Many e-commerce businesses struggle with warehousing and logistics bottlenecks during expansion. Rocky Brands Inc.'s e-commerce distribution center successfully addressed this challenge by implementing light-directed picking technology and a new conveyor sorting system, boosting throughput while meeting growing customer service demands. This article examines the center's upgrade process and its operational mechanisms.
Overview
The Rocky Brands e-commerce distribution center serves as the core hub for its online business, processing orders from digital channels and delivering products efficiently to consumers. To accommodate rapid e-commerce growth, the center underwent a major upgrade, incorporating advanced automation technology and optimized workflow design, significantly improving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Receiving Process
Foreign Trade Zone Advantage
Designated as a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) in 2012, the center allows Rocky Brands to defer duty payments until products actually ship from the facility. This strategic move optimizes cash flow management and reduces operational costs.
Unloading and Verification
Inbound freight trailers typically use floor-loaded configurations to maximize container space utilization. Receiving staff verify goods against Advance Ship Notifications (ASNs). Pre-labeled cartons are manually unloaded and scanned onto pallets.
Pallet Management
After completing a pallet load, workers temporarily store it and attach a license plate barcode label with a unique identifier. The pallet's products then become available for putaway into high-bay storage and picking areas.
Putaway Operations
Storage Strategy
Products are stored by case (rather than by pallet) in narrow-aisle reserve and picking areas. Picking locations occupy lower levels for quick access, while space above 7 feet serves as reserve storage.
High-Level Putaway
Pallets move to designated aisles where cherry pickers place cartons on racks. During placement, workers scan cartons and update the Warehouse Management System (WMS).
Slow-Moving Inventory
Lower-volume items are stored in a mezzanine area, which also houses the new sorting system.
Picking Processes
The center employs multiple picking methods, all guided and optimized by the WMS:
Full Case to Shipping
- System directs pickers to specified locations to retrieve full cases
- Completed pallets move directly to shipping staging areas
Case to Sortation
- Used for high-volume orders: full cases move from reserve to induction areas
- WMS processes orders in batches, identifying required pallets/carts
- Cartons feed onto conveyors that sort them to putwalls via chutes
- Put-to-light systems guide pickers on quantities and placement locations
Pick to Cart
- Similar to case-to-sort but handles individual items
- System directs pickers to specific locations to retrieve quantities
- Completed carts move to induction lines for conveyor sorting to packing
SKU Reserve Pick
- Low-volume items (like size 7 or 15 men's shoes) store separately
- Picked to carts then processed like other methods
Packing and Shipping
Single-Item Orders
These pass through shrink-wrap tunnels directly to shipping sorters, which route them to correct outbound lanes.
Multi-Item Orders
Processed at putwalls: one side's pickers place items in order-designated locations while the opposite side's packers prepare completed orders for shipment. Packed orders then route through shipping sorters.
Shipping Methods
Large orders palletize for truck loading, while smaller shipments automatically convey onto trucks.
Technology Highlights
Put-to-Light System
The centerpiece upgrade uses location lights and digital displays to guide accurate, efficient picking, dramatically improving speed and reducing errors.
Conveyor and Sortation System
The new automated system transports goods from receiving to storage to picking/packing areas, automatically sorting items to appropriate shipping lanes based on order data.
Warehouse Management System
The WMS acts as the operational brain, managing inventory, optimizing pick paths, assigning tasks, and tracking order status for comprehensive process control.
Performance Improvements
The technological upgrades delivered measurable benefits:
- Increased throughput: Handles higher order volumes faster
- Reduced operating costs: Less manual labor lowers payroll and error expenses
- Enhanced service: Faster, more accurate processing boosts customer satisfaction
- Optimized inventory: Real-time WMS tracking prevents stockouts and overages
Narrow-Aisle Storage
This high-density solution minimizes aisle widths to maximize floor and vertical space utilization throughout the facility.
Conclusion
Rocky Brands' distribution center upgrade demonstrates how e-commerce businesses can overcome logistics constraints through automation and process optimization. The project's success in boosting capacity while improving service quality offers a valuable model for industry peers.