Electrical retailer Maplin recently moved to a 200,000 sq ft distribution centre atManvers, close to Rotherham.
TheManvers facility not only serves all of the company’sUK and Ireland stores but also acts as the e-fulfilment centre for Maplin’sweb site.
To set up the warehouse Maplin went to Jungheinrich’s Systems & Projects Division, which supplied and installed everything – fromhigh bay pallet racking to conveyors andwork benches, and forklift trucks.
The bulk store has more than 7,000 pallet positions and the pallet racking was supplied and installed by Jungheinrich. Full pallet loads are held in bulk on the upper racking levels while picking bays at ground level are used to make up shop-bound Maplin’sManversmove orders and orders from the web site.
The bulk store feeds a forward pick area where smaller items are stored within a short span shelving system– again supplied by Jungheinrich.
Because Maplin supplies its stores with small quantities of many different line items, orders for both the “bricks and mortar” outlets and those bound for individual mail order, customers can be picked fromthe same pick face.
GarethHunt, Maplin’s supply chain director, says: “Typically orders received via our web site or from our catalogue are for two or three items, while we re-supply our stores with small quantities of a wide range of SKUs very frequently, it therefore makes sense to have warehouse staff picking orders for stores alongside colleagues picking for individual customers.”
