Godwin Pumps, which manufactures pumping equipment, bought two Kardex Shuttle XPs to help deal with its increasingly high stock levels and maximise space at its 10,000 sq m site in Quenington.
“The rack and part bin solution used previously meant that the whole stores area was taken up with small parts, with larger parts being stored at various locations around the site,” says Peter Hood, project engineer at Godwin.
The Kardex Shuttle XP is a computer-controlled vertical lift, storage and retrieval system, built to make maximum use of ceiling heights and work on the principle of goods-to-person. The six metre high units are linked to Kardex’s PowerPick 5000 software.
“We wanted a system that could grow in technology and size as the company grew, as well as allowing stock consolidation into one area of the site making it much more manageable – Kardex and its Shuttle XP technology was the ideal partnership to achieve this,” says Hood.
One of the most challenging financial factors affecting manufacturing companies is the cost of warehouse space. With around 65 to 70 per cent of its existing stores being housed in the Kardex Shuttle XPs, this is one headache that Godwin is now without.
Picking speeds have improved by 79 per cent. “A full kit from the Kardex machines takes approximately 45 minutes to pick. With our old systems it would take up to 3.5 hours,” says Hood.
“All stock used to be manually retrieved by individual picker’s own knowledge of what stock was where,” says Hood, “improved stock placement levels, increased knowledge of products’ location and increased stock picking accuracies were all achieved with the help of Kardex.”
l Kardex has upgraded its Shuttle XP high-density vertical lift storage and retrieval system. It can hold 120 tonnes of material at a height of up to 20 metres, enabling it to manage a higher load of materials at greater heights.
The Shuttle is available up to 30m high, and has been designed to minimise floor space use and speed up picking, while providing added security and safety.
Richard Brice, business development manager, Kardex, says: “By combining all stock into one high-density unit, better security is achieved, minimising stock losses and enabling higher levels of inventory accuracy.”