Revolutionary Manufacturer of Hybrid Contact Lens Measures 99.5% Pick Accuracy After Installing Horizontal Carousels
Revolutionary Manufacturer of Hybrid Contact Lens Measures 99.5% Pick Accuracy After Installing Horizontal Carousels
Background
Background
Recognizing the need for a hybrid contact lens that combine the superior visual acuity of a rigid gas permeable lens with the comfort of a soft contact lens, this company was revolutionary. With the creation of their hybrid contact lens, customers have been able to enjoy the best of both worlds – a stable, high oxygen permeable rigid center that delivers consistent, crisp, clear vision while the outer skirt provides the all-day comfort of a soft lens. No other contact lens currently offers these advantages.
To date, the company holds five U.S. patents and a score of patents pending along with four FDA market clearances for their line of family lenses. The patented their hybrid technology with FDA market clearance which provides comfortable, clear vision through the services of more than 2000 eye care practitioners throughout the United States.
Their vision is to be a catalyst for change in the eye care industry by helping practitioners provide the best visual experience possible for their patients thereby building patient loyalty and long term relationships.
Challenge
Challenge
In July 2006, the company tripled its production capacity to meet market demand for its growing product line of lenses. They also consolidated the new manufacturing facilities under one roof at the company’s headquarters.
Being that the company ships lenses directly to practitioners in all 50 US states and have also launched international operations recently, space considerations were very important. The company needed a better way to manage the storage and retrieval of over 12,000 unique SKUs. In addition, it is possible for each SKU to have multiple lot numbers as well. With a manual system currently in place, the company had an operations process that was extremely labor intensive and error prone.
“The installation of the system not only improved productivity and inventory accuracy but also made employees happy. They love the system and like the non hassle method of daily operation.”
“The installation of the system not only improved productivity and inventory accuracy but also made employees happy. They love the system and like the non hassle method of daily operation.”
Solution
Solution
For the company, the horizontal carousel solution was the ideal fit. The system suited their operational requirements very well and provided the storage density that the company needed to adjust to the consolidation of their facilities. With that being said, the company installed a high performance horizontal carousel system solution consisting of 1 pod of two Twin Bin style horizontal carousels.
Results
Results
When assessing the results of the horizontal carousel installments, the Vice President of MIS & Logistics at the company said, “We have observed multi-fold productivity improvement since the White System is in operation. We have doubled our volumes since commissioning the system and have reduced our manpower by 40%. In addition, we have seen tremendous improvement in our inventory accuracy. We measured our accuracy to 99.5 %. We are now able to fulfill 100% of our daily orders.” He goes on to say, ““The White System project team was very professional in their approach and stuck to the timeline decided in the kick-off meeting.”
