Slow Mover Management – picking C-parts efficiently

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Published on: November 19, 2015 / Updated on: April 24, 2021 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Pick C parts efficiently in the warehouse

Storing slow-moving items on shelves – long travel times

Every warehouse manager has them, (almost) every company needs them, hardly anyone likes them: C-parts; colloquially known as slow-moving items, duds, or simply shelf warmers. Unlike the constantly requested A- or B-category items, these goods usually sit on the shelves like lead and occupy a considerable portion of valuable storage capacity. From a cost and efficiency perspective, they are a nightmare for intralogistics managers, but to complete the product range and guarantee a high level of service and constant availability to customers or downstream departments, they must be kept in stock.

Slow-moving items are often stored in decentralized locations within the warehouse on conventional shelving units to avoid obstructing access to fast-moving goods. However, this approach overlooks the fact that it significantly increases travel times for retrieving C-items, ultimately negatively impacting the overall warehouse efficiency.

Storage in conventional racking systems vs. automated warehouses

While the few high-volume items are usually grouped in optimal storage positions, from where they can be easily retrieved in large quantities, retrievals of C-parts are generally characterized by

small quantities of many different items and
separate picking of each individual item per order

Efficient order picking depends crucially on the picking time per order item. Comparing the required picking times per order for static and automated storage systems, travel time offers the greatest potential for reduction. In static storage systems, travel time is the key factor, as pickers typically have to cover long distances through the warehouse to reach the correct storage location. With automated storage systems, the "goods-to-person" principle minimizes these walking distances, thus significantly reducing picking time. This time saving allows more orders to be processed in the same amount of time, ultimately leading to the desired acceleration. However, this presents a challenge: each item to be picked is usually in its own container (bin, carton). This means the storage system has to provide a new container for each individual order item, which in turn reduces speed.

The goal is therefore a system that enables the picking of even slow-moving items with fast access times. Such a solution is attractive to many companies and industries. Whether it's medium-sized industrial companies with upstream buffer storage for assembly, retailers, large corporations, or intralogistics service providers: all of them would benefit from such a system to optimize the storage and retrieval of their C-items (and not only these!).

Pick C-items cost-effectively and with short travel times

Intralogistics provider Kardex Remstar has targeted precisely these customers with a newly developed provisioning system called the Vertical Buffer Module. The solution is aimed at companies that:

Store C-items of different sizes
These individual articles have received few visits
In total, many accesses to the entire, wide-ranging C-product range have
need permanent and quick access to these articles

To achieve high process efficiency in the warehouse, these companies need a system that best meets the following criteria:

high picking performance and precision
easy integration with existing conveyor technology and WMS software
Energy efficiency
ergonomic design of workplaces
Mixed storage of containers and cartons
Storage of different storage heights

The Vertical Buffer Module meets the primary requirement of high picking performance by enabling up to 250 double cycles (storage and retrieval) per unit per hour. It can therefore handle up to 500 order items per hour and can be easily integrated into existing conveyor technology, logistics, and software systems.

Efficient technology enables the system to consume only one-third of the energy compared to similar systems (e.g., efficient storage systems, lifting beam systems). The "goods-to-person" principle used in order picking, with direct delivery of parts to an ergonomically lowered access opening (by 20 degrees), significantly improves both walking times and ergonomics for employees.

Users also benefit from greater flexibility in terms of payload, as the units can store containers, boxes, or trays of various sizes weighing up to 35 kg. A wide range of optional equipment and scalability from small to large units further enhance flexibility.

Since a single order picker can operate up to two devices simultaneously, the system reduces personnel requirements, further increasing its cost efficiency. Finally, the included software control, along with the touchpad-based operating element, allows for virtually zero-error picking precision. The order picker is supported by pick-to-light systems that display the items to be picked in detail.

The Vertical Buffer Module is therefore an extremely efficient solution for storing and retrieving small-volume items. With its high picking capacity of up to 500 order positions per hour, it is suitable both for supplying a production line with a wide variety of items and as a buffer storage system in the assembly line or for order picking in the distribution warehouse. Its high energy efficiency and easy integration into existing conveyor technology or WMS software also make it an extremely flexible storage solution.

The advantages at a glance: