An iconic American retailer and longtime user of Matthews’ Warehouse Execution System software upgrades to NEXUS WES, enabling ecommerce fulfillment optimization with the latest warehouse automation technologies. 

Matthews Automation has appreciated an enduring relationship of trust with one of America’s oldest and most iconic retailers for nearly 20 years. Over that time, Matthews has provided advanced software and controls solutions that intelligently enhance warehouse automation in the retailer’s distribution centers dedicated to ecommerce order fulfillment. 

The customer originally deployed Matthews’ Pyramid Director warehouse execution system (WES) software to manage several types of material handling equipment and automated processes in these DCs. For example, the WES integrates and optimizes powered conveyors, sorters and printers, so they function together as one connected, collaborative system for moving and labeling cartons. By maximizing resource efficiency throughout these facilities to improve material flow, the retailer can consistently deliver premium-quality orders to their customers’ homes. 

The Pyramid Director software interface provided specialized screens for configuring equipment, along with graphical and text-based diagnostics tools. The software also shared real-time performance statistics and updates like case or carton status in the distribution center. Further, the WES logged transactions and critical system events, giving users the ability to access this data for reporting. 

Last year the retailer decided to explore how the latest advances in warehouse automation technologies could benefit their growing ecommerce footprint. Knowing Matthews Automation’s ability to reliably develop, deliver, and support state-of-the-art software, they upgraded to NEXUS, Matthews’ next generation WES. 

Built on over 30 years of software development expertise with Matthews’ Pyramid Director and CORS WES products, NEXUS now offers a new web-based front end for an even more intuitive user experience and configurable workspace. The new software features customizable dashboards, identifies bottlenecks and performance issues more quickly. The web-based “Information Anywhere” interface allows operators to access data and troubleshoot issues from any device at any time. 

With NEXUS WES, response times to bottlenecks or other performance issues have been reduced by 25 – 50% per incident. Moreover, NEXUS was engineered to seamlessly integrate with automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), robotics, and other emerging warehouse automation technologies to optimize their utilization in omnichannel environments. This was advantageous for Matthews’ retail customer who wanted to continue and improve their goods-to-person (GTP) picking strategy for ecommerce fulfillment with a new AS/RS. In addition to directing GTP picking, NEXUS also controls associated processes like inventory management, decanting, and cycle counting. 

Installed in two facilities without any production downtime, NEXUS helped the customer increase uptime and throughput by 4x, processing 460,000 units daily. Transitioning to NEXUS represented more than just an upgrade. With the significant leap forward in creating a truly connected and efficient warehouse environment, the retailer plans to install the WES in six or more ecommerce distribution centers. 

To talk more about NEXUS WES, please email: [email protected].