We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Vertical carousel revitalizes healthcare retailer's fulfillment operation
applications

Vertical carousel revitalizes healthcare retailer's fulfillment operation

July 27, 2018
Diane Rand
No Comments

Since its founding in 2005, the Danish company Med24 has gone all in where the health and fitness business is concerned. In addition to selling a vast array of healthcare, beauty, and fitness products online, it employs a host of pharmacy assistants and dieticians to provide professional advice to customers. But ironically, it was the e-tailer's own fulfillment operations that were in desperate need of revitalization a couple years back.

With combined growth rates of more than 400 percent over the last three years and a product range that has grown to include more than 10,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs), the company was simply running out of space at its 1,200-square-meter (4,000-square-foot) warehouse. Not only was storage space at a premium at the facility, but the operation was also struggling to keep up with rising order volumes.

It was clear to all involved that the warehouse needed a modern update. Among other requirements, the e-tailer needed a setup that would allow for the efficient processing or more than 1,500 orders a day, make better use of available space, and offer flexibility for easy expansion as the company grew.

GOING VERTICAL

Med24 found the solution it was seeking in Kardex Remstar's Megamat RS 350 vertical carousel units. Designed for medium-sized loads, the automated units provide high-density storage in a compact footprint. The carousels are also engineered to accommodate high-frequency picking. Plus, they're designed so that units can be added easily as the client's needs grow.

The latter turned out to be an important feature for Med24. The e-tailer initially installed six Megamat RS 350 vertical carousel units. But it was pleased enough with the results that it added three more units just three months later.

All of the Megamat RS carousels are integrated with Kardex-Remstar's Power Pick Global inventory management software and color picking trolleys. This has allowed the Med24 operation to pick up to 50 orders simultaneously, reducing picking time by 60 percent.

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

With the new system, the e-tailer is now able to pick, pack, and ship an average of 1,500 orders consisting of 4,500 SKUs each day. But the benefits don't end there.

With the nine Megamat RS vertical carousels, Med24 was able to reduce its usable storage area from 1,200 square meters (4,000 square feet) to 200 square meters (650 square feet), an 83-percent space savings.

The e-tailer has also seen a noticeable drop in training-time requirements since installing the new system. In the past, the "employee induction" process took up to three months. With the Megamat RS 350 units, employees can achieve optimal order picking performance after just three hours.

On top of that, the system can be easily expanded as the operation's volume increases. "This kind of scalability is essential to us. Knowing that we can add machines to a smooth process gives us great flexibility as we continue to grow," said Nils K. Træholt, owner and director at Med24, in a statement.

By all accounts, the new equipment has gone a long way toward easing Med24's growing pains. "The Megamat RS 350 has proven to be the perfect solution for us," Træholt said in the statement. "Excellent space utilization and high efficiency has made our business much more competitive."

This video from Kardex Remstar shows the system in action:

Material Handling Storage Carousels
KEYWORDS Kardex Remstar
  • Related Articles

    Megamat RS Vertical Carousel

    Megamat Vertical Carousel

    Remstar MegaStation vertical carousel

Dianerand
Diane Rand is Associate Editor and has several years of magazine editing and production experience. She previously worked as a production editor for Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review. She joined the editorial staff in 2015. She is responsible for managing digital, editorial, and production projects for DC Velocity and its sister magazine, Supply Chain Quarterly.

Recent Articles by Diane Rand

A futuristic approach to easing the labor crunch: interview with Shekar Natarajan

Answering a “hirer” calling: interview with Charlie Saffro

We have a plastics problem

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Wireless technology could help electric trucks charge more safely, efficiently

  • Thoma Bravo completes $8 billion buyout of Coupa Software

  • What’s shaping omnichannel fulfillment strategies?

  • Fast DCs require layers of automation

  • WMS feels the squeeze

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2f715622 41f7 4b52 a574 f3a223194538

What’s really going on in the freight markets?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
There has been a lot of uncertainty about where the freight market is headed. We’re still seeing a mismatch of supply and demand in the freight market, along with conditions that call for scenario planning. Additionally, logistics and supply chain issues have continued to become a higher priority amongst...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The Future of Fleet Management: 5 Trends and Influences That Will Drive Logistics in 2023

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing