New storage system accommodates 50% more SKUs

Darice, a leading distributor of craft supplies, faced the common problem of needing to nearly double the number of SKU pick-faces in its warehouse. Rather than find or build a new warehouse or install a rack-supported pick module, the company used a textile storage system (SpeedCell, speedcell.net) to streamline picking.

Darice was landlocked in Strongsville, Ohio, out of warehouse space and considering a major warehouse redesign. The company installed 88 bays of the new storage system in a 20,000-square-foot area in one of its warehouses. This installation provided almost 12,000 individual SKU locations or “cells,” and houses 50% more SKUs in the same space.

These space utilization improvements continue to pay dividends, according to a manager at Darice, who notes improved overall order picking efficiency of almost 30%. “The increase in pick-face density means pickers don’t have to walk as far to access the same number of SKUs,” he says. “Our pickers simply spend less time walking and more time picking.”