Case Studies
Online Wellness Retailer iHerb Doubles Throughput Capacity with New Automated Order-Fulfillment Facility
Overview
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Visualization Automation & Control - Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) | |
E-Commerce Retail | |
Logistics & Transportation Warehouse & Inventory Management | |
Inventory Management Predictive Maintenance Warehouse Automation | |
Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration | |
Operational Impact
The Hebron facility became operational in July 2013. Today, iHerb can process individual orders – from induction to shipping – in as little as 15 minutes. Workers can fulfill 15,000 to 20,000 orders – containing as many as 100,000 individual products – in one shift. That’s double the order capacity of the Moreno Valley facility for a single shift, all while maintaining an accuracy rate of around 99 percent. | |
The new system also improved labor efficiency approximately 300 percent compared to the batch-processing system used in the Moreno Valley facility. Each aisle operator can pick as many as 800 items per hour. | |
The facility currently operates one outbound shift at the facility, but can easily expand into additional shifts as demand requires. The control architecture is also designed to support additional lines for up to 30 percent additional capacity without the need for additional controllers or programming. | |
Quantitative Benefit
Doubled capacity from about 10,000 orders to 15,000 to 20,000 per shift | |
Improved labor efficiency by 300 percent | |
Orders can run through the facility in as quickly as 15 minutes | |