Vihamij, based in the Netherlands, is a building materials wholesaler. Customers purchase items online or directly in one of their 37 nationwide retail stores. Vihamij’s central warehouse stocks approximately 10,000 different SKUs. Speed is vital as they provide next-day delivery to customers and retail stores.

As the business grew and peak-time orders became the norm, Vihamij needed to speed up operations and handle fluctuations in demand.  Vihamij needed to reduce worker travel times, consolidate storage locations for faster and easier access, and create a clear structure for replenishing between picking affiliate and customer orders.

The Solution

Vihamij installed three Vertical Buffer Module Kardex Compact Buffers, each with a turntable and LED pointer to consolidate the warehouse and speed order fulfillment. To maximize capacity, they extended the warehouse roof and installed 12-meter tall units. A 30 position batch station with put-to-light technology was installed to complete the work zone. 

Kardex Power Pick System inventory management software with a Kardex Color Pick System manages the batch picking process. Using the Kardex Color Pick System, each Kardex Compact Buffer uses a different color for on the pick display monitor. The put- to-light displays use the same color indicating where the operator should put the SKUs they've just picked, preventing picking and putting errors and reducing travel time.

Vihamij reduced operators from 6–7 to 2 (1 picker and 1 worker preparing orders). They execute roughly 300 order lines/hour/person starting with 1,500 affiliate orders; followed by replenishment; and finishing the day with 100 customer orders (so order time can be extended).

	3 Kardex Compact Buffers with LED pointers Width: 2,350mm I Depth: 10,470mm I Height: 12,000mm
	Kardex Power Pick System Kardex Color Pick System
	Put-to-light table: 30 locations, 2 levels of 15 each