Cassette storage advances tube distribution

The 142,000ft² facility, which went live in December 2014, has given Pipe Center the ability to provide next day delivery across its entire network and has created over 50 new jobs. At its heart is a bespoke, 3,332 location KASTOunicompact 4.0 automated warehouse, built in Germany and supplied through Kasto in Milton Keynes.

The cassette-type tube storage system provides dynamic goods-to-man presentation for efficient picking, which reduces the amount of manual handling required.

The warehouse structure, which required the installation of 182 drive piles to provide deep foundations, has boosted storage capacity by 20% compared with the previous operation which relied on storage of long stock using a mixture of cantilever racking and bulk stacking. There was also a separate section for small parts and an area for pallet storage.

The Kasto system has reduced the distance warehouse operatives have to move when picking, speeding the consolidation of orders. The warehouse design also increases the height used for storage of Pipe Center's stock keeping units (SKUs). The consequently reduced footprint represents a significant cost savings.

The Kasto control interfaces with Measham's HighJump warehouse management system, which offers superior tracking and traceability of inventory, further maximising efficiencies and reducing costs. The resulting optimised storage and picking coupled with improved stock management allows an even broader range of products to be stored at Measham and delivered to the branch network. The portfolio includes Bondloc, Geberit, Ideal Stelrad, Spirax Sarco and Marla Tube Fittings, underlining Pipe Center's status as a market leading distributor of such products.

Each cassette is 7m long and 3,332 of them are arranged in 78 blocks horizontally and 22 rows vertically to a height of 12m on both sides of a central area, along which a picking crane travels on rails. Some locations are not filled due to the presence of building columns.

The width of the installation in the warehouse is just over 22m and the length is nearly 80m. The top seven rows contain cassettes measuring 645mm high, the very top location being 40mm deeper still, while the lower 15 rows house 435mm high cassettes. All are 770mm wide and accept material up to 6.8m long.

The crane travels with two cassettes weighing up to 4,150kg each between the store locations and three input/output stations, extracting and/or returning material at up to 160m/minute longitudinally and 40m/minute vertically. These motions are performed simultaneously for maximum productivity, while cassette pulling and return speed is up to 80m/minute.

Andy Wighton, managing director of Pipe Centre and Climate Center comments: “We have created one of the most dynamic and advanced distribution centres in the industry that will help us achieve customer service excellence.

“Measham distribution centre is ideally placed geographically and fits with our supply chain strategy to operate as efficiently as possible. It optimises our distribution capability for Pipe Center and Climate Center so we can offer our customers next day delivery and accommodates our exciting growth ambitions for the next 10 to 15 years.”

KASTO
www.kasto.com/gb

PIPE CENTER
www.pipecenter.co.uk