GeSe GmbH improves warehouse picking time with 10 VLMs
Case Summary
Improve warehouse picking time and accuracy in a part and service center with vertical storage systems
GeSe GmbH is a German part and service center that repairs primarily power tools made by several manufacturers. With a complex system for handling orders and parts from reception to shipping, the company struggled to keep up with demand due to operational inefficiencies, including warehouse picking time. In addition, operators experienced strain from retrieving items manually at ergonomically improper heights. The company purchased 10 Modula vertical lift modules (VLMs) to solve all of the issues. As a bonus, the installation was so readily integrated into existing processes that GeSe’s operations were uninterrupted throughout.
The Challenge
Operational inefficiency and a complex system for handling orders and parts
Started in 2002 as a German central support service for Dewalt and Stanley tools, GeSe has expanded to service other brands such as Skil and Black & Decker. Based in Teuchern, the company stores 35,000 spare parts in its 32,2917 square-foot (30,000 square meters) facility. The sprawling center has separate areas for handling parts and equipment at different stages of repair and shipping. Separate operations handled orders received, orders to be shipped, and parts from external suppliers. The vast size meant operators were spending a lot of time retrieving or delivering parts and tools and were prone to mispicks due to the complexity of the operation.
The Solution
10 Modula vertical lift modules to speed productivity and accuracy
GeSe purchased 10 Modula MC25D vertical lift modules (VLMs), equipped with Modula’s warehouse management system (WMS) solution. The units were coordinated with the center’s material handling computer system to ensure visibility and control of the process. With the installation, workers no longer had to walk throughout the huge facility to retrieve or send parts and tools. Instead, everything was delivered to them directly. Moreover, orders could be quickly entered through a barcode reader. In short, the Modula equipment not only boosted productivity, but also reduced picking errors and eased the strain operators felt from the manual system. Chief Executive Officer Mike Suske was impressed as well by how easily the VLMs were added to their process, which occurred during working hours. “During installation, there was no reduction in our output,” he says. “It was possible to simply integrate these units into our existing operational system.”
