Bulk pick merchandise is assembled on Hytrol accumulation conveyors in the store distribution area. Powered take-away units will then transport the cartons to automated taping and sealing stations.

Conveyors help County Seat smoothly process more than 24 million cartons a year at the company's new national distribution center.

County Seat Stores' national distribution center demonstrates how a variety of conveyor equipment can be integrated for a smooth and efficient operation. No less than seven conveyor types have been installed at this new facility in Essex, Maryland. Combined with advanced computer controls, the conveyors are helping County Seat reach record levels of productivity.

The 6 month old DC is versatile, efficient, and cost effective. These qualities are a big reason why the center will be able to process more than 24 million cartons in its first year of operation. The building's design features also allow for easy expansion as order volume increases in the future.

Outgrowing the Old

County Seat is a well-known retailer of jeans and casual clothing for men, women, and teens. Most of its 400-plus stores are in mall locations.

Prior to moving into the new distribution center in early 1998, the company had been operating out of a warehouse in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park. Though that facility had performed well for years, it was straining to keep pace with increasing order-processing demands. In addition, the inland location was far from the East Coast ports into which most of County Seat's merchandise flowed. This added time and land transportation costs to the supply chain process. Favorable economic incentives and close proximity to the Port of Baltimore led company management to select the Essex site, located just outside of Baltimore, as its new distribution center.

Pneumatic air plows are used to divert cartons from the main conveyor line onto a spur line. The cartons then move on the takeaway line that leads to the shipping area.

The facility is an impressive one, totaling more than 276,000 square feet. Close to one third of that space can be used to expand the order-processing operation as the need arises. The Essex distribution center features sophisticated computer controls and an efficient order management system that captures downloaded order information from a corporate AS/400 computer.

One of the most notable features of the center is its versatility. Thanks to an integrated system of conveyors, installed by Hytrol distributor Conveyors & Drives Inc. of Atlanta, different types of orders can flow through the facility--without back-ups, delays, or excess inventory build-ups.

"The new system allows us to smoothly flow our three types of orders-bulk, pre-pack, and cross dock," explains Mark Schaffer, the company's vice president of distribution. "We never had that capability before."

A Streamlined Flow

The distribution center was designed to streamline the flow of product from initial receipt to final shipping. Order processing begins at the receiving area where the orders are assembled adjacent to the receiving and initial pick area. Some of the orders picked at this point are complete, requiring no further picks or consolidation. Considered "cross dock" shipments, these are moved on pallets directly to the shipping area.

The majority of the orders, however, require additional processing. They travel on a powered conveyor from the initial processing station to the store distribution area. It's here that the bulk pick orders are completed. There are four induction/takeaway lanes in store distribution. Operators work on accumulating conveyors as they fill the cartons to complete the orders.

Computer controls have helped the Essex distribution center process more than 24 million cartons during the first year of operation.

Running above this part of the D.C. is a trash takeaway conveyor. Operators place the empty cardboard boxes and paper trash in this overhead unit, thereby keeping the area clean and safe.

When the orders are completed in store distribution, they move onto a powered takeaway conveyor that leads to the shipping area. Enroute they pass through automated taping and carton sealing stations.

Another section of the Essex distribution center is dedicated to popular pre-pack items. Store orders are quickly filled in this "Quick Pick" area on two accumulation conveyors. The pre-pack items are processed separately from the bulk picks.

The completed pre-pack and bulk orders move up two incline belt conveyors onto a powered conveyor loop on a mezzanine level. Operators working within the loop double check the orders for accuracy before manually diverting them down one of 21 gravity conveyors. The exact lane is determined by the shipping destination.

County Seat ships mostly in full truckloads to a series of pool distribution points around the country. At these pool points, the shipments are broken down for delivery to the retail stores. The efficiency of the D.C. has greatly contributed to the accuracy and completeness of these outbound shipments, management believes.

Multiple Benefits Delivered

County Seat's new distribution center has delivered a host of other benefits as well. Throughput productivity has almost doubled over the previous facility. Orders are processed faster and more accurately thanks to the sophisticated order management system and the streamlined conveyor operations. In addition, County Seat has great flexibility in managing the different types of orders as they flow through the facility. In short, the system is fully integrated from receiving area to the shipping dock.

"The level of performance has exceeded our expectations," says distribution vp Schaffer. Peak seasonal demand now can be met in stride, he adds, helping County Seat compete more effectively in a tough retail market.

Then there are the ultimate beneficiaries of the Essex distribution center: the County Seat consumers who have the sizes and styles in stock when and where they want them.

County Seat's New Distribution Center

Order processing at the 276,000 square-foot County Seat distribution center follows a basic "right to left" pattern. The activity begins on the long semi-looped conveyor near the receiving area. Orders that are complete at this point--the cross dock shipments--move directly on powered takeaway conveyors to the shipping area. Orders requiring further processing travel to the store distribution area. A separate "quick pick" section of the DC is reserved for pre-pack items. All of the completed orders move up a belt incline conveyor to a powered conveyor loop on the mezzanine level. Operators within the loop check the orders before sending them down the appropriate shipping lane.