Breaking

Beverage Distributors Deploy Automation to Combat SKU Explosion

Beverage distribution facilities are turning to specialized automation systems to manage exponential growth in product variety and persistent labor shortages. Hy-Tek Intralogistics has rolled out two platforms to address the challenge: Hy-Sync and Hy-Flow. The core issue: warehouses originally built for 500 SKUs now handle 4,000 or more, dramatically extending pick paths and threatening on-time truck departures. Pick times have stretched from 10 minutes to 15-20 minutes per pallet. Hy-Sync targets slow-moving items representing 60-70% of SKU count but just 10% of volume, automating their retrieval to reduce picker travel distances. Hy-Flow operates facility-wide, automating full inbound-to-outbound flow. Both systems aim to double or triple pick speeds, with some facilities achieving triple speeds during peak summer periods.