Higher picking performance and better picking quality

The innovative pallet buffer, which shortens the changeover between load carriers to just a few seconds, ensures uninterrupted work. At the same time, the stations impress with their particularly gentle goods handling.

The Fast Pick stations have a two-storey design: On the upper floor there is a picking table on a platform. The Swedish electronics retailer's employees receive small packages, parcels and trays with mixed goods via an internal conveyor line and pick them onto pallets according to order.

Winkel GmbH

Winkel GmbH is the market leader in the field of heavy-duty linear guides. For more than 30 years, the component and system provider from Illingen near Stuttgart has been supplying solutions for linear and handling technology for almost all industrial sectors. As a long-standing partner of general contractors and system integrators, Winkel offers not only a standard range, but also customized special solutions.

Below the platform is a shaft into which the pallet can be gradually lowered. This means that the work surface is always at the optimum height and staff do not have to lift the often heavy parcels, but only move them horizontally. This is good for health and increases efficiency at the same time: up to 800 picks per station are possible.

As soon as the load carrier is fully loaded, it is conveyed down the chute. For safe transportation, a stretch wrapper wraps the load with a film. Photo: Winkel

An automatic film stretcher is integrated into the chute. Once a pallet is fully loaded, it is conveyed downwards and then wrapped in a resistant film to secure it for further transportation. "This protects the sensitive electrical items from slipping and contamination," explains Athanasios Loupas, Sales Manager at Winkel. Another highlight of the Fast Pick stations is the integrated pallet buffer: the solution provides an empty pallet as soon as the full pallet is lowered - "this means that the picker can continue working without interruption," explains Loupas. Winkel has applied for a patent for this system. The fully packed pallet is transferred directly from the chute to another conveyor line. The station then places another empty pallet in the buffer - while work continues upstairs. One advantage during installation: the stations could be installed in a compact space and easily integrated into the existing processes. A renowned integrator from Austria was responsible for this. With the Fast Pick stations, the electronics retailer has succeeded in increasing efficiency in palletizing, depalletizing and picking: "As the customer has five of our stations in use, up to 4,000 picks per hour are possible," sums up Loupas.

www.winkel.de