Mobile Fulfillment System
What if every item in your warehouse could walk and talk on its own? The
products could come to the operator when needed. Any item, any where, any
time.
This is the vision that drives the Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System.
Kiva uses a simple set of equipment and powerful control software to
provide a complete fulfillment solution: storing, moving and sorting inventory.
Instead of being stored in static shelving, flow racks or carousels, products
are stored in inventory pods in the center of the warehouse while operators
stand at inventory stations around the perimeter. When an order is received,
robotic drive units retrieve the appropriate pods and bring them to the worker,
who picks out the appropriate item and places it in the carton.
Why Kiva?
Kiva provides benefits across all dimensions of
fulfillment:
Increase productivity - The operators stay still and the inventory
comes to them - this means your labor productivity is higher than ever. Compared
to traditional automated solutions, Kiva customers see 200% increases in picking
and replenishment productivity. The simplicity of the Kiva system allows you to
reduce the number of different processes and operator "touches" and eliminate
operator walking.
Decrease cycle times - Kiva's real-time parallel method for processing
orders eliminates the needs for batching orders into waves - each order flows
directly to an operator, who fills the order in minutes. And because the
operator fills the whole order, there is no need for sorting before shipping.
This allows you to prioritize orders as you see fit, speeding urgent orders
through the system.
Add capacity quickly - Because it is based around one simple piece of
equipment, the Kiva solution is easy to design and install, which means it takes
weeks instead of years to get a new distribution center up and running. And
because the solution is scalable, you can add as much or as little capacity as
you need - you can start small and grow a distribution center as the market
grows, or you can add seasonal capacity to a region that needs it without
worrying that your fixed investment will be wasted.
