Locator Storage System – computer optimised fixed location warehouse
Because you don’t get paid just for searching
Let’s assume you had a small warehouse to store parts, say 500 m² and 12,000 SKU – do you think it would be realistic to reduce the amount of space by 50%? Would you also think that it is possible to halve the amount of time needed to pick orders? And this is supposed to happen without compromising the availability of the goods? We know it’s possible and we have the right concept to make it happen. We named this kind of warehouse organisation “locator storage system”.
Working with a locator storage system is an interesting alternative for car dealerships, repair shops, bicycle and motorcycle dealers and truck service stations. If you are working in these or similar industries, you should read on.
Simple concept with strong results
The idea behind this concept is actually quite simple. As a starting point, we use a standard fixed location warehouse. But instead of sorting all the goods according to order numbers or identification, we look at their characteristics. These include size, weight, value, potential hazards (for hazardous materials), but most importantly turnover rates.
Collecting and evaluating this data would be almost impossible for humans. Therefore, we use a special computer program to do the work. It calculates the optimal warehouse organisation based on the article data and the warehouse layout. Afterwards, we set up the warehouse according to these results.
Finding, instead of just searching
The positive effects are noticeable right from the start. Your employees will find items faster and will use less time order picking. This means, you can assign them to more valuable tasks. As you know, the customers don’t pay you for looking for certain parts, but for installing them in a professional way. Our locator storage system will cut your order picking times by 50-70%. Your customers will surely appreciate this.
You are probably wondering by now, how we achieve these kinds of time savings. As mentioned earlier, the concept itself is simple, but effective. After we re-organised your warehouse according to the calculations, the items your customers demand most often are stored within 5 m around the counter.
Room for additional sources of income
And there’s more: the warehouse is not just route optimised, but also compressed. Afterwards, around 50 % of the space is available for other purposes. Would you like to store special tools or offer your customers a tyre storage service? No problem, that’s now possible! You can take your customer service to the next level or access new sources of income.
Take us at our word and check our references. And please don’t hesitate to contact us, in case you have a question.
- Information and consulting
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Feedback from our customers
"With the modular shelving system and the locator technology from SSI Schaefer, we have a flexible system and an efficient storage strategy for a continually growing warehouse."
Jan-Christian Diederichs, Managing Director at Diederichs
"Despite the increased stock, we have virtually doubled our picking time from 90 to around 160 picks per hour using the locator system, the structured processes and the new warehouse equipment."
Thomas Hurdelhey, Warehouse Manager at Schrader Industriefahrzeuge
“The travel and picking times are now considerably shorter. The mechanics picking the parts are finding the new system really easy to use. The warehouse is now work-friendly and modern. We are absolutely delighted with the result.”
Steffen Mühleisen, Warehouse Manager at Scania
“In the end, we didn’t just gain space for our wheel storage service. With shortened routes and better organisation, we are now also saving a lot of time, which lead to an improvement in our after-sales service.“
Thomas Wahl, Managing Director at Wahl-Group
