Numina Group Blog
RDS Order Fulfillment Automation Suite
Andy Recard
All-in-one Order Fulfillment Automation Solution for Mid-sized Companies
The e-commerce world has leveled the playing field for companies of all sizes to reach new customers, allowing small to mid-market companies to reach a global customer base for the first time.
However, staying competitive on the order fulfillment side requires Tier I level warehouse automation, which until the release of the RDS™ Order Fulfillment Suite did not have a compelling enough return on investment for mid-tier companies.
Introducing the RDS™ Order Fulfillment Suite – Scalable, Affordable, Flexible
The Numina Group is pleased to announce the availability of the RDS Order Fulfillment Suite, designed, packaged, and priced for midsized companies.
The RDS Order Fulfillment Suite is an all-in-one order fulfillment platform that automates the entire process, from order release planning, to picking, packing, and shipping. The Order Fulfillment Suite is designed in a flexible configuration that is integration-ready to any WMS or ERP and uses a standard API to control the recommended warehouse automation.
“Numina designed this solution to provide midsized companies with access to Tier I warehouse automation that is affordable, cost-justifiable, and will scale with their business as it grows.” Dan Hanrahan, Numina Group President and CEO
The RDS Order Fulfillment Suite has already proven to deliver the following benefits to Numina customers:
- Lower labor costs
- Elimination of retail compliance fines
- Increased order accuracy to 99.9%
- 2X to 3X increase in warehouse productivity
- Ability to manage the same workload with fewer shifts and temporary staffing
- Ability to respond to market changes and scale up for peak shipping
Future Proof
Another significant benefit of the RDS Order Fulfillment Suite is its flexibility to accommodate changes as your business grows. Since it is built on the foundational RDS WES-WCS platform, Numina customers can easily add any other RDS modules such as Pakt, Autonomous Mobile Robots, or Goods to Person solutions.
With this benefit, companies can extend the functionality of their existing WMS and ERP systems as business requirements change.
RDS Order Fulfillment Suite Core Competencies
RDS Order Fulfillment includes the following modules, which can be configured to match your company’s business rules and processing requirements:
- Optimized Order Release – Flexible and powerful order release management module that increases picking productivity by using algorithms to select orders based on several variables to balance workload and reduce labor. Optimized release plans eliminate repetitive steps, reduce labor costs, and increase picking rates by 2X.
- Cartonization – Algorithmic planning software that analyzes order contents and product profiles to calculate space and select the most efficient carton size or package type for shipping. Cartonization logic significantly reduces unused carton space, reduces void fill costs, and ensures the order is packed to take advantage of the lowest possible shipping rates.
- Voice Technology – Numina’s RDS Victory Voice™ picking system is an adaptive module that replaces paper-based picking with voice-directed picking. Victory Voice, combined with wearable mobile technology, enables workers to work hands-free eyes-focused, increasing pick productivity and yielding 99.9% accuracy.
- Parallel Picking Processes:
- Batch cart picking/pick-to-carton – increases efficiency by analyzing the order pool, systematically selects orders and shipping carton upfront, manages batch-picking processes for fork trucks, batch push carts, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and directs operators to pick directly into the shipping carton, eliminating packing labor.
- Zone picking – high-volume skus are placed in a simple pick module along a gravity conveyor, operators stay within zones as a box travels down the conveyor and diverts to operators whenever an order has demand located in that zone.
- Full case picking – operators with a batch cart or on a fork truck are directed in an optimized picking path to pick full cases. They can bypass the conveyor and integrate full case picking, manifesting and labeling using zebra “hip device – mobile wearable printers” during the picking process. This process increases speed and efficiency when fulfilling full case orders.
- Voice-directed pallet build – after an order has been picked and packed, Victory Voice can be used to direct the pallet build process and sort based on carrier, mode (parcel or LTL), customer, retailer, etc.
Designed for Rapid Deployment
RDS Order Fulfillment Suite platform is designed for rapid deployment and integration to your WMS and ERP systems. It includes a family of pre-developed restful secure interface connectors and open APIs to securely connect to the warehouse floor automation and virtually any existing or new ERP/WMS System.
- Pre-configured solution designed for rapid deployment
- Rapid, 18-month payback
RDS’s API interfaces to WMS and ERP system significantly reduces the client’s software development expenses and enables companies to amplify/revolutionize the functionality of their current warehouse software system.
Extended Automation Options with Pakt™ Pack and Ship Automation
Once picking operations are automated, companies can further increase productivity and throughput by adding Pakt, Numina’s all-in-one modular, scalable, post-pick, end-of-line pack-and-ship solution.
Pakt automates the final 100′ of a DC’s order fulfillment operation with predeveloped modules that streamline labor and eliminate fulfillment bottlenecks in the pack-and-ship operation.
5X Throughput Improvements in Pack and Ship for Mid-Sized Operations
The Pakt automation line can accommodate operations of all sizes. Operating in a small footprint, it provides ~500% throughput improvements and can scale up to 1,800 cartons per hour.
Complementary to RDS Order Fulfillment Suite
The Pakt solution is also a member of the RDS WES-WCS family of warehouse automation solutions. It is designed for rapid deployment with the RDS Order Fulfillment Suite.
Transform Your Warehouse Operations Today
Contact us to learn how much your company can reduce costs and increase productivity with Numina’s picking, packing, and shipping solutions
About Andy Recard
“I really enjoy improving processes and helping to drive customer experience.” Andy Recard
Numina’s COO is an Engineer at Heart
Andy Recard brings more than 23 years of experience in warehouse and supply chain automation to his role as COO/CFO at the Numina Group. He began his career in engineered labor standards, taking on increasingly senior roles in project management, continuous improvement, operational excellence, strategic planning, and executive leadership. An engineer at heart, he loves his job at Numina because he is able to apply his engineering skills to Numina customer projects as well as serving as COO/CFO.
