Three times more storage capacity and 200 order lines per hour at Lyreco

About Lyreco

Lyreco was founded in 1926 and grew into an international player active in 25 countries. From its 32,000 m² distribution center in Vottem, Lyreco supplies professional customers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with a range of more than 17,000 products.

Every day, an average of 24,000 order lines are processed, which places high demands on the speed, accuracy and scalability of the logistics operation.

The logistical challenge

Due to the continuous expansion of the product range and rising order volumes, the existing warehouse layout came under pressure. Classic storage methods offered insufficient flexibility and made error-free and ergonomic work increasingly difficult.

Lyreco was looking for a solution that:

• could store more products on the same floor space
• eliminated waiting times when picking orders
• errors drastically reduced
• was integrable with SAP

Vanas's solution

Vanas designed a Goods-to-Person solution based on Modula vertical lifts with a double external working opening. The first three lifts were installed in 2018; after positive results, an extension with three additional lifts followed in 2019.

The lifts use the full building height and automatically adjust the drawer height to the contents. This makes the storage extremely compact and can store up to three times more product volume on the same floor space.

Thanks to the double external working opening, the lift can already prepare another drawer while picking. One order picker operates multiple elevators at the same time and thus reaches speeds of up to 200 order lines per hour. Visual support via laser pointer, graphical LED bar and drop-to-light enables error-free batch picking up to 15 orders at the same time.

The Gigasoft.Extended WMS software was integrated with SAP, so that inventory changes are processed in real time and restocks can be accurately planned.

Results and impact

Save space

• 3× more products on the same floor space

Quickness

• Up to 200 order lines per hour per picker
• 20— 25% higher output through multipicking

Work flawlessly

• 3 to 4 times fewer errors than classic picking

Ergonomics & hygiene

• Products at an ergonomic height
• Low-dust storage in closed elevators

Why Lyreco chose Vanas

Lyreco chose Vanas because of its proven combination of scalable technology, strong software integration and logistical engineering.

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