. That maximizes flexibility to adapt to changes in customer demand for product, too.

While all of the mobile solutions mentioned so far are on wheels, Granger says another solution is what he calls high-density sliding track systems. “These efficiently move wire shelving systems filled with bins and totes along a fixed track mounted on the floor,” says Granger. The patented design uses bearings in the skate of the wire shelving to move loads up to 1,500 pounds.

So, there you have it: several options for mobile bins and totes. And while it may not rank up there on the technology scale with artificial intelligence, mobility does bring new intelligence to always having SKUs where they are needed most. Or as Granger simply says, “mobilization has helped a lot of folks.”

In 2012, Thermo Fisher Scientific installed about 1,600 linear feet of Span-Track wheel-bed shelving on pallet racks inside a cold box and freezer to improve workers’ pick efficiency. Photo courtesy UNEX Manufacturing Inc.

In 2012, engineers at the center realized they needed to dramatically improve pick efficiencies in the 13,000-square-foot cold box and 9,000-square-foot freezer to keep up with customer demand. At the time, about 35 pickers worked inside both areas and wore cold suits because of the extreme temperatures. More importantly, they picked items from three to 10 boxes, each of which held products with different SKUs.

Span-Track shelving efficiently displays bins containing 2,000 temperature-sensitive SKUs. Photo courtesy UNEX Manufacturing Inc.

“Pickers had to go through all the boxes on a pallet to find the right SKU, which was quite time consuming,” says Thomas Brown, systems engineer at TFS. “We needed a way to pick more efficiently and accurately to get products out the door faster.”

Brown and his team decided to redesign both areas to optimize carton flow and order picking. Step one of the redesign involved installing 94 glass doors, which are similar to those used in grocery store freezers and convenience stores. The company also installed about 1,600 linear feet of UNEX’s Span-Track wheel-bed shelving on pallet racks inside the enclosed areas.

The racks are positioned immediately behind each door, so workers can see what’s on the shelves without having to open the door or walk into the storage area. The shelves are tilted slightly to allow easy access, and they are segmented to hold bins of various sizes. To pick a SKU, a worker simply opens a door and reaches into a bin.

According to Bill Costa, vice president of sales at Werres, a distributor for UNEX Manufacturing Inc., the shelving efficiently stores enough bins for 2,000 temperature-sensitive SKUs. Costa says this amount of SKUs represents 70 percent of the workers’ daily picks.

“We chose Span-Track because [it] provides maximum flexibility for slotting SKUs of different sizes—from vials that may be an inch high to 10-milliliter bottles,” explains Brown. “Now, we can get 20 to 30 bins of SKUs on four to five levels of [shelving].”

The condensed and organized storage areas enable pickers to more clearly see the SKUs. As a result, picking errors have decreased dramatically. It also has improved pick efficiency by more than 45 percent, so workers spend considerably less time replenishing SKUs.

Brown also points out that, since the redesign, pickers have a safer and more comfortable work environment. They no longer have to climb up and down ladders, or work around forklifts and push carts to pick SKUs.

Another benefit of the redesign is cost savings. Fewer pickers are needed at the plant because of productivity improvements, and shifts at the plant have been reduced from 12 to 8 hours.

“Span-Track was just one piece of a huge transformation for the plant,” explains Brown. “But it was the piece that brought everything together.”

“Because Thermo Fisher is known for its innovative solutions, the Maryland plant must have built-in flexibility to accommodate the company’s ever-growing product mix,” concludes Costa. “Span-Track offers that flexibility.”

Quantum donated several brand new shelving units, plastic bins and mobile storage units after a local trade show in Jacksonville. “I am hopeful that Habitat for Humanity can make upwards of $2,500 in sale of our donated items,”

Said Ed Granger Director of Sales at Quantum Storage Systems. “We are happy to assist this great cause and we consider it a privilege to help in any way we can,” he concluded.

Using Standard wire shelving and V-grooved floor track, the system can literally glide left and right on aluminum skates. Various sizes of shelf widths and lengths can accommodate any Rack size above and a variety of post heights can be employed for any rack beam heights that exist. The low profile track system is ADA approved and is not deemed a trip hazard.

See this product at the upcoming Modex Show April 4-7 in Atlanta

Quantum sells the EZ Lock Platform in two 12” x 40” sections that interlock to become one piece. The platform is 6” tall and can handle 625 LBS per individual section. The patented interlocking design allows you add more sections on to the platform to have one continuous long run or you can separate each piece as needed or as the amount of product to be stored changes.

For more information about the EZ Lock Platform see our web page at http://www.quantumstorage.com/el-12406

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