| System Profile: Rocky Shoes & Boots,
Inc. |
SIC: 3143 |
Rocky Shoes & Boots Cuts Distribution Costs
In 1998, Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc., based in Nelsonville, Ohio, came
to a fork in the road as distribution demand had far outpaced capacity,
and company directors were struggling to coordinate distribution of products
that were housed in four different facilities. Space constraints in the
old facility and the growing popularity of their outdoor shoes, boots
and apparel had forced operations to lease alternate space. Unfortunately,
ungainly and costly distribution methods and inventory accuracy challenges
followed. A complex decision ensued. A new facility was clearly needed
to consolidate operations, and along with it, more efficient picking and
packing methods, but the new facility alone would tax the budget set aside
for the consolidation.
Customer:
Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc.
Nelsonville, Ohio Distributor:
Hy-Tek Material Handling
Columbus, Ohio
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| The Hytrol High speed Sortation Conveyor
(Model SC) sends boxes down the gravity chute to the appropriate
packing lane. |
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The firm’s Distribution Manager and MIS Director decided to contact
Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc. with a dual mission: to integrate distribution
with the warehouse management software they had selected and to keep the
project within budget.
As the leading manufacturer and distributor of Gore-Tex® footwear
in North America, the company had simply outgrown their old facility.
Installing the automated system allowed the firm to get ahead of the growth
and meet their expansion goals.
The engineers at Hy-Tek designed an integrated system featuring wire
guidance order pickers in a very narrow aisle rack setting. A wrap-around
powered conveyor accessible from each aisle carries picked product through
a 20-lane sortation system with scanner that soft-drops items into the
appropriate packing lane.
A live roller conveyor then moves finished packages to the shipping area.
The raised sortation lanes with mezzanine allowed room for needed storage,
return, and shipping areas. Customized software was designed to interface
with the warehouse management system to track inventory, product retrieval,
and sortation lanes. The system launched in June, 1999.
The system was even more successful than anticipated, and in addition
to the successful consolidation of four facilities into one, the resulting
efficiencies cut Rocky’s labor expense by two-thirds, cut the labor
force in half, increased inventory accuracy and flattened their peak season
expense curve. The company went from three shifts seven days per week
to one shift five days per week during non-peak season. Inventory accuracy
went from 88% to 99.7%. Their four-month peak season was reduced from
116 laborers on three shifts to 50 laborers working two shifts.
The system was custom engineered with Rocky’s budget in mind. In
2003, Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc. is now using the system to reach their
new goal of becoming the fastest growing footwear company in North America.
Key Benefits:
• Cut labor expense
by two-thirds.
• Consolidated distribution operations.
Combined four separate facilities into one.
• Increased
inventory accuracy from 88% to 99.7%.
• Flattened
peak season expense curve. From three shifts to two shifts. |
System Hy-Lites
• Facility Size:
191,388 sq. ft. total (includes 4,270 sq. ft. of office, maintenance,
and lunch room facilities)
• Employees: Approx. 50
(two shifts)
• Product Handled: Outdoor shoes, boots,
and apparel
• Shipping Average: 7,000 pair/day/one
shift
• Receiving Average: 6 containers/day/one shift
• Types of Conveyors: Slider bed & live roller horizontal,
slider bed & roller bed incline, live roller curve, high-speed
sortation, gravity chutes. |
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The Hytrol Model SC High Speed Sortation Conveyor is extremely useful
in warehouse environments such as Rocky Shoes and Boots. Boxes can
be diverted down a chute (or gravity line) to packing and shipping
areas quickly and efficiently.
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