Material Handling Solutions
Conveyor Sortation Systems & Equipment
While conveyor equipment helps save time and energy moving items from one place to another, sortation systems take the process a step further by moving inventory to multiple destinations. These actions are accomplished through engineered solutions that incorporate specialized equipment.
Sortation in a Warehouse
There are seemingly endless sortation tasks that can arise in a warehouse or distribution center.
- Induction: As facilities induct packages, there are several destinations for their first stop—for instance, immediate fulfillment of open orders, long-term inventory, and cross-dock for immediate shipping.
- Fulfillment: Picked items can be assigned to multiple locations, including packing, additional processing (such as value-added services), palletizing, and shipping.
- Shipping: Processed packages and cross-dock items are directed to specific outbound lanes, typically by carrier or final geographic destination.
Engineered Sortation: Driving Efficiency and Throughput
The implementation of a well-conceived and meticulously integrated sortation system is a pivotal strategic move that directly translates operational efficiency into competitive advantage. Beyond merely moving product, an advanced sortation solution serves as the central nervous system for the modern facility, delivering unmatched speed, accuracy, and owner control.
Optimizing Time, Efficiency and Control
Sortation automation is the key to unlocking peak efficiency. By using high-speed scanning and precise diversion mechanisms, a dedicated system can process thousands of units per hour, eliminating the time and labor required for manual sorting. This significant reduction in processing time leads to improved order fulfillment cycles and better on-time delivery metrics.
The shift to automation also provides unprecedented control for owners. Modern sortation systems, coupled with a robust Warehouse Control System (WCS) like SilMan’s Unison, provide facility managers with real-time diagnostics and performance data. This continuous data flow enables immediate capacity adjustments, proactive maintenance, and highly accurate inventory tracking, ensuring every decision is data-driven. The accuracy achieved through automation drastically reduces mis-sorts and shipping errors, cutting down on costly returns and improving customer satisfaction.
Advanced Sortation Equipment and Industry Solutions
The type and speed of the sorting system depend on the items sorted. Modern material handling systems must handle a wide variety of items, including boxes/cartons, poly bags, pallets, and individual products.
Just as there is a wide variety of destinations and package types, there are many tools designed to execute these journeys. While basic diverters and arms handle straightforward movements, high-volume operations rely on sophisticated sorter mechanisms that meet specific product characteristics and throughput requirements.
Sorter Type Primary Function & Advantage
| Sorter Type | Primary Function & Advantage |
|---|---|
| High-Speed Cross-Belt | Used in high-volume parcel and e-commerce. Delivers extremely high throughput rates and accurate item placement to thousands of destinations. |
| Tilt-Tray Sorter | Excellent for handling a wide variety of item sizes, shapes, and weights, diverting items by tilting a tray at the appropriate exit point. Common in fulfillment. |
| Pivoting Wheel & Pop-Up Wheel | Utilizes sets of wheels that lift and turn to divert items. Ideal for high-speed carton or tote sorting that requires tender touch. |
Cameras and photo-eyes are used throughout an automated sortation system to identify packages based on the data contained on carton labels. The scanners communicate with the warehouse control system which directs the equipment to divert the package toward its destination or perform specific actions such as weighing or labeling.
In turn, the controls system alerts the warehouse management system of the actions performed for each carton, and its arrival at its final location.
Don’t be fooled. Warehouse control systems are more than just software.
SilMan’s Unison is a single solution that unites equipment and material handling processes to build a seamless interface with WMS platforms.
Unison harmonizes every element of warehouse operations: sortation control, data collection, diagnostics, software, and programming.
Controls systems are only as good as the controls team who installed and programmed it. SilMan’s veteran in-house control group is an integral part of our integration team and a key aspect of SilMan’s success.
About the Company
SilMan Industries (previously SilMan Construction) is based in San Leandro, Calif., with Engineering and Field Operations offices in Tupelo, Miss. The firm provides integrated turnkey solutions in the Industrial, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Public Works sectors.
Notably, in 2010 SilMan Industries was contracted to dismantle and remove the NUMMI assembly line in Fremont, Calif., transport the equipment, and reinstall the system in Blue Spring, Miss., establishing Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi (TMMMS). This high-visibility project ignited the company’s meteoric growth, laying the foundation for SilMan’s national service area.
For more information, please visit www.silmanindustries.com/about.
Frequently Asked Questions for Sortation Systems
What are the different types of conveyor sortation systems?
Several types of conveyor sortation systems have been designed to handle the variety of tasks required across the induction, fulfillment, and shipping processes in warehouse and distribution centers. High-speed cross-belt sorters for parcels, tilt-tray sorters for various item shapes, and pivoting wheel diverters for cartons. Each system uses specialized equipment and controls to direct inventory to multiple destinations, such as shipping lanes or fulfillment zones, based on real-time scanning data.
How does an automated sortation system improve warehouse efficiency?
Automated sortation systems improve warehouse efficiency by utilizing high-speed scanning and precise diversion mechanisms. As a result, they deliver higher throughput, improved accuracy rates of up to 99.9%, reduced labor costs, and faster order processing times. This automation eliminates manual sorting labor, optimizes space utilization, drastically reduces mis-sorts and shipping errors, and accelerates order fulfillment cycles for faster on-time delivery.
What is the role of a Warehouse Control System (WCS) in sortation?
A Warehouse Control System (WCS), such as SilMan's Unison, acts as the "brain" of the sortation process. It communicates with scanners and photo-eyes to identify packages and directs the conveyor equipment to divert items to their correct destinations. The WCS also provides continuous data flow, which enables immediate capacity adjustments, proactive maintenance, and highly accurate inventory tracking, ensuring every decision is data-driven.
