ITC - Automated High Density Storage Plant

ITC planned to build its 4th plant with a new integrated food manufacturing and logistics facility in Medak, near Hyderabad. This plant would be the largest and fully automated high density storage plant for them. The goal was to shift from manual to automated processes to meet their storage and throughput requirements. Addverb provided a unique high density storage solution that helped ITC make the most of limited space.

Objective

ITC needed a solution to manage the entire process from receiving inventory to storing it and later shipping it out to various distributors. Their main goal was to enhance their storage and processing capacity within the limited space and establish a system that would allow direct shipment to distributors from their automated high density storage plant.

The automated solution required a large number of storage bins and pick faces for case picking. Their additional ask was the provision of manual case picking for creating mixed pallets. Addverb provided a unique solution that automated the manual process as well.

Solution Implemented

Addverb visited other manually operated sites to understand their process and interacted extensively with stakeholders at all levels, from factory operators to head office leaders. This helped discover key information and generate critical insights into their material handling processes.

Afterward, our solutions team collaborated closely with the customer to design a creative automated high density storage plant that utilised Multi-Deep Shuttle ASRS, Pick-to-Light, powered by our intuitive Warehouse Control System. One of the most distinctive features of the solution was the modification of the Dense Racking System base to create aisles for Rainbow-Pallet (Mixed-SKU Pallet) formation.

The entire automated system offered exceptional throughput due to the dynamic allocation of pick faces for picking and put-away operations.

Improvement in Key Results (KPIs)

The automated high density plant designed by Addverb is one of the most unique solutions as it utilises the Mother-Child shuttle system not only for storage and retrieval but also for Rainbow-Pallet formation at the base of the same dense racking.

Storage system consists of G+4 levels, with 3440 pallet storage positions

At 'G' level, a single mother shuttle transfers to 6 single deep mother-child shuttle systems for order sorting and mixed pallet formation

4 multi-deep Mother-Child shuttle systems deployed on upper 4 levels. Total of 11 mother shuttles, 10 child shuttles, and supporting systems

Achieved inbound throughput of 135 pallets/hour from the production plant and outside vendors through automation system

Achieved outbound throughput of 160 pallets/hour using two outfeed units

Developed maintenance and troubleshooting system by integrating SAP EWM, WMS & PLC directly, eliminating middleware

Improved accuracy and throughput at warehouse's last touch point by using unified system for order sortation and storage

Initiated phase-2 project (High Base Area) connecting to phase-1 (Low Base Area) via mezzanine