Agrotrak automated warehouse logistics based on InStock WMS

2021: Warehouse Logistics Automation

Automation of warehouse logistics at the next warehouse of Agrotrak has been completed. This was announced on November 16, 2021 by InStock Technologies. Agrotrak is engaged in the sale of agricultural equipment and the supply of spare parts for the agro-industrial complex.

Two warehouses were launched in Barnaul and in Omsk.

Tasks of the implemented InStock WMS system:

• Organization of the receiving area for processing a large number of articles
• Manage merchandise placement by storage area
• Manage selection with improved order picking accuracy and speed
• Automate shipping processes
• Accounting of negotiable packagings.

All items were divided into storage groups. This ensures orderly placement and optimization of accounting and further processing. When accepting a InStock, WMS determines the belonging of goods to the group and sends a placement task to the corresponding zone based on certain rules.

Part of the incoming delivery can be accepted in places, and part by regular acceptance. For example, small-piece goods can be taken locally to speed up the process, and tires from this supply are accepted by regular acceptance.

Goods at acceptance with sorting must be sorted into pallets and boxes by zones, in accordance with the rules by storage groups. Thus, from the buffer zone, the product is sorted into a pallet corresponding to only one storage zone. The employee scans the item and WMS determines which group the item belongs to and which zone it should be moved to. The item is placed by the employee on the pallet corresponding to this area. This method significantly speeds up the placement of goods.

The acceptance process under the control of InStock WMS ensures the accuracy of accounting, which later affects the increase in the selection speed and shipments to customers.

The system always has a database of photos of goods of proper quality. This facilitates both acceptance and further selection of goods.

If a scrap is detected during acceptance or the quality of the goods is in doubt, then the storekeeper is obliged to take a photo with the shipping documentation, which will be attached to the line of the inbound delivery document automatically.

From the acceptance area, WMS through the shipping documentation recommends that the employee pick up a certain pallet with the goods. The employee scans the pallet and InStock WMS determines its final storage location in the warehouse. The worker moves the pallet to the specified target cell, scans that cell, and places the item there. If goods from the reception area are placed on a mezzanine, then they first move to the buffer zones of interception of each floor of the mezzanine. If WMS recommends moving the item to the intercept cell first, the system then generates a pallet layout task.

Optimizing the placement of goods contributes to accurate accounting of balances, minimizing human errors, traceability of goods by warehouse and quick selection of orders under the control of WMS InStock.

The WMS InStock system schedules the route and routes the picker sequentially through the cells.

Under the control of WMS InStock, the speed and accuracy of picking orders increases.

In WMS, there is a formed list of the order of loading orders into the machine in accordance with the route and loading occurs in a certain WMS order.

Inventory jobs can be generated automatically from events during inventory work by nonconformance or by the operator. A separate job is generated for each cell and these jobs accumulate in the job queue.

As a result of introduction of a control system of the warehouse InStock WMS

• 100% Inventory Accounting Established
• The reception speed has been increased.
• Optimised placement of goods with efficient distribution in storage zones taking into account product groups, weight and size characteristics
• Automated selection processes, increased speed and accuracy of order picking
• Under the control of the WMS InStock, a regular inventory is established without stopping the warehouse.
• Storage capacity has increased.