Manual part picking processes are often time consuming and prone to error. Increased demand and picklist complexity add further pressure on outdated processes. Learn how In the Ditch™, an Idaho-based manufacturer of award-winning products for the towing industry, was able to make substantial improvements to the efficiency and accuracy of their picking processes by implementing a complete Pick-to-Light system from Banner Engineering.
Challenge: Updating a Manual Picking System
In the Ditch™ Towing Products was looking to move away from its antiquated picking system and implement a more efficient structure. Pickers used a manual process to find the proper part numbers and put the corresponding parts in the proper bins. Their existing system started when the product was placed in the hardware queue. once the picker received a product tag, they would search for the assembly number on a laptop to open a PDF document. once the document was open, they would memorize the part numbers, QTYs, and images of each item on the hardware list, pick those parts, and put them in the bag or bin. Pickers would repeat this process until all parts were collected for the assembly. Part pickers at In the Ditch sought an updated solution to reduce the number of mistakes made during the picking process and increase efficiency.
Solution: Installing Banner’s Pick-to-Light System
The towing company installed 400 PTL110 devices and 8 DXM700-B1 wireless controllers to update its existing picking system. PTL110 pick-to-light devices are multifunctional indicators that provide up to fourteen different colors and multiple animation functions to differentiate multiple conditions. This powerful picking system improves speed and productivity, and is powered by PICK-IQ™, a purpose-built, Modbus compatible serial bus protocol that uses a Common ID to reduce the typical latency that results from polling multiple devices. The DXM700-B1 is an industrial wireless controller that offers high performance wireless communication, improves speed and memory, and facilitates Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications.