Pipe Center has opened a new distribution centre (DC) in Measham, Derbyshire, the newest and most technologically advanced distribution operation in the supply chain of parent company, Wolseley UK. The 142,000 sq ft facility, which went live in December 2014, has given Pipe Center the ability to provide next-day delivery across its entire network and has created over 50 new jobs. At its heart is a bespoke, 3,332-location KASTOunicompact 4.0 automated warehouse, built in Germany and supplied through KASTO Ltd, Milton Keynes. The cassette-type tube storage system provides dynamic goods-to-man presentation for efficient picking, which reduces the amount of manual handling required. The warehouse structure, which required the installation of 182 drive piles to provide deep foundations, has boosted storage capacity by 20 per cent compared with the previous operation, which relied on storage of long stock using a mixture of cantilever racking and bulk stacking. There was also a separate section for small parts and an area for pallet storage. The KASTO system has reduced the distance warehouse operatives have to move when picking, speeding the consolidation of orders. The warehouse design also increases the height used for storage of Pipe Center’s SKUs (stock keeping units). The consequently reduced footprint represented significant cost savings. The KASTO control interfaces with Measham’s HighJump warehouse management system, which offers superior tracking and traceability of inventory, further maximising efficiencies and reducing costs. The resulting optimised storage and picking coupled with improved stock management allows an even broader range of products to be stored at Measham and delivered to the branch network. The portfolio includes Bondloc, Geberit, Ideal Stelrad, Spirax Sarco and Marla Tube Fittings, underlining Pipe Center’s status as the market-leading distributor of such products. Each cassette is 7 metres long and 3,332 of them are arranged in 78 blocks horizontally and […]