Okura Yusoki Delivers 3D Robot picking system “Skypod” to Alfresa

Okura Yusoki Co., Ltd., a comprehensive manufacturer of material handling systems, announced that it has delivered the 3D robot picking system “Skypod” to Alfresa Healthcare Co., Ltd.’s Kyushu Logistics Center.

Skypod is made up of 26 transport robots that can move in three dimensions (front/back, left/right, up/down) and high-density racks with excellent storage capacity. Products are placed in special containers, two items at a time, and stored in the racks, all of which is handled by the transport robots.

The racks reach the ceiling, eliminating wasted ceiling space and allowing for the storage of up to 5,670 containers and approximately 12,000 product items. Similarly, all retrieval is handled by transport robots, and when an order to retrieve products is given, the robot retrieves the container containing the relevant product from the rack and carries it to the picking station.

The robot travels at a high speed of 4 meters per second and arrives at the station within 2 minutes of receiving an order. At the station, the worker simply follows the instructions on the monitor, removes the appropriate number of items from the container, and places them in the container to complete the task.

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Previously, high-mix, low-volume items were stored on flat shelves together with frequently shipped items, and picked using a cart picking system, where items were picked by circulating the shelves on a trolley. However, the storage area was large, and the walking distance and search time placed a significant burden on workers.

In this case, by separating high-mix, low-volume items and processing them with Skypod, the storage area for the bulk shipment area was reduced, and GTP (no walking, no searching, no handling) was achieved for picking high-mix, low-volume items. In addition, the cart picking efficiency of frequently shipped items was greatly improved, and picking accuracy and productivity for all shipments were improved.

Alfresa Healthcare has evaluated the equipment, saying, “The introduction of Skypod has reduced the burden on employees and greatly improved their working environment. It has also made operations more efficient by reducing picking labor, and has strengthened our system for providing accurate, fast, and safe product supplies to customers in Kyushu.”

SOURCE: Robotstart