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DVD Warehouse Management System

Posted in Allen Bradley PLC, Consumer Goods, Inventory and Warehouse Control, Manufacturing Automation and Intelligence, PLC Programming

Summary

DMC developed a complete Warehouse Management system for a DVD reverse logistics center. The system processes 60,000 daily DVD returns, sorting for shipping to the main distribution center.  It is responsible for all inventory tasks, including receiving inventory, routing products throughout the facility, lookup and order collection, shipment generation, and daily production reporting.

Warehouse

Warehouse

Solution

The Warehouse Management system uses a shared SQL Database backend to orchestrate the numerous sub-systems involved:

  • Allen-Bradley PLC application to scan products and route within the facility through automated conveyor line
  • Windows applications to create customer Zebra ZPL labels and organize Shipments
  • Mobile .NET CE devices to move product around the facility, perform inventory adjustments, and locate products
  • ASP.NET web-pages to manage inventory and create custom reports
  • .NET services to collect and transmit daily production data to parent organization

Customer Benefits

  • Paperless picking and receiving for increased accuracy
  • Physical inventory and cycle counting to increase loss prevention
  • Portable WiFi devices allows tasks to be performed from anywhere in the facility
  • Decreased labor costs through automated order picking, manifesting, and shipment management
  • Increased worker efficiency  by reducing time for common tasks
  • Improved operations planning through data collection and automated daily transmission of data to parent organization

Technologies

  • Allen Bradley® PLC Control
  • Microsoft Compact Environment® for Mobile Devices
  • Microsoft ASP.NET Web pages
  • Microsoft SQL Database®
  • Microsoft Visual Basic® user interface
  • Serial Barcode scanners
  • Zebra Industrial Printers