Yale Materials Handling Corporation was awarded a position in the prestigious 2014 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 for its work with natural foods distributor Nature’s Best to improve overall warehouse efficiency. Yale’s innovative MO25 multi-level order selector aided Nature’s Best in implementing a new order-selecting methodology – increasing the number of unique SKU’s per square foot. The award was given in recognition of the project’s scope, unique application of technology and business impact on Nature’s Best.
The Yale® MO25 multi-level order selector is designed to increase accessible pick positions by allowing operators to pick from multiple levels and build the entire order with one lift truck – eliminating unnecessary product touches and travel time. Engineered to pick from levels up to ten feet high, the MO25 helps increase the inventory pick area by up to 400 percent without expanding the size of the facility.
“Yale’s MO25 multi-level order selector continues to pile up the awards and accolades since its introduction a little more than a year ago,” said David McNeill, warehouse products manager for Yale. “While we enjoy the recognition from the industry, the real reward is seeing the efficiency the MO25 provides in our customers’ operations. Saving a customer millions of dollars through reduced infrastructure, footprint, and energy and labor costs speaks to the expertise of the Yale people, and the solutions they create through our innovative products.”
The Nature’s Best distribution team partnered with Yale to evaluate the capabilities of the MO25 multi-level order selector in relation to their order fulfillment opportunities. By utilizing Yale’s MO25, the team was able to deploy a variable height picking (VHP) methodology, increasing their pick height from six to ten feet high. This flexibility has allowed Nature’s Best to realize greater storage capacity, space utilization and picking efficiency – significantly decreasing operating cost. The collaborative approach and execution of this project has permitted Nature’s Best to continue to add new SKU’s, while meeting their expectations for speed to market, and commitment to product quality for their customers.
