Hytrol Expands with Second Facility in Arkansas
How Backcountry Increased Fulfillment Efficiency with Hytrol
Backcountry needed a fulfillment system that could support faster delivery to East Coast customers while reducing processing costs and making better use of its distribution space.
Industry
e-Commerce and Consumer Goods
Product Handled
Outdoor gear, apparel, and equipment
Challenge
With just a 3.5-hour window to fulfill same-day orders, Backcountry needed to reduce employee travel and move orders through picking and packing more efficiently.
Results
The new system reduced pick zones by 50% and moved multi-item orders to packing up to 10 minutes faster.
Key System Solutions
Pivot WCS, E24™, Accumulation Conveyor
50%
Reduced Picking Area
2.5x
Faster Order Processing
40
Packaging Stations
“We can pick multiple-item orders to packing about 10 minutes quicker than we can in Salt Lake City because of the pick-to-pick technology and functionality that we have here in Virginia.”
SVP of Global Fulfillment, Backcountry
The Challenge
As Backcountry expanded its fulfillment network, the company wanted to get products to East Coast customers faster while keeping processing and shipping costs down. With a 7 p.m. order cutoff and a 10:30 p.m. carrier pickup, the operation had a tight window to get same day orders out the door. Reducing employee walk time and making better use of available space were also key priorities.
The Solution
The new system uses an overhead conveyor spine to route totes vertically across three levels of the pick module. Customer orders travel along the main conveyor while replenishment and empty totes are routed directly to their designated zones. Two packaging lines, each with 20 stations, use overhead accumulation to keep orders moving during peak picking periods.
The Results
The new layout reduced pick zones to 50% of the size of those in Backcountry’s Salt Lake City facility, cutting down on employee travel throughout the picking process. The pick-to-pick design also allows multi-item orders to reach packing up to 10 minutes faster, helping Backcountry meet its same-day fulfillment window and provide faster delivery to East Coast customers.
Backcountry is an online retailer specializing in outdoor gear and apparel for activities including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing and cycling. The company serves outdoor enthusiasts through its e-commerce and distribution operations.
Hytrol Conveyor Company Inc. is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of material handling systems for a variety of industries. Since its founding, the company has been dedicated to pushing the material handling industry forward. As the largest conveyor manufacturer in the United States, Hytrol continues that commitment by developing advanced solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of the material handling industry.
