This year, Mouser has installed 102 Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs), the highest number for any company in the Western Hemisphere and the fourth largest VLM installation in the world. VLMs are essentially giant vertical filing cabinets, complete with shelving and an automated lift to bring components to the employee's workstation. These units increase efficiency and available space, and can reduce an employee's walking time by 45 percent or more.
In addition, the distribution center features several Ultipack and I-Pack machines, a sophisticated automated system for sealing and labeling shipments that can process up to 14 orders per minute. Mouser is also currently installing a Perfect Pick OPEX system and an AutoStore system. All of these investments are designed to ensure that orders are processed, picked, packed, and shipped in a very short timeframe.
“Automation technologies continue to evolve at a very rapid pace, as do advancements in warehousing and logistics,” says Pete Shopp, vice president of business operations at Mouser Electronics. “The efficiencies we’ve achieved in picking and packing processes help us meet our goal of providing exceptional customer service.”.
Mouser's massive international distribution center, located at its 800-acre corporate headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, manages a huge inventory of over 1.1 million unique SKUs from more than 1,100 manufacturers. Mouser employees process tens of thousands of orders each week—most in 15 minutes—and maintain a strong commitment to providing exceptional customer service, successfully employing technological advancements to achieve this.
Although the adoption of cutting-edge automation primarily acts as a way to enhance efficiency, productivity, accuracy, and speed, the systems also enable more sustainable operations and greater customer satisfaction.
