CEF National e-commerce Fulfilment Centre

Find out how CSL Automation designed and implemented an efficient eCommerce fulfilment system for CEF’s new distribution centre to help enhance throughput and meet customer demand. 

The Client

City Electrical Factors
eCommerce National Distribution Centre

The Brief

City Electrical Factors Limited (CEF), who were formed in 1951, are now the UK’s leading Electrical Wholesale Network, and currently boast to having twice as many distribution outlets than their nearest competitor.

In order to provide the best possible service CEF have developed a highly responsive and motivated organisation that can adapt readily to each individual customer’s needs and requirements.

Key Solutions Used

• Order Picking 
• Order Packing 
• Order Replenishment 
• Product Sortation 

Due to its projected growth and need to maintain a continued professional service level, CEF recognised that they needed to move from their existing distribution warehouse to a larger purpose built distribution centre (DC). 

This resulted in a 100,000 sq ft purpose built and specially designed distribution centre being commissioned.  Along with a 2 level mezzanine structure, the total floor space equalled 160,000 sq ft.

As part of the infrastructure to the new DC, a solution was required to enhance the process from order placement through to despatch and provide increased throughputs. One requirement was to incorporate the processes of order picking, packing and despatch solutions along with an inbound–replenishment function, which could all be controlled with an easy-to-use in-house developed IT system. 

Following initial investigations and discussions with various potential suppliers, CEF turned to CSL Automation as the preferred partner to work with on this project.

During the tender process CSL Automation demonstrated an understanding of the project values, and conducted a pro-active assessment of the project. CSL Automation worked closely with CEF and developed a partnership which ensured both CEF and CSL Automation were the right fit for each other.

The replenishment and order picking functions take place over two mezzanine floor areas with each floor having four offload transfers, each of which has a bi-directional transfer and spur conveyor. This provides eight locations per floor.

The routing of the totes is dictated by the client’s WMS, and the offloading is controlled via the WCS.  At each transfer point, a SICK barcode reader is employed for confirmation reading and/or triggering. 

If an order needs consolidating from another location or cannot access the required offload location, it will continue to visit all other required locations, then elevate up to the 2nd floor mezzanine via an AmbaFlex spiral located on the 1st floor mezzanine. The process is replicated on the 2nd floor.

All completed order picks or empty replenishment totes are lowered to the ground floor via the 4th AmbaFlex spiral in the system and delivered to one of 40 pack benches using a two-tiered conveyor system.

Any item that could not be offloaded to its required destination is re-circulated through the system and is WCS controlled.

The dual sided pack benches share a common incline conveyor belt, onto which they load the packed and completed items.  All despatch items merge onto the top tier of this two-tier conveyor. At the end of the line, a 4–way SICK scanning array is employed, examining the front, two sides and top of the carton for a despatch courier label. Items are then sorted via one of two Interroll High Performance Diverters to one of four despatch lanes.

Craig Marks, Divisional Manager for CEF online said “I have found working with CSL Automation to be the ideal partnership. They understood the brief and worked closely with CEF to ensure the design met all of the criteria. The support from start to finish was excellent. The project ran smoothly from start to finish. The conveyor system has made our new warehouse very efficient and allowed us to increase our throughput”.