Germantown, WI -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/14/2010 -- To meet the demands of their growing supply chain, Charlotte Russe selected the Warehouse Management for iSeries solution from Manhattan Associates an optimized Charlotte Russe’s receiving, inventory, planning and replenishment processes to efficiently support their retail store growth. Charlotte Russe’s Ontario distribution center also installed a Pack-to-Light solution from Lightning Pick Technologies (http://www.lightningpick.com.)
Manufacturing journalist TR Cutler looked at Pick to Light technologies in the current issue of Logistics Week. In the feature article Cutler explores how Charlotte Russe operates over 500 stores throughout 45 states and Puerto Rico. Charlotte Russe stores deliver style in clothing and accessories, providing an exciting, fashionable assortment of merchandise that compliments virtually every facet of their customers’ lifestyle. Founded in 1975, their stores provide fashion and lifestyle needs of young, fashion-conscious women in their teens and early twenties, offering trend right apparel and accessories at value prices. In addition to a wide selection of apparel, Charlotte Russe also offers a full range of accessories and footwear, helping customers to easily compliment their apparel selections.
”Our expansion strategy challenged us to support our news stores and meet the rising replenishment order volumes. Lightning Pick Technologies’ Pack-to-Light solution immediately helped us push merchandise out to our stores faster, and get it in front of customers where it belongs,” noted Chris Monier, VP of Distribution and Logistics. Monier went on to say, “The intuitive, visual sortation approach also made training new employees exceptionally simple. Within a few hours we can have new operators actively using the Pack-to-Light system to quickly break down full cases of product into individual store boxes.”
Sometimes called a Put-to-Light or Put-to-Store system, Pack-to-Light was ideal for Charlotte’s flow-through retail store replenishment approach. The Pack-to-Light process is simple and effective. Manhattan’s WM conveys full cases of inventory to the correct pack area, where operators use the fully integrated Lightning Pick system to break them down to less-than-case-quantities for individual retail stores. The operators scan the full case of product with a cordless RF unit. Next, light modules illuminate at store boxes requiring that item, and direct the quantity needed for each. Different colored LEDs (red and green) direct operators to store positions/boxes above or below the track of light modules. The operator can quickly and accurately ‘put’ (or ‘pack’) the items to that store box, and then extinguish the light to confirm that the sortation was completed. The process repeats until the full case is rapidly emptied, and then another is conveyed to the pack area.
Today, Charlotte Russe maintains an impressive sortation rate regardless of order demand. Throughput for the whole Pack-to-Light system (all six zones) averages 5000 units per hour. During peak season the company processes 9500 units per hour through Lightning Pick, while maintaining a 99% accuracy rate. The solution is intuitive…a visual sortation approach makes new employee training exceptionally simple, while the Pack-to-Light approach has increased the speed and quality of Charlotte’s order processing for reliable store replenishment.
About Lightning Pick
For over 25 years and across 500 installations worldwide, Lightning Pick Technologies has delivered advanced order picking technologies on time, on budget, every time. Lightning Pick has best-in-class applications for Pick to Light, Put to Light, Pack to Light (Put to Store) Voice and RF systems support lean supply chain processes from manufacturing through order fulfillment. As a result, Lightning Pick clients improve their level of service, achieve superior order quality, and advance their positions in the market.
Lightning Pick Technologies
http://www.lightningpick.com
Joe Pelej
joe.pelej@lightningpick.com
262-250-2143