Schaefer's Pallet Software Brings Greater Distribution Efficiency
Posted by Travis Baker on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 @ 09:29 AM
SSI SCHAEFER has positioned itself at the forefront of Automation IT with the development of its pack pattern generator. The new software module "Schaefer Pack Pattern Generator (SPPG)" optimizes pallet-build composition from the packing density of the inner pallet arrangement, to the stability criteria in full or partly automated Case Picking Systems.
Route optimization, loading space utilization and store-optimized pallet creation are the keys for cost savings and efficient service delivery at order processing. The wide range of items now handled by retail and wholesale distribution centers presents immense challenges for multi-product palletizing. The computing time of all possible packing combinations of a store-optimized pallet is enormous due to the ever widening variety of products. In additon, there are a multitude of restrictions, which apply to the palletizing of different products, so this operation is normally carried out manually.
However, the processes in retail and wholesale trade logistics are becoming more and more automated. In the food industry the Schaefer Case Picking System (SCP) is an integrated system for fully-automatic, store-specific order fulfillment; including fully-automatic palletizing. The physical pallet creation is done by the use of a packing robot using special gripper technology.
To optimize fully automatic palletizing with customer-specific requirements, SSI SCHAEFER has developed a special pack pattern generator, the Schaefer Pack Pattern Generator (SPPG). The SPPG is available as a software module for the Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). In concert with the WMS, the generator enables the ‘impossible’: it calculates the optimal pallet building plan in the shortest time and transfers it to the WMS. With this information the WMS initiates the order fulfillment processes.
This may sound easy, however, a sophisticated software program is necessary. To reduce the number of pallets the different packages are arranged with the highest density and height possible. The SPPG exactly calculates the weight and ‘stackability’ of the packages so goods arrive undamaged to the stores. The specific allocation of goods by class in the respective stores is included in the planning, so that sorting efforts are also minimized upon arrival. I.e. ‘store-friendly’ sequencing is possible.
Further requirements arise from the different packaging and product characteristics for different customers, sectors and markets. In the food sector this affects the beverage industry, the dry and deep-freeze assortment as well as the handling of problematic packaging and fragile items.
In retail and wholesale distribution, packages differ widely in their dimensions, weights and stacking forms, and in their stackability and load capacity. There are also variations in goods type or family groups.
The most important aspects for the pack optimization are:
- Consideration of different load capacities and weights of the packages to fully utilize the permitted maximium pallet height and weight.
- Positioning accuracy and stability of the packages during the entire pallet creation process. Every package has to stand steady and alone at its position without the help of additional means.
- Implementation of different processing strategies to combine different goods and family groups.
- Maximum stability of the generated pallet to eliminate damage - not only on the conveyor system, but also in the transportion to the store.
- Handling of problematic packages such as large packages with loose covers, light slip lids of display packages or returnable containers whose load capacity is different within the top load-bearing surface. For example, if a heavy package is put into the center of the pallet it would dip into the below package.
Store-optimized pallets, loading space utilization and the many, product-related restrictions result in partly contradictonary requirements. Nevertheless the objective of the SPPG-development was very simple: To automatically generat and build pallets better than the pallets which were built manually by the best packers.
SSI SCHAFER desigined the solution by dividing all the different aspects of the pallet build process. Then special solutions were defined for every aspect and integrated into the software. The combination of the multiple strategies into one solution created a product that solves the whole problem.
With the SPPG, SSI SCHAEFER refined the development of pack optimization software for the pallet creation. During the first application at one of the largest food wholesalers in the USA the software module was successfully proven in the central warehouse. The pallets planned by the SPPG are better than manually-commissioned pallets in packing density and the pallet volume and quantity, as well as the stability during the transportion.
In the SPPG all necessary strategies are integrated into fully-automatic palletizing so SSI SCHAEFER supplies a software module specially tailored to the individual requirement and processes of the customer. The priority of the optimization objects can, if necessary, be newly defined with every commissioning order by the users of the generator. Due to the special software process the SPPG is able to calculate the optimal pallet design within the shortest time and to adjust or balance the packing density with the requirements of the inner pallet arrangement and stability. After the system has performed calculations using the product and requirements data nothing restrains the fully-automatic palletizing in the operating area.
The result is that the SPPG enables a various range of products to undergo fully-automatic processing from order processing through palletizing. This reduces costs. The increased stability of the pallets also ensures less damage and higher customer satisfaction. Last but not least, the algorithms of the software module enable an optimal packing density and, therefore, the best possible utilization of available loading space. This reduces transport costs and improves the impact on the environment. The Schaefer Pack Pattern Generator forms an important component for further automation and efficiency of order processing.
Author: Dr.-Ing. Hua Li, Project manager SSI Schaefer
Schaefer Systems International, Inc., the North American subsidiary of the SSI SCHAEFER group of companies, established headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1989.
SCHAEFER’s automation integrates to any existing system earning us an international reputation as the global leader in the material-handling industry for returnable packaging, static racking, and highly complex, automated distribution systems. With over 70 years of experience and a 100% commitment to quality behind every SSI Schafer system, we focus on providing our clients with unconventional picking and storage solutions delivering best value