Electricity + Control March 2021

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Cutting-edge automation in global distribution centre

Mouser Electronics Inc., industry leader in new product introductions, has added new automation technology to its continually expanding warehouse to keep hundreds of thousands of global customers supplied with the right products at the right time. Mouser’s massive distribution centre, located on the 78-acre campus of its corporate headquarters in Texas, USA, handles a vast inventory of more than 1 million unique SKUs (stock-keeping units) for products from over 1 100 manufacturer brands. In recent years, the distributor has made substantial investments in state-of-the-art automated equipment to process orders with exceptional efficiency and accuracy. Today Mouser employees operate 55 vertical lift modules (VLMs), the most at any company in North America. The VLMs – essentially giant vertical filing cabinets, complete with shelves and an automated elevator – store tens of thousands of electronic components. The VLMs deliver the parts directly to the employee workstation, significantly improving efficiency and floor space usage. Mouser has also recently invested in several I-Pack machines – sophisticated automated packing and boxing systems that each can process up to 14 orders a minute. The use of I-Pack delivers several operational advantages – reducing time, materials and ‘air’ waste (valuable space on trucks and aeroplanes), and brings benefits in terms of sustainability. The automated process results in less use of bubble wrap, equating to the reduction of more than 1.5 million square feet of the material each year. Additionally, Mouser is in the process of adding the OPEX Perfect Pick system, and further warehouse automation advances are under way with the recent completion of a new 125 000 square-foot addition to the distribution centre. “Advances in automation are having a transformative effect on many areas of industry and warehousing and logistics are seeing this too,” says Pete Shopp, Mouser Electronics’ Senior Vice President of Business Operations. “Across a broad range of activities such “Municipalities that are looking to reduce costs and improve operations will find that digitalising their water networks yields new ways to reduce costs and optimise operations,” says Mccutcheon. He reports that using an integrated water network management system offers many benefits which will improve and maintain high levels of water supply services. These include: - Adapting to demand in real-time to maintain optimal water pressure and improving reliability for consumers, while minimising leakages in the network - Improving the efficiency of pump operations which increases operational sustainability and Continued from page 11

reduces operating costs, resulting in less frequent rate increases - Identifying issues before they happen so operators can proactively inform customers of potential issues before customers encounter them on their own. “All these factors help today’s water supply utilities to increase efficiency, use less energy, avoid leakages and breakdowns, and supply and treat the ever-increasing amounts of water needed to match population growth trends,” says Mccutcheon. Investments in state-of-the-art automated equipment at its massive distribution centre enable Mouser Electronics to process orders with exceptional efficiency and accuracy. as picking, packing, and loading pallets, robotics is enhancing our operations. Assisted by IoT technologies, wireless systems and digital tablets, our 1 000-plus warehouse employees are working more efficiently now than ever before. “Because we deliver single quantities of components, we will always rely on employees for the special handling that those small orders require. Our adoption of start-of- the-art automation acts primarily as a means of boosting efficiency, productivity, accuracy and speed,” says Shopp. “These new systems can also be a positive driver of more sustainable operations and improved customer satisfaction, too. “Processing tens of thousands of orders weekly, most within 15 minutes, and with our commitment to customer service, Mouser employees are handling the technological advancements with great success,” Shopp says. For more information visit: www.mouser.com

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12 Electricity + Control MARCH 2021