Case Study: CVS
System Summary
CVS is a leading drug store chain and retailer of consumer (front store) and Rx products manufactured by nationally known suppliers as well as retailer of private label products. CVS’s Midwest facility is responsible for the distribution of CVS’s Web based business. Due to increased sales and volume, BMHwas employed to provide CVS with an efficient and functional E-Commerce Material Handling System. The Exacta™ System was fully integrated into the existing Warehouse Management System orchestrating the entire control interface and process flows, as well as all the operational activities to ensure quick, accurate order fulfillment. Great care was used to leverage off of automation to significantly reduce cost per order filled while improving operator ergonomics and real time information.
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Key Technology
- Exacta™ Order Management System that seamlessly integrates with a wide variety of legacy WMS’s, OPI’s, and order entry. The system provides real time web based visibility into WMS inventory levels and order status with shipping costs and delivery times.
- Exacta’s extremely flexible order distribution algorithms get the right order mix to the right fulfillment center at the right time. The conduit for communications is via the internet/intranet in an XML protocol.
- At the DC level, the Exacta Order Management System executes advanced “Pick” wave and “Ship” wave algorithms to minimize disruption to the existing “mother ship” store orders and maximizes efficient pre-sort, and customer ship wave sort operations.
- High speed small item sorter capable of handling product as small as ‘eye liner pencils to 64oz liquid detergent.
- The Small Item Sorter and auto-manifest shipping system meets CVS peak throughput requirements.
- The integrated e-business information and material handling solution provides rapid customer response while minimizing cost per unit handled.
- Modular design allows incorporation of future technology and additional phased growth while maintaining a consistent backbone of both material and information flow.
