Automation drives high capacity for garment storage

The firm required higher stock requirements to meet anticipated growth and sought to install a pallet automated storage and retrieval solution (AS/RS) with Dematic.

In the latest phase, a new AS/RS was installed with a total capacity of 22,400 pallet locations. With this addition, the facility now stores approximately 600,000 boxes when combined with the existing Dematic Miniload and Dematic Multishuttle systems.

Adjacent to the automated pallet warehouse, Dematic has implemented a sequencer based on multishuttle technology. The system arranges the boxes received in bulk by Velilla and prepares single-reference pallets, which are then stored in the AS/RS.

From the pallet area, completed boxes can be sent directly to the dispatch area or used to replenish the Dematic Miniload and Dematic Multishuttle box storage zones. Return flows are generated for both the pallets delivering full boxes and those that are empty. Each box movement heading for the picking stations is managed from the checkout area, integrating both miniload and multishuttle operations. A corresponding return flow is also generated for the picked boxes.

This solution is capable of efficiently handling Velilla’s broad product range of around 18,000 SKUs and allows Velilla to manage over 97,000 garments per day and 500,000 orders annually.

The integration is managed by Velilla’s warehouse management software, ensuring smooth coordination across all automation layers.

One of the key benefits of this new facility is that it fully automates the receiving process. Velilla receives cartons from factories and suppliers and the robot cell builds pallets for storage.

Next, the small Dematic Multishuttle sequences the inbound packages and sends the cartons in the correct order to the palletising robot according to palletising guidelines. The solution can easily handle Velilla’s wide variety of carton sizes and catalogue of SKUs.