Achieve workforce reduction and operational improvement with the total picking and assorting method.

Introduction video of the case study.

Introduced the package software "Sorting Expert" to achieve labor savings, and successfully reviewed the overall work process.

Not only did we improve shipping processing capacity, but we also succeeded in reducing the number of workers! Furthermore, we achieved high-precision sorting work.

Background of the implementation

There was a challenge that required a large number of workers.

In the case of the traditional conveyor picking method, workers had to be assigned to each block, and furthermore, in some areas, picking had to be done in pairs with one reader and one picker, requiring a minimum of 16 workers to be deployed.

There was a need to address the backlog of inspection waiting.

Due to allocating a large number of workers to the conveyor picking method, there were often delays in the inspection process in the subsequent steps, and it was necessary to improve the backlog.

It was difficult to inform everyone about the work situation.

It was difficult to inform everyone about the complex work situation because it was necessary to pick multiple containers (breakfast/lunch/dinner) based on one order number.

It took time to prepare for the picking operation to start.

It took time to move inventory items from the freezer room to the anteroom, set up shelves/products, and then start the work.

The deciding factor for implementation

Lead time until delivery.

By proposing the use of packaged software, we were able to achieve implementation at the desired delivery date for the shipper faster than other companies.

Improvement in labor productivity.

The proposal for changing to total picking operations resulted in a reduction of the conventional picking frequency to 1/14, and further improvement in shipping processing capacity by about 1.2 times through subsequent sorting by destination matched the proposal.

Impact after implementation

Improvement in shipping processing capacity and labor productivity.

By introducing a sorting system that allows up to three workers to work on one line, the shipping processing capacity increased by about 1.2 times, and further labor productivity improved from about 420 pieces/hour/person to about 520 pieces/hour/person.

Successfully reduced the number of workers.

With a system where sorting work can be done by one worker, the need for working in pairs as before was eliminated, allowing the number of workers to be reduced from 16 to 13.

Visualization of container information.

After sorting is completed, displaying the shipping destination information on the display unit allows for visualization of container information by order number.

Achievement of a system that can respond flexibly.

By installing a total of 4 lines (with 120 slots per line), it became possible to flexibly select the work line and arrange workers according to the shipping volume.

Achieved high shipping accuracy.

Due to the simple and straightforward work using the display unit, the error rate was low (in the 99% range), resulting in highly accurate sorting work that also served as an inspection.

Successfully reduced the number of picking times.

By changing from total picking to sorting operations, the number of picking times has been reduced to 1/14 of the conventional level.

Cost reduction through the use of packaged software.

Our dedicated sorting package software helped reduce the initial cost.