CaseStudies

Martignetti Speeds Deliveries with Century Conveyor & Hytrol Pro-Logix Sortation

Martignetti Companies of Norwood, Massachusetts, is a leading wholesale distributor of wine and spirits. Their customers include retail stores and on premise establishments throughout New England. Until recently, their out-dated manual distribution system was still lagging far behind their needs. Errors and mistakes were common. At the time, the company's goal of shipping 24-thousand cases per day seemed like a pipe dream. Martignetti turned to Hytrol and Century Conveyor Service to make this happen. Just a few months after the installation began, the new conveyor system was up and running, and Martignetti's capabilities increased dramatically.

In planning their new facility, the Martignetti management team focused on those issues that most affect customer satisfaction; order accuracy and timeliness of deliveries. Their new system would also have to provide reduced breakage and accommodate growth. After researching and observing numerous distribution systems, the team selected Century Conveyor as their design partner. Century, a Hytrol distributor since 1993, provides all of the design and build services that are required to produce a state-of-the-art, turn-key distribution system. An integral part of the new set-up is Hytrol’s ProSort-Logix high-speed sortation system. With the installation of the Hytrol conveyor system, productivity boomed, costs are down and the customer is happy. Rolling out the new conveyor complete with the Prosort-Logix system was quick and efficient. Hytrol ProSort Logix is straight-forward and user-friendly, a fact not lost to people who use it or install it.

The conveyor and order management system employs a unique, two-stage sortation method that is both warehouse friendly, and driver friendly. Large waves that maximize picking efficiency and fine definition of orders within the trucks optimize the efforts of both the order selectors and the drivers.

Customer orders are taken, recorded and accumulated by the Martignetti salespeople until approximately 5:00 PM each day. At the end of the day, the salespeople electronically transmit their accumulated orders to the Distribution Center’s computer. Full case picking labels are printed in product location sequence. Directed by the label, the order picker goes to the designated location, applies the label to the top of the case, and then places the case on the conveyor. Each case will be individually labeled.

As cases in the active wave approach the sorter, they are scanned and assigned to one of the eight sorter dispatch lines. The primary sort lines are released, in sequence to the secondary merge. Cases arrive at each truck in reverse delivery sequence. Large waves, and labels printed in location sequence, maximize picking efficiency. High-speed sortation arranges cases in reverse delivery sequence. True zero pressure accumulation virtually eliminates breakage.

Another of the Sawtooth Merge units in use at Martignetti. The ProSort conveyor controls were all designed and manufactured by Hytrol.	Hytrol RBI Incline/Decline units help move cases from floor to floor.