Material Handling Case Study - Pet Supply Distribution

Pet Supermarket, Sunrise Florida is a large retail pet store chain with over 100 stores throughout the US. They sell more than 8,000 pet products.The Company is privately held and was started in 1973 by the current owner Chuck West. Since its inception, it has continued to grow and has evolved in to one of the leading pet retail stores in the US.

The company utilized an outdated and manual picking system. The number of new stores was continuing to grow. The number of products that they were stocking was growing as well. The company had a lot of product stored on the floor because it had maximized its floor space. The clear height of the building was not conducive to high bay racking or multi-level pick modules. This prohibited the addition of automated equipment, thus hampering future growth and productivity.

Pet Supermarket needed a larger and taller warehouse. TriFactor worked closely with Diane Holtz (Pet Supermarket’s President) to provide feedback on the right size of building. By locating the right building Pet Supermarket could increase productivity and decrease manual labor. They needed expertise in picking orders as well as storing product. In addition, it was determined that a solution was needed to reduce replenishment time.

TriFactor collaborated with Pet Supermarket to formulate a Cost-Plus Contract. This contract would ensure a quicker completion date and reduce the overall cost of the project. Both Pet Supermarket and TriFactor viewed this as a WIN-WIN proposition. The decision was made to implement a 3 Level Pick Module with a case conveyor system. This would allow the company to utilize their vertical space, reduce labor to pick orders, and improve pick accuracy. In addition to the automation, TriFactor engineered various rack storage systems to ensure proper stocking levels for all products. These rack systems improved space efficiency by utilizing the taller clear height of the building and narrower storage aisles.

The TriFactor team completed the project on time and on budget, even with the unforeseen occurrence of a hurricane. The immediate results included improved efficiency, reduced labor, better space utilization and improved order accuracy. Additional benefits included better employee morale and retention.

ROI

20 Months.

• Download a copy of the Pet Supermarket material handling case study.

• Consider also looking at the Central Pet Supply distribution case study