E-Commerce Widespan Pick Tower System

CookStore.ca is Canada’s largest E-Commerce Cooking Store that sells cookware and small appliances (mixers, espresso machines, etc.) for residential and commercial customers.

Challenges Faced

As an E-Commerce company that offers a wide range of SKUs in cookware and small appliances, CookStore.ca needed a storage system that offered versatility while also maximizing the storage density of their available warehouse space. They required many pick locations for individual small items (cutlery, etc.), as well as for larger boxed items for bulkier cookware and appliances. Additionally, CookStore.ca had a specific requirement to send picked items quickly from different pick levels.

Solutions

To address the challenges presented by the client, North American steel designed and engineered a Pick Tower solution utilizing our most versatile bulk storage industrial shelving product line, Widespan 4000. This 2-Level Widespan Pick Tower created the opportunity to maximize shelving space on the bottom and top floor with over 1000 shelf levels to pick from.

Additionally, each shelf level was integrated with multiple totes to further optimize SKU locations (2 – 3 high on each shelf). This allowed the client to maximize both the number of SKUs stored, as well as the storage density of the system as a whole.

To address the specific need to send picked items quickly from around the storage system, North American Steel integrated a chute system within the Widespan Pick Tower so pickers could quickly transport items from the top to the bottom level, reducing pick times and optimizing warehouse operational efficiency.

Results & Impact

With this Widespan Pick Tower storage solution designed, engineered, and installed by North American Steel, our client was also able to accomplish their goal of cutting operational costs by optimizing their supply chain distribution internally, as opposed to relying on 3PL services.