Lucas Systems unveils data-driven pick-to-pallet technology to boost warehouse efficiency

Lucas Systems has launched a new pick-to-pallet system that uses data science to help warehouse workers select the most efficient combination of pallets when picking for multiple customer locations.

The company says its “best pallet matching” method automatically assigns the optimal two or three pallets to a worker, improving productivity by reducing travel time without compromising accuracy.

“It’s inefficient to assign pallets simply because they’re going to the same location or due to other conveniences,” says Andre Lessa, director of R&D at Lucas Systems. “This is a much more sophisticated way to approach the problem.”

The system continuously recalculates the best pallet combinations as new orders arrive and priorities shift.

“This is a sizable improvement from today’s status quo,” says Ken Ramoutar, Lucas Systems CMO. “Today, warehouses might gravitate toward what’s simple to implement, not necessarily what’s most optimal. For example, they might not pick to multiple pallets and multiple stores simultaneously because they believe it will sacrifice accuracy. But this new technology aims to increase accuracy while also adding another layer of optimization.”

Lucas Systems says the tool is geared toward high-volume distributors working in large facilities where two- or three-pallet picking is common, including grocery, food service and wholesale operations.

Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), the largest U.S. cooperative food wholesaler, is already using the technology across its network of nine distribution centres.

According to Richard Kearns, EVP of AWG Distribution and Logistics, “As a Member Owned Cooperative, AWG is always seeking new technology to drive efficiency, safety and compliance in our operations. The deployment of Lucas Systems allowed us to do this and more. Due to the diverse sizes of our stores, we were able to group orders together, utilizing the pallet matching technology to increase our productivity by reducing our travel path. Lucas Systems also provided benefits in safety and compliance by utilizing paperless equipment check in/out procedures. Additionally, the ability to deploy agnostic multi-modal hardware versus proprietary hardware to operate the voice application was a significant benefit.”

Lucas Systems says customers using the system have cut travel time and lifted productivity by 15 to 30 per cent, with larger warehouses seeing the greatest gains.