SSI Schaefer has provided
The Wine Society with a
high-bay storage solution and
a picking, packing and
sortation solution at its
Stevenage distribution centre.

The installation comprises
high-bay pallet racking, Live
Carton Storage (KDR),
shelving, integrated conveyor
systems, case-picking, single
item zone-picking and carton
shipping sortation and has
resulted in a 40% increase in
productivity.

Warehouses two and four
contain medium to fast
moving products. SSI Schaefer
has installed high-bay pallet
racking and a picking, packing
and sortation system, the latter
of which is on two levels.

The company believes
warehouse four to have the
flattest warehouse floor in
Europe and the highest VNA
racking serviced by forklift
trucks in Europe. The high
bay pallet racking system has
more than 12,000 pallet
locations, stands at 15.3m tall
with eight pallet levels inside
the 20m high building.

VNA racking is serviced by
Linde forklift trucks, which
can handle up to 1250kg per
pallet lift. Man-up trucks pick
from levels one to six and
forklifts bring down pallets
from levels seven and eight.

Full case picking is effected
from pallets in warehouse two.

These are put on conveyors,
brought by lowerators to
conveyors at ground level
and merged with single item
picks (in cases); single item
picks are made in one area
surrounded by KDR for the
fastest movers, and shelving
for the slower movers.

Cases enter a sortation
system with 13 lanes, two
routes per lane. The Wine
Society can pick and sort 26
van routes in one pick wave.