Solution Profile: Fulfillment system for Internet shoe retailer 416,000 square feet Capable of processing an order in under one hour Provider: FKI Logistex

Zappos.com (www.zappos.com) operates on the principle that if you focus on providing a great shopping experience instead of maximizing profits, sales growth will follow.

The company’s “wow” philosophy of service and selection includes 365-day free returns, 24/7 customer service, 110-percent price protection, and unheard-of free overnight shipping on every order.

But getting an order processed, packaged, shipped, and onto your doorstep in less than 24 hours is not an easy task. It takes the right people, careful planning, and a fast, optimized order fulfillment system like the one material handling integrator FKI Logistex® (www.fkilogistex.com) and London-based design and business consulting firm Arup® (www.arup.com) provided for the Zappos facility in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

The proposed facility promised Zappos increased throughput to handle larger shipment volumes and reduced order cycle times to get orders to customers faster than ever before.

Rapid Order Cycle Time Makes Free Next-Day Shipping Possible
In February 2006, Arup contracted FKI Logistex to integrate and install the equipment to automate all of the fulfillment system’s material handling. FKI Logistex worked with Zappos and Arup to specify sortation systems and reconfigure conveyors to increase speed and optimize automation for receiving, presort, putaway, picking, packing and shipping.

FKI Logistex designed a customized conveyor system that cut travel time by a half hour, down to only five minutes. This and other system configurations made by FKI Logistex brought the average fulfillment cycle time down to five hours, with the capability to process an order in under an hour.

System Overview
When SKUs are received, a high-speed FKI Logistex UniSort® XV sliding shoe sortation routes a wide range product to shrink-wrapping lanes. Packages are then redirected to another high-speed sorter for put-away in the racking system.

When a customer places an order online, a Zappos employee picks it from the static racking. A conveyor routes it to another UniSort XV, which distributes the SKUs to a single or multi-pack area. To create a quieter working environment for its employees, Zappos chose to use FKI Logistex Accuzone® motorized roller conveyor, which operates at less than 72 dBA.

Completed packages are routed to three FKI Logistex Print-and-Apply Modules™ for automatic labeling. Ready-to-ship packages are sorted by another UniSort XV to the appropriate shipping lane and conveyed directly onto the truck.

is a Proud Member of the CSS & AS/RS Product Sections of
Material Handling Industry of America

FKI Logistex
9301 Olive Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132-3299
Tel: 1-877-935-4564
manufacturing@fkilogistex.com
www.fkilogistex.com