Red Ledge (www.redledge.co.uk) automation and process control technology can be used for pick-and-place systems to aid automatic packing of goods. This means orders are 100% accurate.
Red Ledge automation and process control systems have been used to automate:-
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Hand cleansing usage improvement.
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Pick-and-place systems to aid automatic packing of goods.
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Ready-mix concrete plants.
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Scanning of bar-coded or RFID-tagged items.
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Testing of blood gas electrodes (ATE machines) with precise test results.
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Stone cutting machinery, with precision to 1/1000th of an inch.
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Material inspection fault reporting using touchscreen technology.
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Human reaction timing (using touch sensors, broadband sound and light) for research into muscular diseases.
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Material cutting systems directly integrated to Red Ledge WMS.
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Red Ledge provides consultation, engineering and machine construction facilities.
Case study: investing in automation to support business growth
Draper Tools, a leading hand and power tool distributor has more than 5,000 UK and overseas customers. Historically its customers have been mostly business-to-business (B2B) retailers and distributors but more recently Draper has also begun using its logistics platform to ship to consumers directly on behalf of its customers.
Draper Tools is upgrading and modernising its warehousing and logistics workflows with enabling technology, supported by its technology partner Red Ledge. The company has a two-site, 560,000 square feet warehousing operation based in Eastleigh, Hampshire and employing around 120 people. Thanks to the new technology that drives its warehousing and logistics division the company has been able to service additional demand without taking on the temporary staff it used to.
Automation
A ‘Red Ledge WMS’ warehouse management system sits at the heart of the company’s 15,000-SKU operation, integrated with Draper Tools’ IBM ERP (enterprise resource planning) and Knapp automated picking systems and capable of updating inventory in real time. Other, WMS-driven functions include a volumetric packing optimiser, automated labelling and carrier management. The company’s 100+ mobile scanners that are now used by its warehouse teams are also driven by the Red Ledge WMS. Future objectives include greater automation of Draper Tools’ export order fulfilment.
Having a WMS allows Draper to drive efficiencies and adapt to new working practices such as drop shipping directly to consumers on behalf of its customers. Also, it is now able to pick orders in batches rather than single orders, delivering efficiencies in the use of warehouse time: rather than doing 600 journeys round the warehouse staff are doing thirty.
More operational visibility
The Draper Logistic Team works closely with the Red Ledge team to ensure that the WMS is harnessed to the needs of the business. The system is used to generate management reports on the performance of Draper Tools individuals, teams and warehouse processes. Greater operational visibility is making warehousing and logistics at Draper a more profitable part of the business by driving down costs. The functionality of the Red Ledge WMS can also be easily replicated to support multiple operations domestically or globally.
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