Increase Fulfillment Speed | Omnichannel

The e-commerce, omnichannel revolution is here to stay, and with it comes exponential increases in fulfillment speeds and complexities. Yet, despite the new reality of modern commerce, most fulfillment centers still rely heavily on manual processes. But to keep pace, stay competitive and maintain profit margins in the long term, retailers will need to begin making the digital transformation and taking steps toward increased automation. 

Unlike the more predictable fulfillment models of the past, the dynamic retail environment of today is defined by rush deliveries, changing product profiles and unpredictable demand spikes. Unfortunately, many retailers are trying to make this transition using yesterday’s warehouse execution systems, and are unable to effectively respond to these challenges. 

Enter Momentum, the industry’s only warehouse execution system designed to drive productivity in dynamic DC environments. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how Momentum’s functional modules deliver automated efficiencies and serve as a foundation for future growth. 

Dynamic Space Allocation via AS/RS Shuttle

Are you maximizing the storage capacity of your automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS)? Momentum dynamically matches product size and shape attributes to available locations in an AS/RS shelving system for:

• Increased storage density and capacity of the existing footprint
• Automated dynamic location assignment based on product size and space availability 

Intelligent Order Release Based on Capacity, Delivery Time, Congestion and Labor

Are you having difficulty consolidating and shipping orders comprised of products from varying locations and unique handling requirements? Momentum takes labor availability, product attributes, value-added services and travel routes into consideration and drives intelligent order assembly and release so:

• Products arrive at the shipping dock at the same time
• Orders are prioritized and escalated to meet SLAs
• Congestion, bottlenecks and overloading are greatly minimized

Just-in-time Put Wall Allocation and Order Consolidation

Is effective order consolidation preventing you from meeting SLAs? Momentum automates order consolidation with a put-wall solution that allocates fulfillment demand based on real-time put wall availability. 

• Increase throughput while decreasing congestion
• Coordinate order picking with put wall station availability
• Combine the benefits of wave picking with just-in-time location 

High-density Pick and Put via Location Sizing and Configuration

In most operations, pick faces and put walls are parts of a fixed framework, regardless of changing product sizes or seasonal order demands. Momentum offers a flexible framework that allows you to configure pick faces and put walls to accommodate specific product and order sizes — including the configuration of light-directed hardware.

• Maximize space utilization for high-SKU density
• Accommodate variable SKU sizes without changing the square footage
• Respond to changes in order profiles

Automated Sort and Shuttle Order Consolidation 

There comes a point when adding more labor to improve order consolidation has diminishing returns. With lag time between orders and multiple manual touches, the opportunities for errors and wasted time from idle workers quickly adds up. Momentum significantly reduces labor requirements, inefficiencies and errors associated with order consolidation by employing an automated sorter and shuttle retrieval system that: 

• Reduces manual labor requirements via automated order consolidation, chute closure and takeaway
• Increases throughput and order accuracy rates
• Delivers optimal product consolidation via demand-based sorter allocation

Goods-to-operator Workstations (Multipurpose Tasks, Work Prioritization and Dynamic Routing)

Modern distribution operations can’t afford to blindly push work to operators without visibility to their workstation capacities, task lists or skillsets. Momentum eliminates these inefficiencies with intelligent workflows that release work to available, qualified workers for maximum productivity to:

• Effectively manage workstation tasks, balancing demand while reducing congestion
• Reduce workforce, maximize space utilization and accelerate processing times
• Allow operations the ability to assign tasks in real time based on labor availability

Click here to learn more how Momentum can help you make the transition to automated efficiencies. 

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