eCommerce Distribution

eCommerce distribution is designed to focus on the shipping needs of the customer

Conveyco’s eCommerce and direct to consumer distribution solutions are designed to satisfy the high volume of small orders demanded by this industry. Fulfilling small orders from a large number of SKU’s can be complicated and costly. When you factor in special handling requirements dictated by the type of products, the fulfillment process can be difficult to manage, especially during seasonal volume peaks. We find that every client has something unique to their operation that needs special consideration in order to gain the maximum efficiencies.

Conveyco helps eCommerce clients maximize the efficiency of their fulfillment operation by identifying and quantifying their unique aspects. The end result is a fulfillment system that meets all the needs of the client and consumers:

Shortest order cycle time possible to allow consumers to place orders as late as possible for same day shipment
Highest order accuracy to keep consumers coming back year after year
Great customer experience with attractive packaging inside and outside the shipping container
Highest labor productivity to minimize the total cost per order shipped

First, we identify specific customer needs, including:

Product characteristics
Order characteristics
- Volumes (average and peak)
- Typical order profiles
- Order exceptions
Special requirements

Once we quantify and map the client’s operation, we can help develop the “RightFIT” Solution for the client’s business. We are able to treat the order fulfillment process as an interdependent set of tasks (picking, packing, and shipping).

Determining and understanding how an order needs to be packed and shipped early in the process allows for many efficiencies. That is why planning and designing the order fulfillment system around the specific needs of the client’s operation is most important.

Planning starts with the picking process. We look at different picking strategies to see which can yield the most efficiency.

Discrete order picking
Cluster picking groups of discrete orders
Batch picking for manual or automated discrete order consolidation
Identifying possible combinations

Our Warehouse Execution Software (WES) drives the picking process and can group orders for almost any subset required. If multiple packing technologies are used, we will group orders primarily by pack type and then by other common criteria to minimize the handling and the time required to transfer orders from picking to packing.
The packing process is where most productivity gains can be made. We rarely find an operation where one type of packing technology suits every order that is shipped. There are many different types of automated and semi-automated packing solutions that can significantly increase the number of orders completed per hour.

With WES coordinating the packing operation, each order is checked for accuracy regardless of the technology used. This streamlines the process, which not only cuts labor costs but reduces material and freight costs by applying materials and technologies that are less expensive in order to create smaller packaging. The result is reduced parcel carrier costs.