Package Handling
DCS’s design and engineering team has more than 40 years of experience creating unique parcel handling systems for diverse customer applications. With installations including semi-automated handling in small city distribution centers and fully automated, integrated hubs with advanced conveyor and sorter equipment, DCS routinely thinks outside the box.
E-Commerce and Multi-Channel Fulfillment
DCS designs and implements end-to-end warehouse automation solutions for e-commerce and multi-channel retailers that address numerous workflow challenges. This includes solutions for receiving, putaway, storage, replenishment, order fulfillment, picking, packing, sortation, and outbound shipping. Our custom integrated warehouse, distribution, and fulfillment systems draw from a deep pool of conventional, semi-automated, and automated material handling technologies.
Various Distribution Applications
Whether an operation is considering the construction of a new distribution or fulfillment center, or a retrofit or expansion of an existing facility, it’s important to create a solution that fits the overarching supply chain strategy. DCS has four decades of experience designing and integrating comprehensive, end-to-end material handling solutions that meet a multitude of operational goals. Whether conventional, semi-automated, or fully automated, DCS can help your organization implement a custom solution that meets its goals while maximizing return on investment (ROI).
Supply Chain Consulting
The DCS Supply Chain Consulting team offers a range of services to help your operations address the challenges it faces. Working in partnership with you, DCS consultants analyze your business data- existing workforce, workflow processes, inventory, order data, operations, and more- to determine a strategy that addresses your unique needs. Whether you need an operations assessment, process improvement recommendations, or distribution design services, DCS consultants will help guide you to the material handling system or operational solution that best meets your current and future needs, as well as your budget.
Customer Support
Keeping your warehouse operations and material handling systems running smoothly and at the peak of productivity are the goals of DCS’ Customer Service Team. By partnering with DCS, your warehouse automation solution is supported from commissioning to end of life. You’ll receive comprehensive in-house training of your personnel, including specialized training of your designated internal system expert. Plus, DCS offers a complete package of spare parts and expert system troubleshooting support from qualified engineers dedicated to your installation.
System Design & Integration
DCS offers a broad range of material handling equipment and automated system design, installation, and integration services for a multitude of projects. These include retrofits, expansions, upgrades, and more. While every project is unique, our system design and execution processes are the same, encompassing meticulous attention to detail, frequent communication, and a dedicated partnership with our clients.
About Us
Designed Conveyor Systems (DCS) has 40 years of experience serving major clients in multiple industries by providing material handling, full-scale warehouse operations, and conveyor design solutions that are custom crafted for their needs. DCS does not sell ready-made conveyor systems but builds relationships that empower collaboration to craft custom warehouse designs together. DCS utilizes consulting, engineering design, project management, installation services, and client support to ensure our customers can keep their promises to deliver on time.
Projects
With more than 40 years of experience providing automated system design, installation, and integration services, DCS has created solutions for companies throughout the United States in a broad range of industries and markets. We’ve completed more than 1500 projects ranging from greenfield facilities with completely new systems to expansions and retrofits of existing operations.

DCS Unveils New, Proprietary Warehouse Execution System (WES) at ProMat 2023

DATUM

For four decades, DCS has been providing comprehensive system integration solutions that incorporate a wide variety of material handling equipment and fulfillment automation. As warehouses, distribution centers, and parcel handling operations needs have grown more complex, our team recognized the need for a new breed of warehouse execution system (WES). One built from the ground up, and totally independent from original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) software. The WES also needs to deliver on the promise of scalability, availability, flexibility, and reliability — a promise where, in our experience, many fall short.

 

That’s why I and some other hand-picked industry software experts joined the DCS team. DCS offered us the opportunity to craft a new WES that truly meets the needs of today’s supply chain operations. We’re excited to be unveiling our new, proprietary WES — named DATUM — during ProMat 2023 in Booth S3568 in the South Hall of Chicago’s McCormick Place.

 

What sets DATUM apart from other WES platforms?

 

Like most WES solutions, DATUM blends warehouse control with tasks traditionally handled by a WMS. It handles order planning, intelligently releases tasks, synchronizes all current work, and continuously reprioritizes it for the optimal process flow. It supports semi-automated or completely automated distribution centers to fill high-velocity orders with specific delivery deadlines. There are, however, several features that set DATUM apart from other WES software in the market.

 

DATUM integrates easily with virtually every existing software system.

 

Just as DCS is brand independent, enabling us to design and engineer the optimal solution for our customers, so too is DATUM. Thanks to its flexible, secure API gateway and integration bridge, it easily interfaces with virtually every warehouse management system (WMS) software, including those from all major suppliers, legacy systems, and homegrown solutions. It also interfaces directly with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. This enables operations to increase their agility by expanding current capabilities beyond the limitations of any existing WMS software.

 

DATUM supports modular hardware configurability.

 

To remove silos of automation, DATUM integrates with a broad range of material handling hardware and warehouse automation. These include:

 

  • Conveyor systems
  • Sortation systems
  • Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) fleets
  • Goods-to-person fulfillment automation
  • Light-directed picking
  • Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS)
  • Unit sorters
  • Auto-baggers
  • Conventional and robotic palletizers
  • Voice-directed picking
  • Pick and put walls
  • Mobile devices
  • Automated print-and-apply systems
  • Custom cartonization equipment

 

DATUM also offers native programmable logic controllers (PLC) integration, as well as integration using TCP/IP. These functions allow it to connect with and synchronize new, existing, and modernized material handling equipment.

 

Completely customizable WES deployment options.

 

An operation can deploy DATUM in the manner that best suits its needs. Whether hosted in the Cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid configuration that minimizes the server hardware investment, DATUM provides highly reliable connectivity at the required speed. Depending on the degree of real-time information accessibility needed, DCS software experts can help a facility determine which deployment method works best.

 

Sophisticated container management functionality.

 

At its core, the DATUM WES features multiple, sophisticated functions that streamline and manage inventory handling and order flow throughout a fulfillment operation. These include dynamic and intelligent container, inventory, equipment, and order management strategies, such as:

 

  • Buffer lane management
  • Consolidation
  • Container configuration
  • Container lifecycle
  • Container routing
  • Conveyor and equipment modeling
  • Destination mapping
  • Dimensioning and weight validation
  • Inventory auditing
  • Label and print management
  • Location inventory management
  • Order management and release
  • Order soft and hard allocation
  • Pick and put order fulfillment
  • Pick path optimization
  • Replenishment
  • Wave release
  • Waveless flow

 

DATUM is a robust, stable, and secure WES platform.

 

Developed with widely used components that already form the backbone of the systems used by major software and service providers — including Google, Netflix, and Meta — DATUM’s base platform is both innovative and extensively deployed worldwide. Its microservice architecture makes it both robust and well supported, with billions of users continuously improving and refining the source code. Further, by creating DATUM with widely used technologies, the WES is steeped in the latest security protocols and standards. That foundational architecture makes the software extremely dynamic, easily updated and scaled, and highly resilient for maximum solution reliability.

 

Intuitive user interface makes DATUM easy to navigate.

 

With a modern, easy-to-navigate, web-based user interface, DATUM provides key business information through full text search across all available data sources. The WES synthesizes and analyzes information in real time to deliver answers — not just data — about key performance indicators (KPIs) in easily understood dashboards and reports. This built-in analytics function helps operations managers quickly pinpoint and address material handling equipment and order issues before they become serious problems, including operating faults and exception handling.

 

Collaboration functionality enables data sharing.

 

Managers and other users can share DATUM dashboards and other key points of information internally among personnel with authorized access, as well as externally to others within an operation through Microsoft Teams or Slack. This enables seamless collaboration across workflows, departments, and processes to facilitate faster troubleshooting and issue resolution.

 

Engage with DATUM at ProMat 2023.

 

There will be several opportunities for ProMat 2023 attendees to experience the DATUM WES difference throughout the DCS exhibit. Booth S3568 visitors can place an order for one of a dozen DCS giveaways through DATUM, which will direct them to locate the item in a light-directed picking installation. Dashboard displays will show aggregated data about the picks made throughout ProMat, allowing exhibit guests to see real time statistics on swag item velocity. Additionally, interactive kiosks and tablets will allow attendees to explore DATUM’s dashboard creation process, which uses a drag-and-drop interface to support customization.

 

Can’t make it to ProMat to meet DATUM in person? Connect with us; our software team is happy to schedule a virtual demo.

Author

Brian Curran, Vice President of Software, briancu@designedconveyor.com