HILLIARD, Ohio (Jan. 7, 2020) — VARGO^®, a leading provider of material-handling systems integration, warehouse execution software and equipment solutions for major fulfillment and distribution centers, was selected by Gap Inc. to design a robotics solution for its fulfillment centers in Phoenix, Arizona, and Rugby, England.

“In both facilities we implemented a solution to use VARGO^®’s WES to manage, direct and control workflows for direct-to-consumer order fulfillment, which included two primary continuous order release workflows,” said Art Eldred, client executive-system sales. “Multi-item orders are marshalled to a consolidation area that later feeds orders into VARGO^® Speedpack™ stations for final order matching. A similar process exists for single-item orders, however they flow directly to a packer or an auto-bagger packing machine.”

This lean-based system designed by VARGO^® uses some proprietary picking techniques and enables the retailer to meet its goals for fast order cycle times, according to Eldred.

The solution includes VARGO^®’s Continuous Order Fulfillment Engine (COFE^®), a Warehouse Execution System (WES) that works in real time to organize, sequence and synchronize all warehouse resources — equipment, people and processes. COFE^® is a waveless WES that enables continuous flow picking in order to minimize order cycle times, maximize efficiency and eliminate waves and buffers.

“VARGO’s solutions are flexible and help retailers scale with expected and unexpected changes,” Eldred said. “From inception to full production, retrofitting the Phoenix facility took only four months, and the facility in England was fully operational within nine months of its changeover.”