Mouser continues to invest in automation

As of this year, Mouser has installed 102 vertical lift modules (VLMs), which according to Mouser is the most at any company in the Western Hemisphere and the fourth largest VLM installation in the world. VLMs are basically giant vertical filing cabinets, complete with shelves and an automated elevator to bring the components to the employee’s workstation. This increases efficiency and floor space and can reduce an employee’s walking time by 45% or more, the company states in a press release. In addition, the distribution center features multiple Ultipack and I-Pack machines, a sophisticated automated system for sealing and labeling shipments that can process up to 14 orders per minute. Mouser is also currently installing an OPEX Perfect Pick system and an AutoStore system — all of these investments are focused on getting orders processed, picked, packed and shipped in a very short amount of time. “As automation technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace, so too do advances in warehousing and logistics,” says Pete Shopp, Mouser Electronics’ Senior Vice President of Business Operations in the press release. “The resulting efficiencies in picking and packing help meet our goal of providing exceptional customer service.” Mouser’s massive global distribution center, located on the 78-acre campus of its corporate headquarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, handles an inventory of more than 1.1 million unique SKUs for products from over 1,100 manufacturer brands.