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ValueVision International, Inc.
Systems Integrator: Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc.
(Columbus, OH).
Fast, Efficient Fulfillment
Value Vision Fulfillment Center relies on state-of-the-art conveyor system to accurately fill online orders within 24 hours.
The ValueVision Fulfillment Center in Bowling Green, KY is dedicated to
ensuring that the consumer’s direct shopping experience for Polo.com and
other products is a positive one.
The center was designed so that product can move smoothly, efficiently, and
quickly. In fact, ValueVision’s firm commitment is to fill, check, and
ship orders to the customer within 24 hours of receipt.
The Bowling Green center fulfills online and telephone orders for Polo.com
apparel and accessories, as well as for NBC.com and ShopNBC.com. Opened in
November 2000, the center incorporates the latest in scanning, control, and
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). The link that holds it all together is a
conveyor system from Hytrol. That integrated system incorporates two types
of sorters, gravity lines, a trash takeaway unit, and more than 6,500 feet
of powered conveyor.
Systems integrator and Hytrol distributor Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc. of
Columbus, Ohio, worked closely with ValueVision in the system’s design and
installation. The goal was to create an order-fulfillment operation that
could hit the ground running—with no problems or downtime and high
productivity. The state-of-the- art Bowling Green order fulfillment center
has achieved all of those objectives and more.
Efficiency In and Out
 The
system is designed for maximum efficiency—both inbound and outbound.
Incoming merchandise is taken off the trucks and placed on extendible
conveyors that connect with a powered takeaway Hytrol unit. That segment
leads to an incline belt conveyor that elevates the incoming products to
the mezzanine level where they are scanned for putaway.
The incoming merchandise is conveyed to a SC sorter. This belt-driven
sortation system from Hytrol swiftly diverts the incoming products down
one of three lines based on putaway destination: (1) the main pick
modules, where merchandise goes for immediate replenishment; (2) a
reserve stocking area, where full case loads are stored for later
replenishment; and (3) a quality assurance area, where a percentage of
all incoming orders is sent to assure that merchandise meets Polo’s
high quality standards.
The process is just as streamlined on the outbound side. The main
picking operations take place in two 2-level pick modules, each of which
is more than 300 feet in length. Orders are picked out of flow racks and
placed into totes resting on gravity lines on either side of a powered
takeaway unit. After the picks on the first level are completed, the
totes move on incline conveyor up to the second level of the module for
any additional picks.
 Completed
orders exit the picking module on a single line and are conveyed the
length of the fulfillment center. As they approach the end of the
building, they are diverted onto one of four lanes by a SC belt sorter
and then consolidated onto a single line by a 4:1 sawtooth merge.
A zero-pressure accumulating conveyor with Hytrol’s unique EZ Logic
feature then controls the release of the totes as they move through a
Pro-Sort sortation system and toward a tilt-tray sorter. At this point,
the orders are manually sorted by order type—single, multi, or
gift-wrapped—and then placed into individual packing chutes.
After the packing and inspection operations are done, the orders from
the different packing areas are placed on takeaway conveyor and
transported on belt incline back up to the tilt-tray sorter from
Mantissa Corp. There they are inducted down a series of shipping lanes
according to the shipping method selected by the customer. The main
shipping options are FedEx or U.S. Postal service.
Reliable from the Start
 The
streamlined operation is helping ValueVision meet its strict service
commitment to customers. “The conveyor system has been performing
reliably from the very beginning,” says Howard Fox, senior vice
president of operations/customer service at ValueVision. “We’ve
stayed on our maintenance program and have had a very good experience
with it so far.”
Fox adds that the new system is quiet. This not only creates a more
pleasant work environment, he explains, but also a more productive one.
The Bowling Green Fulfillment Center currently handles between 4,000 and
6,000 orders a day, depending on the season. With the solid
materials-handling infrastructure in place, management believes it could
handle significant additional volume, if and when called upon. Most
importantly, the fulfillment center will be able to do this with
absolutely no reduction in customer service level.
The Bowling Green Fulfillment Center
Inbound merchandise moves onto a powered takeaway line and is elevated
by belt conveyor to the mezzanine level. The goods then travel to a SC
belt sorter where they are diverted down one of three lanes based on
putaway destination.
From the main pick modules, orders are picked into totes and conveyed
through a belt sorter and to a 4:1 sawtooth merge. They are manually
inducted into a tilt-tray sorter and sent to the packing area. After
packing and inspection, the orders move on takeaway conveyor back
through the sorter and down the appropriate shipping lane.
A Snapshot of the Operation
Company: ValueVision International, Inc
Facility: Fulfillment Center
Location: Bowling Green, KY
Size: 260,000 square feet
Employees: Approx. 60 (90 peak season)
Product handled: Polo.com apparel, accessories, shoes. NBC.com
and ShopNBC.com products and apparel
Throughput: 4,000-6,000 orders a day
Types of Conveyors: Horizontal power (190-ACC), belt (190-RB),
zero-pressure accumulating (190-ABEZ), sorters (SC and Pro-Sort),
gravity, trash takeaway (TH)
Shipment Method: FedEx, USPS
Conveyor supplier: Hytrol Conveyor Inc., Jonesboro, AR
Systems Integrator: Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc., Columbus,
OH
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