Background

• Our client is a leading supermarket chain operating over 200 outlets in Hong Kong
• Collaborated with our hardware partners, Tradelink provided warehouse automation solution for use by our client at its 33,000 square meter multi-purpose ambient warehouse to support 7x24 operations for goods delivery to its 200+ outlets
• The project was one of the largest-scale warehouse automation project in Asia outside mainland China

Challenges

• As one of the largest and busiest distribution centres in Hong Kong, our client's warehouse operations before automation required an immense amount of manpower and experienced workers
• Due to the demanding warehouse working environment, our client has always faced issue with manpower shortage in particular skilled labor
• Due to the high rental cost, our client wished to streamline the warehouse processes for their Fast Moving Consumer Goods and achieve zero inventory to maximise warehouse space utilisation
• Facing growing competition from online shopping, our client has been looking for ways to improve the productivity and accuracy of its warehouse operations to maintain its competitive edge
• Throughout the project implementation period, its existing operations cannot be disrupted so as to meet their daily business needs

Solutions

• Powered by Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, our solution reengineered each and every work process of the warehouse from goods receiving, put-away and storage, order picking to shipping
• Our Warehouse Management System (WMS) serves as the mastermind to plan, guide and control manual operations as well as different automated material handling equipment provided by our hardware partners including:
  
  Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV)
  • Automated load carrier directed by a combination of computer software and sensor-based guidance systems with pre-defined paths
  • To handle bulky goods and achieve goods-to-man picking
  
  4-way shuttles
  • Automated pallet shuttle moving in 4 directions
  • To handle the put-away and retrieval of goods within high-density storage according to their expiry dates and importance
  
  Put-to-light systems
  • Automated sortation system through the use of light devices
  • Integrated with conveyor belt to achieve goods-to-man picking


• With the use of customised handhelds, warehouse operations can be updated real-time to the computer system to enhance inventory visibility and facilitate management
• Tradelink acted as the overall Project manager to oversee the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of the solution

Benefits

• Daily warehouse daily throughput is doubled
• Goods-to-man picking performed by AGVs significantly reduces manpower requirement
• Tedious picking process is simplified and picking failure rate is significantly reduced
• High-density storage supported by 4-way shuttles helps to save warehouse space
• Enhance inventory visibility and warehouse efficiency