A new level of e-fulfillment

摘要

Gap Inc.'s renovated distribution center near Columbus, Ohio, uses automation technologies present in other Gap Inc. facilities, but at a completely new scale. The design is expected to become the footprint for future e-fulfillment DCs. Receiving: Incoming product is received at the dock and unloaded onto the conveyor system in the automatic receiving area (1). An overhead scan is compared against advance ship notifications (ASNs). Once the merchandise is confirmed, the warehouse management system (WMS) determines what happens next. A carton can be sorted to one of four areas: These are 1) quality assurance for inspection; 2) a manual pallet build or rework area; 3) manual putaway in a carton storage level area (CSL); or 4) automated putaway in the mini-load automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). While the AS/RS is the preferred location, some items may not be compatible because of their size or condition, or the AS/RS may be at capacity. Storage: Once the WMS determines how merchandise can be putaway, it's diverted to the appropriate area for that merchandise. In the CSL (2), cartons are manually scanned into a location. Palletized merchandise is scanned into a location in a very narrow aisle storage area (2). Finally, cartons are putaway into storage by cranes in the mini-load AS/RS area (3).