Time and effort-saving order picking
Speed is of the essence when picking at floor level. Productivity depends primarily on the speed and precision of the respective employee. Picking goods is very personnel-intensive and requires constant attention and a lot of stamina on the part of the operator. In particular, the walking distances between the shelf and the picking device cost energy and time. However, unlike picking goods from the shelf and placing them on the load carrier, this activity does not add value.
At the same time, the demands on warehouse employees continue to increase. Picking rates should be kept as high as possible and error rates and health impairments as low as possible. There is therefore great potential in the picking process to increase the overall efficiency of warehouse logistics. Logistics service providers and retail chains can now exploit this optimization potential with the Linde N20 SA and N20 C SA semi-automated order pickers.
The new equipment option (semi-automated) offers two semi-automatic driving modes that immensely reduce driving and walking distances during the picking process. In addition, the risk of accidents is reduced, as constant climbing on and off the vehicle is no longer necessary. The result: handling performance and productivity in the warehouse increase.
Particularly practical when picking on one side of the rack: the semi-automatic "follow-me" function. Here, the truck stops as soon as the person stops, so that the goods can be placed directly from the rack onto the pallet. The truck then automatically follows the operator as he continues walking.
The employees thus move along the shelf and collect the goods without constantly having to cover the distance from the shelf to the driver's workstation. The onward movement of the order picker is triggered as soon as the operator passes a certain point on the vehicle and thus passes through the so-called "virtual wall".
For loading both sides of the vehicle, there is the "stop-and-go" function. The order picker drives through the center of the aisle at a constant speed and is sent ahead by remote control, which the operator ideally wears on his belt. The operator then runs back and forth behind the vehicle between the two sides of the rack to pick up or place goods. Thanks to this new function, too, there is no longer any need to walk back to the machine or to constantly get on and off.
Both the "stop-and-go" function and the "follow-me" function are based on ultra-wideband radio technology and can be set with centimeter precision. If the end of the aisle is approaching, then the device stops automatically to avoid collisions with other vehicles. The semi-automatic mode of the order picker is cancelled when the operator steps in and the device can be moved manually to the next aisle.
When using automated vehicles, there is always the question of operator safety. That's why Linde Material Handling has equipped the two N20 SA and N20 C SA order pickers with a high-performance safety scanner that detects people and other industrial trucks. This is located far down on the chassis and also detects unexpected obstacles, thus preventing collisions and accidents. To ensure that the racks remain undamaged and that the operator has enough space to carry out his work, the vehicle maintains a minimum distance of 50 centimeters from the rack. However, it is also possible to position the device at the beginning of the aisle with a greater distance.
Last but not least, extensive tests with real-life work examples have shown that the semi-automatic picker can increase performance by up to 20 percent compared to manual picking.