In a belt pick system, pallets of product are
taken from the dock and placed on a belt or in
racking slots. Selectors then remove a specified
amount of product, as per customer order, from the
slots and place it on a conveyor belt that runs
down the center of the slot aisle. Product from
each aisle comes to a central area where the
product is removed from the belt and placed on a
pallet. After a palletized load is fully assembled,
it is usually wrapped with a plastic material and
loaded into a truck for delivery to the customers
facility.
Some advantages of this system are that since
the employee works at a defined space the use of
lift devices and assists is more practical. Hoists
or lift assists can be placed along the line to
help employees. The height of the receiving
conveyor can be maintained at a level which
minimizes bending and elevated reaches. The final
palletizing station can be designed in a manner to
eliminate torso bending and elevated reaches by
using platforms, turntables and lifts. Fixed
workstation positions allow lift-assist devices to
be mounted at these stations.
This system has its disadvantages in that
all product must be handled at least twice instead
of once. One employee pulls the product and places
it on the belt, while another must lift it from
the belt to the destination pallet. The frequency
of lifting may be much higher since large orders
must be placed on the belt one case at a time
instead of moving them as a unit on the pallet
with a mechanical device. Employees also miss out
on the micro-breaks inherent in the traditional
order pick system as there is no travel time between work
areas.
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Employees need to double
handle product. First to the conveyor and second to the
pallet as shown here.
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