Asda picks Excel

Asda is changing the way it picks online grocery orders at its new 'Home Shopping Centre' in Morley, near Leeds, with help from Excel Automation.

An Excel belt and roller conveyor system transfers merchandise from a mezzanine floor to a despatch point on the ground floor, enabling online orders to be picked, processed and shopping baskets compiled, from the Home Shopping Centre for delivery to households previously covered by Asda stores in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.

The PLC-controlled indexing conveyors, designed to handle a tote every 2.5 seconds, are fitted with sensors and integral drive motors that not only control the normal conveyor functions but also prevent the build up of totes if they are not removed during the cycle.