United Load ASRS and High Speed Box Sorting Lines for Bestore No.1 Logistics Center, Wuhan

Hubei Bestore No.1 Logistics Center

Bestore has built its no.1 logistics center in Wuhan, Hubei, with the automatic storage and retrieval system for pallet and high speed sorting lines for boxes supervised by Huaruide’s WMS warehouse management system. This automated structure, whose construction area reaches to 46000 m², can store 30,000 pallets (19,2000 pallets for 6000 m²ASRS area), and 6 layers sorting lines which can handle over 10, 000 cartons /hour picking operation, has supported 0.5 billion turnover business. Picking is the logistics center’s main operation: with combination of unit load ASRS for pallet, quick sorting line, the firm can deal 80% more orders with 20% employees as before.

The Raising Star of Online Snakes Shop

Founded in 2006, Bestore started 4 employees in 30 m² shop, and benefit by the rapid growth of e-commerce business from 2012. The Bestore has opened 2092 retail shops until 2018, and listed on the stock market in February 24, 2020, its market value is over USD 11 billion.

Bestore has a catalogue made up of 1000 kinds of snakes and by different combinations of these snakes, it can create over 10,000 SKUs which need to store and pick by warehouse team. Therefore, it needed a logistics solution with certain characteristics: on the one hand, a high storage capacity to manage a wide variety of products, and, on the other, a system that would facilitate order prep and dispatch tasks in the shortest time possible.

Beside the modern equipment application, a reliable warehouse management software is equally important.

This new installation ensures continuous, safe goods, movements with minimal intervention from operators. In addition, it solves the company needs a large quantity of operator to keep running of picking, storage, retrieval and other necessary warehouse operations with the lowest possible of error from manual management.

Technical features of Bestore No.1 logistics Center

The particular characteristics of this storage system are using the smallest footprint place, to keep the biggest storage capacity, which is 6000m² of available surface area to place a large quantity of pallets in limited space. To transfer these 19, 2000 pallets, the automated installation comprises 10 120-meter-long, 24-meter-high aisle with single deep racking on both sides. The rack’s 22 storage levels have been designed to accommodate standard width: 1200 mm and length: 1200 mm.

Storage capacity and retrieval throughput for ASRS parts

A stacker crane was designed as twin-mast, travelling down each aisle and can handle 50 pallets per hour simultaneously with combined circle, which do pick and load at the same operation, each weighing 500 kg. Together, the ten stacker cranes guarantee up to 500 pallets combined cycle per hour, 250 incoming and 250 outgoing pallets movement, a pace high enough to meet Bestore’s logistics needs.

All goods arriving at the warehouse must go through a checkpoint to verify that their weight and sizes meet the established standard for placement in the warehouse.

Beyond the limited of manual picking speed

On the one hand, Huaruide provided the storage storage capacity ASRS for inbound and outbound of whole pallets. On the other hand, the high – speed picking picking line should be installed to cooperate with ASRS.

During the design conference with Bestore Sales Director, he said: our turnover will increase 50% in the next five years. We need your company to give the full solution to support this increased volume, and we wish this logistics center will be the no.1 warehouse in our company in the next 10 years.

With the big data analysis of past three years Bestore’s sales orders, by divided each order into piece. The estimated increasing order’s picking throughput should over 800 box per hour, considering the peaking period, the target of picking speed need to reach 1000 box per hour which is no possible by people- to – product method finishing.

Using automatic picking has meant a hugh change for Bestore’s logistics systems. Before, operators spent half their working day walking around the installation to locate the SKUs that made up the orders. Now, conversely, the goods are brought to them automatically via conveyors, raising throughput in order prep. Realizing product to person, close to 80% orders can be done with much less staff.

Each pick station is equipment with a computers connected to Huaruide WMS, to help minimize errors and enhance efficiency in picking. Operators can read the pick info from computer, scanning the barcode of each box, and put these box on sorting lines. The installation prepares 6 layers of sorting lines, which give enough space for each picking stations. The enough quantities of picking lines can also ensure the throughput.

Automation and optimal organisation of logistics processes have enabled much faster and more effective order prep. The solution was designed as part of the growth strategy Bestore’s plans on implementing over the next ten years.

Huaruide WMS: the brain of automation

Tasks in the automated installation for each movement are overseen by Huaruide WMS, warehouse management system. To optimize all activities, this software communicates and exchanges data in real time with Bestore’s ERP via interface.

Huirudie WMS rigorously monitors the goods form the goods once incoming to the checking point until it leave the warehouse. To the transfer speed up, it assigns the locations for each items and plan the movement by inside logistics which is fully discussed with Bestore’s warehouse, inventory, and sales team, based on product type and handing requirement.

Except manual operational error, the WMS is not possible to make any single mistakes. Even regarding to operators’ mistakes. Huaruide published the prefer tandard to manage each movement of operator. Each operator doesn’t have any think of operation, just need to do simple steps according the instrument by WMS. This logistics center has put into operation form 2016, and picking accuracy is over 99.99% during these five years.

Advantages for Bestore

The maximum utilization of limited surface place: in 6,000 m², Bestore has a fully automated solution for 19, 2000 pallets, and each weighing up to 500 kg. Totally 30,000 pallets including manual rack storage capacity in 46,000 m²_.

High speed picking lines:the cooperation between ASRS and picking lines, it realized 1,000 boxes per hour handing speed, preparing 10,000 orders daily with WMS making error free as quickly as possible.

For long term viewing, it is money-saving: the automated warehouse for pallets solve 80% more order than before with much less labor, with the business increasing, it doesn’t need to add more operators. Under the background of Chinese worker salary growth year by year, it certainly save money form future.