Receiving and storage of e-fulfilment products
Well begun is half done. Both the reception and the storage of products are therefore key components of e-fulfilment. Luckily, Active Ants has years of experience with these aspects. As a result of recent modernisations, these processes are conducted with optimal speed and efficiency!
Goods-in
Every day, dozens of transporters deliver products to us from Active Ants’ many affiliated online shops. All received goods are quickly processed and put in stock. We report our activities to the clients in question.
Active Ants’ product-reception procedure is highly optimised and efficient:
- By default, all products are placed in inventory within four hours of reception (SLA) and can be sold immediately;
- All products are counted and weighed upon reception;
- We can also process products without a barcode;
- At 12.00 and 17.00, our clients receive automatically generated reports listing the products with changed inventory levels (if applicable);
- If the number of products received does not match the reported amount, the client will receive a report detailing the discrepancies.
Storage
The high degree of efficiency continues with the storage of all e-fulfilment products. Active Ants has more than 33,000 m2 of warehouse space with pallet locations and storage racks. Since we use five different picking sizes and three different pallet sizes, we have the perfect storage location for every product and can offer clients a storage solution at the lowest possible cost.
Autostore system
However, the real star of our storage facilities is our unique Autostore system, which is used for both storage and order picking. This high-grade system consists of a cube-shaped framework in which plastic bins with products can be stacked and stored. The framework can hold a nearly limitless number of storage bins. In Nieuwegein, we currently have 80,000 storage bins. In Roosendaal, we can expand our capacity to 200,000 storage bins. By minimising the space between the bins, we make optimal use of the available space.
Autostore robots drive across the framework. When an order comes in, the robots retrieve the right bins and transport them to our operators. They can then easily take out the products in question and continue processing the order.
Here are some highlights of Active Ants’ storage solution:
- Dust-proof and secure storage of products, with suitable storage for products of all dimensions;
- Every Saturday, our ERP system measures how many storage locations each client occupies, so we can send fair invoices based on the storage space that is actually being used;
- Our clients can request online reports on warehouse movements and inventory levels or even a real-time age analysis;
- Active Ants takes responsibility for the entire inventory and offers contractual guarantees regarding stock discrepancies.
Would you like to know more about product reception and storage or Active Ants’ entire inventory management process? Take a look at the e-fulfilment page or contact us directly for more information.
