Compared to traditional static shelving and longspan
racking, dynamic carton live storage can offer faster
picking, reduced manpower and improved space saving
and organisation, according to Edward Hutchison,
managing director of BITO Storage Systems

Optimum availability of goods is a
decisive competitive factor for any
operation and demands fast access,
on-time delivery and the shortest lead times.

However, as warehouse and factory floor
space is increasingly expensive, to be able to
respond to these exacting requirements,
operators need maximum storage volume
occupying the minimum floor space. In
some applications conventional
storage struggles to meet these
demands, so many operators
are opting for live storage.

With traditional storage
solutions, cartons have to be
placed around a fixed
location to make sufficient
quantities of small parts
available. This hogs space at
the pick face, which means
fewer pick locations in a
given space or larger areas
for a bigger pick face,
particularly when fastmoving
products are
involved.

By concentrating cartons into flow lanes,
carton live provides a dense storage system
that will also increase productivity. Goods
are fed into the system at the rear to flow
down rollers in a lane designed around the
carton, or container, to be presented at the
front on the pick face. Once a carton at the
pick face is empty it is simply taken away. A
full carton sitting behind it flows down on
the roller tracks to take its place, ensuring
that products are constantly available to pick.

FIFO principle
It all works within the FIFO (first-in, firstout)
principle, which enables easy control of
time critical products, such as goods with
sell-by dates. The principle applies not just
with cartons but with pallets also and
solutions will often combine a mix of carton
and pallet live storage.

There are higher initial investment costs
with a carton live system but these will be
more than compensated for with
improvements in working efficiency. Greater
density of pick locations for small parts, for
example, can save up to 20% floor space and
travel time for pickers can be improved by
two thirds. And because the goods move
unassisted into the picking position, pickers
have constant availability of goods.

Carton live will also help to eliminate
double handling because the high storage
density it offers allows stock arriving via
Goods In to be located at the pick face rather
than in a buffer store on pallet racking. It
also speeds up product location because
items aren’t spread along the pick face as
would be the case with traditional racking
and shelving.

Picking face layout greatly influences
performance. Layout will generally be
determined by the movement velocity of
items being picked – whether they are fast,
medium or slow movers – and may involve
the use of conveyors.

The speed of picking activity can be
increased by designing the picking face to
take into account the order picker’s natural
picking curve and provide an ergonomic
working area. This includes installing the
picking conveyors at the correct working
height or a step-up rail to facilitate access to
the working levels above natural reach height
for pickers of all sizes.

Health and safety is always a central
concern for all warehouse and distribution
operations. Carton live storage can minimise
the risk of accident, particularly when
combined with a pallet live system or buffer
pallet storage. In this case, replenishment
takes place in the aisle at the back of the
system while picking takes place in the aisle
in front, separating forklift movement from
pedestrian areas.

Traditional racking installations can be
converted into carton live by retro fitting
flow shelves, which means that greater
efficiency, increased productivity and
improved health and safety are also within
easy reach.