Automated Manifest System Revs-Up Productivity by More Than 400 Percent

(PRWEB) October 19, 2005 -- The “fulfillment house” of today provides a wide range of products and services on behalf of clients who need to deliver information and merchandise to their customers with breathtaking speed. Incorporating a multitude of processing and communications technologies, companies such as FillTek in Cincinnati, Ohio handle fulfillment services for businesses that generate orders or inquiries via print, broadcast, Internet or direct marketing.

“The key to succeeding at a high level in this business is learning our individual customer’s needs, and then developing processes internally that fit those needs, rather than simply tying to adapt customers to your capabilities,” explains Tim Betz, FillTek Operations Manager.

Unfortunately, making changes can be a major challenge that involves interfacing with existing legacy systems, or perhaps connecting digital and analog systems.

This was demonstrated recently when FillTek decided to update its EDI-based manifesting system. This system, which includes devices that move, weigh, scan, track, designate carrier method, and label orders to be shipped, involved some manual operation by six to 10 operators.

To prevent order logjams and better adjust to varying system demand, FillTek’s management decided to completely automate the manifesting process.

“Essentially, we had to acquire major automation components that would interface with our Kewill® manifesting program,” Betz explains.

FillTek commissioned the automation project with Convey or Store® to collaborate directly with Kewill in designing the new manifesting system. As a material handling systems integrator, Convey or Store designs systems that provide the best solutions without bias for equipment manufacturers, and gives special attention to simplicity, cost effectiveness and safety.

Convey or Store designed a scalable, automated system that interfaced with the Kewill manifesting module and eliminated the limitations and cost of manual labor. Now packages enter the manifesting system on a conveyor, cross an inline motion scale, and past a scanner that reads the bar code on each package. The bar code “informs” the manifesting module of the destination, and the manifest software interfaces with FillTek’s shipper database to determine which shipper should handle delivery. That information is transmitted to a label print & apply system at the end of the line.

“One of the important features of the system is its flexibility and ability to accurately handle varying workflow,” Betz explains. “Before packages arrive at the label printer & apply system, they enter a number of lanes, chutes that are configured according to the package volume. Just ahead of the labeling operation all packages are scanned a second time to verify that they will be labeled correctly.”

Hence, the in-line system can handle heavy loads on days when massive catalog orders are shipped or during holidays. Days with lighter loads are handled just as efficiently without any waste of personnel.

“Productivity-wise, this new system is at least four times faster than our old manual manifesting process,” Betz says. “That speed will increase dramatically in the future. We anticipate going four lanes by end of 2005, so the throughput will then increase by another 50 percent.”

According to Betz, based on six trained people who have been relocated from the manual manifesting process, the labor savings is easily $100,000 per year.