The Satellite Review Magazine 2017 Satellite Review Magazine_pages hi res | Page 22

(FEFO) inventory management to minimize product waste due to expira- tion dates. Also, the AS/RS eliminates the need for multiple fork trucks and lessens opportunities for product damage/waste. Without forklifts, there is no need for battery charging stations and fewer batteries end up in landfills. With Westfalia’s “Go Green with High Density” warehouse automation solutions, customers across various industries have obtained significant savings. Many have been able to reduce their overall building footprint by up to 50% (versus conventional warehous- es), while simultaneously expanding their storage capacity by 30-50%. These savings often result in an average reduction of energy costs up to 40%. Additionally, Westfalia’s AS/RS has seen a lifespan of 25 or more years, so the savings are also sustainable, as the technology lasts well into the future, often yielding ROI’s of 15% to 30%. Industry challenges—just in time orders, SKUs and regulations There have been many changes within the warehousing industry over the past 25 years, from the explosion in the number of SKUs, to consumer behav- ior and the decline of brand loyalty. This results in businesses having to manage more diverse inventories, while also decreasing the time to mar- ket for its brands. Increased regulatory pressures and traceability requirements also continue to push the industry toward the automation of many of its processes. Seeing the need, Westfalia developed its Savanna.NET® WES to help busi- nesses better manage their inventory by providing accurate, real-time infor- mation on goods moving through the warehouse. The WES includes a tightly 22 The Satellite Review integrated warehouse management system (WMS) and warehouse control system (WCS) helping manufacturers and distributors direct, control and op- timize material flow and order picking. This two-in-one solution performs the tasks of both systems through a single interface. Its modular design enables companies to use only the functions needed to handle their immediate warehousing needs—ranging from full traceability of inventory to fully auto- mating the warehouse with an AS/RS. butes) throughout the product’s lifecy- cle. The system logs every move of the product until it is loaded on the truck, creating an audit trail of every per- son/piece of equipment that touched that inventory, and every adjustment made. This is one of biggest benefits of Savanna.NET®—the software reliably captures the required data, so that customers can quickly and efficiently access that information. Westfalia today—ever- evolving industry leader With higher inventory levels and more SKUs on hand, many warehouses have Westfalia continues its commitment to begun to adopt just-in-time (JIT) or- finding ways to improve upon existing der fulfillment strategies, where orders solutions’ designs and functional- are prepared when the truck arrives. ities. Most recently, this has led to the Westfalia’s automation technology pro- creation of the latest product in the vides the flexibility for organizations to Savanna.NET application suite—the employ JIT strategies. Now, when the truck arrives on site, oper- ators release the order via With the ability to gain insight the Savanna.NET® interface. into its operations in real time, Then, the S/RM picks and companies will be able to delivers the order to the appropriate area for load- quickly respond to problems ing onto the truck. Because within the manufacturing process of the speed of the system, it is not necessary to stage as well as improve operations orders on or near the loading efficiency—saving both time dock, and products are only and money. brought out when needed. This frees up a great deal of warehouse space and keeps everything Firefly fault recovery visualization flowing. tool—as well as the launch of Westfalia Another challenge Savanna.NET is helping customers meet is the need to ensure consumer safety. With federal regulations like the Food Safety Mod- ernization Act (FSMA) and a growing number of recalls, companies are look- ing for viable ways to track and trace products throughout the supply chain – from the manufacturing process to the time of delivery. With Savanna. NET®, users can track inventory or raw materials (and any number of attri- Parking Solutions. The Firefly fault recovery visualization tool provides users with a three-di- mensional (3D) augmented view of the warehouse, inventory and auto- mated systems managed within the Savanna.NET® application to help facilities manage their inventory and recover from automation faults more efficiently. By utilizing 3D visualizations instead www. WestfaliaUSA.com