Method and system for order fulfilment

A method to facilitate fulfilling product orders, comprising:

• (a) queuing requests for cases of various sizes in a queue stored in an electronic memory;
• (b) accessing a next request from said queue;
• (c) determining a size for a case from said next request;
• (d) based on said size, automatically adjusting components of a case forming apparatus to adapt said case forming apparatus to form said case of said size;
• (e) transferring a case blank for said case of said size from a particular repository to said case forming apparatus, said particular repository holding case blanks for cases of said size;
• (f) operating said case forming apparatus to form said case from said case blank;
• (g) until said queue is empty, repeating (b) to (f) for a request in said queue next following said next request.

A system for use in fulfilling product orders, comprising:

• an electronic memory for holding a queue of requests, each request indicating a particular size of a case;
• a case former having a plurality of adjustable components each adjusted by a drive mechanism;
• a plurality of repositories for case blanks, each repository holding case blanks of a different size such that any given repository has case blanks for cases of a single size;
• a controller operatively associated with said electronic memory and electronically communicating with said case former and each of said plurality of repositories, said controller operable to:
• (i) access said electronic memory to access a next request from said queue;
• (ii) determine a size for a case from said next request;
• (iii) based on said size, control each said drive mechanism to adapt said adjustable components of said case former to operate on a case blank for a case of a size indicted by said next request;
• (iv) based on said size, control a particular repository to transfer said case blank for said case of said size from said particular repository;
• (v) control said case former to form said case from said case blank;
• and
• (vi) until said queue is empty, repeat (i) to (v) for a request in said queue next following said next request.