«The new RelayPort is truly a good alternative to the popular CarouselPort, for those who need even higher throughput. By constantly cueuing up bins, the operator immediately has a new bin ready after confirming the previous task» says Arnold Hjelm Nielsen, Key Account Manager at Element Logic Norway.
XXL, the leading sports retailer in the Nordics, became the first company in the world to take the AutoStore RelayPort in use.
«It significantly increases the speed of handling, as waiting times are reduced to a minimum. We are delighted to see how well this new workstation works in practice» Hjelm Nielsen says.
«We are very pleased with the RelayPort. By using it on a daily basis we have been able to increase employee productivity, which in turn has led to lower staff costs» adds Geir Nielsen, Logistics Director at XXL.
Up to 650 bins per hour
The new RelayPort consists of an ergonomic work station with 2-6 buffer modules that feeds the operator continuously with bins. With all buffer modules and Black Line Robots, it can handle up to 650 bins per hour. Both AutoStore robots, Red Line and Black Line, are compatible with the workstation, making it an available option for all AutoStore installations – On days with high volumes and many deadlines, the RelayPort has proven its high capacity by boosting our performance even more. On a high-volume day, every employee can easily double his or her speed, when compared to working on other ports, Operating Manager at XXL, Kai-Remi Berge, explains.
Element Logic’s aftermarket team is following up all customers on a regular basis and were quick to suggest that XXL retrofit their AutoStore system with the new RelayPort once it became available. It took about a week for them to assemble and set up the workstation, which included one Touch module and three Tab modules.
Close to 100% uptime
XXL’s sports retailer’s 32.000 m2 in Norway needs to run efficiently and consistently to ensure that orders get delivered on time. The same goes for their 60.000 m2 omni logistics center in Sweden, which serves the entire European Union.
«We’ve been very pleased with the consistency. Over the last couple months with the RelayPort, we have had very close to 100 percent uptime at the port and are better prepared for the future», Berge from XXL concludes.
Facts & Figures
- Close to 100% up-time
- 3200 order lines pr. day pr. operator
- 450 picks (batch picking) pr. hour with three modules and R5 robots.
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