Mouser Electronics Inc., a distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, continues its investment in state-of-the-art automation in its global distribution center with the installation of 120 vertical lift modules (VLMs) in spring 2022. It says the investment will increase order processing, accuracy and speed, helping its customers further reduce time-to-market.
VLMs are like industrial-sized vertical filing cabinets, complete with shelves and an automated extractor to bring components to an employee’s workstation. This increases efficiency and floor space and can reduce an employee’s walking time by 45%.
In addition to the VLM installation, Mouser’s distribution center features multiple Ultipack and I-Pack machines — an automated system for sealing and labeling shipments that can process as many as 14 orders per minute — as well as an OPEX Perfect Pick system for consolidation and an AutoStore system.
“Incorporating the latest in distribution center automation helps us meet our goal of providing exceptional customer service,” said Pete Shopp, Mouser Electronics’ senior vice president of business operations. “The tools and systems we’ve put in place offer another way we can help shorten our customers’ time to market.”
Mouser’s global distribution center, located on the 78-acre campus of its corporate headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, handles a vast inventory of more than 1 million unique SKUs for products from more than 1,200 manufacturer brands.
Though the adoption of start-of-the-art automation acts primarily as a means of boosting efficiency, productivity, accuracy and speed. The systems also enable more sustainable operations and improved customer satisfaction, the company says.
