Dynamic changes in both physical “brick and mortar” and online retail require highly flexible intralogistics solutions that quickly adapt to product lines and order demands.

With online shopping demands continuously increasing, e-commerce is seeing a period of unprecedented growth. Success leaves many companies facing the same problem. Sooner or later demand starts to surpass capacities. Increasing competition, margin pressure, and a growing number of returns require maximum efficiency and productivity. In addition, the explosive growth of omni-channel distribution adds complexity to the logistics process.

Scalable automation offers an injection of speed, capacity, and improved accuracy at an investment point suited to match various-sized operations. These types of improvements allow Kardex customers to scale their demands and avoid the need to build extensions, new facilities, or outsource.

Warehouse challenges

  • Running out of space to accommodate growth in either volume or breadth of product lines
  • Restricting same day or next day deliveries because order fulfillment is too slow
  • Adapting to changing inventory and order quantities
  • Managing seasonal order fluctuations and promotional marketing campaigns (e.g., Black Friday)
  • Navigating complex distribution channels (i.e., omni-channel)
  • Experiencing high return rates

Often the best option to conquer these challenges is to apply expert advice and scalable automation. This enables you to transform your order fulfillment potential, storage capacity, and picking accuracy. It’s possible to implement an automated solution that is right for your operations today and has the ability to scale as your business grows.

E-commerce solutions

Distribution center with storage in static shelves, on pallets and in vertical lift systems

Distribution center with automated storage solutions

High-bay warehouse with stacker cranes

High-bay warehouse for pallets

Improve order fulfillment

Kardex Color Pick System

Kardex Color Pick System is a simple and flexible solution allowing companies to scale labor and workflows proportionally. Using pick-to-light technology, it enables you to add or remove labor, easily adjusting system throughput to meet current order demand. Picking carts are pushed through work zones while operators simply follow colors to pick the right goods for the matching order / cart. A perfect solution to manage fluctuating demand (e.g. seasonality).

Kardex Frame Pick System

Kardex Frame Pick System is designed to speed up order picking performance by accelerating the simultaneous processing of batches. It minimizes picking errors, reduces walking distances by up to 65%, and optimizes storage space. This simple and efficient system uses put frames, pick-to-light technology and pick carts in combination with automated storage and retrieval solutions (ASRS) and inventory management software to significantly increase throughput.

Customer benefits

With an extensive portfolio and numerous applications, Kardex is a proven intralogistics partner to the e-commerce industry.

Learn more about the benefits of our solutions.

Fully automated systems from Kardex reduce order fulfillment time and provide fast and smooth picking processes. This is enabled by simultaneous inbound and outbound processes using high-performance picking strategies. Sophisticated inventory management software solutions further add to the high-speed and precise picking results.

Warehouse staff and assembly workers have direct access to the required articles from their work station. This reduces unnecessary walking, making the process more efficient and more ergonomic for the workers

In combination with a variety of light-directed picking technologies and integrated message centers that communicate pick information to the operator automated storage and retrieval systems enable high pick accuracy. Together, these systems indicate the item to be picked, display the part number or description, pinpoint the exact location, direct picking (or storage for replenishment) and indicate the required quantity. These visual picking aids reduce picking errors, accelerate order fulfillment, and increase accuracy up to 99.9%.

An obvious advantage of automated storage and retrieval systems is the labor savings. Automated systems from  Kardex deliver the required item directly to the operator via the “goods to person” concept, dramatically reducing operator walk and search time. In a manual operation associates frequently spend as much as 60-65% of their shifts walking and searching for the right items.

Using automated technology, a worker remains within the assigned work area and the machines deliver stored goods to the operator as needed. Pick lights illuminate the item’s location and pick quantity required, cutting the operator time spent searching for a specific item, resulting in more time spent picking.

One worker can handle the picking assignments of multiple operators in a manual system, allowing you to reassign as many as two-thirds of your manual picking labor to other, non-picking tasks—without a loss of throughput.

Kardex’s product range is diverse and variable. Automated storage and retrieval solutions reduce available space by up to 85%, optimally use storage capacity, and enable quick and reliable picking. Dynamic allocation of space means future-proof storage and maximum efficiency, irrespective of how product profiles change over time.

The inventory management software from Kardex adapts the storage systems to your processes and ensures optimal order picking performance. It integrates seamlessly with most existing ERP/WMS systems, prevents unauthorized access, and minimizes the processing time for individual orders. This results in faster delivery times and reduces costs.

In manually handled shipping areas, non-transparent warehouse processes lead to incorrect loading and high return costs. Kardex's automated solutions for buffering and sequencing ensure flexibility as well as quality for the order deliveries.

The automated systems help to efficiently buffer and consolidate items picked from different areas and provide them just-in-time and fully-automated when needed.

Case studies

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Curious how Kardex can fulfill your specific needs?

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