Portable Rack Replenishment Using Sub-Totes for Retail Inventory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-service store inventory replenishment methods require storing multiple cases of products, leading to excessive inventory and inefficient use of space, as they are based on case-level replenishment rather than demand, resulting in higher storage needs and longer replenishment times.
Innovation Solution
An automated retail supply chain system that uses a tote/sub-tote containment architecture, allowing for the decanting of products from cases into sub-totes, enabling more granular inventory management and reduced storage requirements by allowing mobile robots to transfer and manage sub-totes containing individual product units (eaches) within totes, which can be combined to form order totes for shipment to stores based on real-time demand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If case-level replenishment is used, then operational efficiency is improved, but inventory levels and storage space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the traditional case-level replenishment unit into smaller sub-cases or individual product units. By dividing cases into manageable sub-units, the system enables replenishment at a granular level (individual eaches) rather than forcing stores to accept entire cases. This segmentation allows stores to receive only the specific quantity needed, reducing excess inventory while maintaining operational efficiency through automated robot-based handling of the segmented units.
2Ease of operation
If case-level replenishment is used, then replenishment process simplicity is maintained, but storage space utilization becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments cases into sub-cases or individual units that can be independently handled and delivered. This segmentation enables precise space utilization in storage facilities, as products can be stored in compact arrangements rather than requiring entire case-sized spaces. The automated robot system maintains operational simplicity by programmatically handling these segmented units, eliminating the need for manual case manipulation while optimizing storage density.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from two-dimensional case-based storage arrangements to three-dimensional optimized storage using vertical rack systems and automated retrieval. By implementing multi-level rack structures with robotic pickers, the system maximizes vertical space utilization, allowing significantly more product density in the same footprint compared to traditional case-stacking methods.
3Reliability
If minimum safe replenishment quantity is calculated based on delivery speed, then out-of-stock prevention is achieved, but excessive inventory is carried for low-velocity products
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial replenishment by delivering only the precise quantity needed to meet the minimum safe replenishment requirement, rather than forcing complete case deliveries. For low-velocity products, this means delivering smaller quantities (partial cases) that exactly match the calculated MSRQ, eliminating the excessive inventory that would result from rounding up to full case levels. The automated handling system makes this partial delivery economically viable.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method are disclosed for supplying one or more goods from a distribution center to a physical store location. The system comprises a fixed storage structure comprising a first set of storage shelves; a plurality of robots; a workstation; and a portable rack configured to be removably affixed to the storage structure, the portable rack comprising a set of storage shelves and configured to be disengaged from the storage structure and transferred as a whole unit to a truck for transport away from the distribution center to the physical store location.