Customer Support
See all support contacts

Amway - Ada, MI

Order Picking Case Study

Business Objectives

Inefficient systems and processes slowed order fulfillment times and hindered customer service
Picking processes were slow with high error rates
Product cartons were oversized, wasting space in shipping trailers
Large facility footprint increased operational costs

New Material Handling System Allows Amway to Streamline Operations & Improve Customer Service

Amway—a leading direct seller of nutrition, wellness, beauty, and home care products—needed to streamline operations to increase efficiencies and improve customer experience. The company moved its Midwest Regional Service Center to a new facility—where it operates in a 50 percent smaller space—and installed a new, automated material handling system. The system can handle more than 30,000 cartons a day, and features energy-efficient conveyor, a warehouse control and management system, voice- and light-directed picking technologies, and a unique carton lidding system.

Key Technologies

Warehouse control system
RedPrairie warehouse management system
Automated document inserters(4)
Pick to light
Voice picking
In-line weigh scales
Two miles of conveyor
ZiPline zero pressure accumulation conveyor
Automatic labelers (5)
3D Human Machine Interface

Spiral Conveyor

See the results

Reduction in shipping container waste allowed trailers to hold an additional 6,000 pounds, removing 1-2 trailers per week from the shipping schedule

The new system maintained the same amount of throughput in a 50% smaller facility

Employee training time reduced from 30 to 5 minutes in pick areas

Increased scanner and pick accuracy

Faster order fulfillment times and improved customer experience

Smaller facility and energy-efficient conveyor reduced operational costs