Distributor streamlines processes with mobile workstations

Care-A-Lot Pet Supply has been providing customers with pet supplies since 1989, either through its catalog, online store or retail stores located in Newport News and Virginia Beach, Va. After testing and deploying a series of mobile workstations, the company realized a productivity increase of more than 40%.

The company’s 50,000-square-foot distribution center in Virginia Beach stores more than 2,800 products and maintains all supplies offered by the company’s catalog, online store and retail stores. The challenge was to increase productivity and improve efficiency while receiving products from suppliers and filling orders.

“In the past, our employees had to take all of the ‘to be received’ or ‘to be shipped’ products from their location to the computer and then to their next destination,” says Paul Camping, inventory and receiving manager for Care-A-Lot. “This process was cumbersome and inefficient. We receive and ship thousands of products a day, and we needed something to help streamline the process.”

The company tested mobile workstation carts (Newcastle, newcastlesys.com) in the DC by scanning in new products at the receiving docks. The carts were then moved to inventory pallets where products were pulled, scanned and prepared for the shipping department. The carts were equipped with a 750-watt inverter, 20-amp charger, two 100-amp-hour batteries, a keyboard tray, an LCD post holder, a CPU holder and one additional shelf.

Since using the carts, worker productivity increased by 40%. Employees also dedicate less time to product movement. Due to the mobility and wireless ability of the carts, employees can own larger work areas, which has allowed for a more prolific work environment. “The cost savings of the carts were immediately apparent,” said Camping, who says workers also use the carts as label makers for pallets and general organization. “It saves time when you can print out a label while standing in front of it instead of walking across the warehouse to a workstation, printing it out and walking back.”

The carts were so successful that more were purchased for the company’s retail store locations.