Order Picking Systems: Horizontal Carousels

A horizontal carousel is a technology that supports a part-to-picker order fulfillment method.  Horizontal carousels are storage bins that rotate horizontally on a track driven by an electric motor.  The order picker stays stationary at the end of the system, while the horizontal carousel rotates the bins to present the appropriate one to the order picker.  Once an item is picked from the bin, the order picker releases the carousel to rotate the bins for the next pick. 

Some benefits of a horizontal carousel include:

• Increase throughput - Since the horizontal carousel is presenting the part to the picker, travel time is minimized compared to picking from shelves or selective rack.  Additionally, when operated in pairs, waiting time is significantly reduced.  Finally, when utilizing a pick-to-light bar on the pick faces of the bins, an even higher picking rate can be attained. 
• Reduced floor space - Since the footprint that the carousels consume in the warehouse is highly utilzed due to the density of storage, the floor space needed is significantly less than compared to shelving. 
• Reduced labor expenses - Since one operator can pick with great efficiency and accuracy from two aisles of storage, the amount of labor is far less than needed when fulfilling from an equivalent shelving or racking storage system.
• Modular and flexible design - The units can be stacked and integrated into mezzanines to form a multilevel picking system. Additionally, most horizontal carousels can accomodate future bin additions fairly easily.

It is common for one order picker to pick from two adjacent horizontal carousels so that while one carousel is rotating bins, the other is presenting the bin for picking, thereby allowing for a significant percentage of time accomplishing productive tasks as opposed to waiting or traveling.  Horizontal carousels are modular with the typical height being 10 feet tall.  Since they are modular, they can be stacked on top of each other to form a multi-level order picking system that effectively uses the cubic space of the warehouse. 

View a Horizontal Carousel in operation!

TriFactor is sought out by companies nationwide to provide material handling solutions that reduce inventory and delivery time, lower costs of manufacturing, distribution and transportation, and improve customer service.  If you are looking for an Edge on your competition, discover how TriFactor can make a difference with your order picking systems, call today at 1-800-507-4209.

For additional information on material handling system related topics, please visit the TriFactor Learning Center.