THREDUP Warehouse Automation Solutions:
Multi-Site Fulfillment & Shipping System Integration
Order Pack-Out, Print & Apply System
CLIENT
thredUP
PROJECT SCOPE
Multiple Facilities, System Design & Engineering, Project Management, Mechanical & Electrical Installation, Warehouse Control System, Automation Controls Design & Programming
INDUSTRY
Apparel, e-Commerce
LOCATION
Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas
The SilMan System Integration Team designed and implemented a mixed polybag-carton fulfillment and shipping solution at multiple locations for thredUP, one of the world’s largest online resale platforms for women’s and kids’ apparel, shoes, and accessories.
Apparel Distribution & Fulfillment
Secondhand clothing and online apparel platforms are experiencing high demand and increased competitiveness. thredUP turned to SilMan to support its growth in the region served by this facility.
After months of close collaboration, SilMan presented a system solution to meet thredUP’s efficiency, cost-savings, and customer service needs, while outlining a pathway for future improvements.
Automated Warehouse Solutions
SilMan proposed and implemented updated manifesting and shipping systems at multiple sites, increasing order fulfillment speed and capacity of each system and improving network efficiency.
These warehouse solutions provide thredUP with an overall throughput increase, despite the introduction of a polybag-carton mix, and reduce process time, labor, and potential human error.
The systems were cost-effectively designed with built-in scalability to accommodate phased implementation of the solutions, which doubled the pack station’s capacity while maintaining the newly improved throughput levels.
The thredUP Fulfillment Solution
Warehouse Automation Controls and Conveyance
The newly integrated Order Pack-Out Systems include all conveyance, in-motion weighing, automated dimensioning, shipping label printing and application, and sorting to carrier locations.
- Order Pack-Out equipment and sorter equipment allow for the conveyance and sortation of polybags mixed with cartons.
- Automated weight capture by the integrated In-Motion Scale reduces or eliminates errors in shipment weights and minimizes manual weight capture.
- Automated carton Dimensioning provides accurate data to the manifest system for shipping prices.
- Automated Print and Apply system applies labels on both polybags and cartons, reducing or eliminating manual handling, and increasing throughput and accuracy.
- State-of-the-art system hardware conveys and sorts polybags and cartons, increasing overall throughput and reducing manual handling.
Speak to a key team member on this project
Meet David Rebata
For more information about this project or related topics, contact David by email or call directly at 510.409.6567.
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Key to Success
The high levels of performance achieved on these projects have been enabled by a notable spirit of collaboration and ease of communication between the thredUP and SilMan teams.
Implementation of Automated Solutions
The multi-discipline structure of the SilMan Team was essential in producing the quality and efficiency achieved during the project life of this implementation. In particular, the constant collaboration of engineering and project management teams throughout the entire engineering and execution phases of the project.
- SilMan’s Tupelo-based engineering team provided detailed engineering design and application support for the fully engineered system.
- Procure all material handling equipment and controls equipment.
- Mechanical and Electrical installation.
- SilMan’s “Unison” warehouse automation controls system was utilized for all client interfaces and software, installed by the SilMan Controls Group.
The SilMan System Integration team works hand in hand with our in-house Specialty Trade Services to implement material handling solutions in a wide variety of industries, including distribution center optimization for the Fulfillment and Parcel sectors (see “A Comprehensive Guide to Efficient Parcel Handling Systems”), food and beverage manufacturing and warehouse solutions, and end-to-end innovative manufacturing solutions.
Photo Gallery
Close-up view of integrated warehouse automation solutions.
Warehouse Controls Automation
SilMan’s Unison Warehouse Control System is at the heart of the results achieved for thredUP: a single resource that provides an automated solution for handling a mix of polybag and carton packages.
The Unison warehouse automation controls solution provides an interface with the thredUP warehouse management system, data interchange, and control of peripheral equipment:
- In-motion scale
- Dimensioning
- Automated Print and Apply
- Scanners and Cameras
- Sortation
Functionally, the Unison system controls the diversion of packages as needed, photo-eyes/scanners to identify and monitor packages, carrier-tracking of packages, confirmation scanners, and sortation.
Equipment Deployed
We are grateful to our top-grade partners for their vital contribution toward these outstanding outcomes.
| Partner | Contribution |
|---|---|
| TGW | Conveyor Systems |
| Intralox | Centering Belt and Sorter |
| Interoll-Portec | Powered Curve Belts |
| Conveyor Solutions | Sort-Slide Accumulator |
| Ambaflex | Spiral Conveyor |
| OCS Technologies | In-Motion Scale |
| Cognex | Cameras and Scanners |
| Panther Industries | Print and Apply Labeling |
| Hearland Engineering | Conveyor Crossover Stair System |
Overhead view of a thredUP Pack-Out and Shipping system.
Meet thredUP
“thredUP is part of a larger Collaborative Consumption movement, which encourages consumers to live in a more collective, sharing economy.” — Everipedia.com
With a rallying cry of “Let’s Make a Real Fashion Statement, Choose Used” thredUP is doing a lot more than just selling clothes. Since its foundation in 2009, the Oakland-based online retailer has made it clear that they are on a mission to revolutionize the fashion industry.
The website is brimming with secondhand items from over 35,000 brands across 100 categories and across price points, yet the message is clear: fashion contributes to the deterioration of the environment, and thredUP intends to change that in a big way.
The company has been growing, and with a Walmart collaboration announced in May 2020, the company is expanding its Resale as a Service partnerships
And not surprisingly, as an online resale platform for women’s and kids’ apparel, shoes, and accessories, the company is also very popular on social media with over 2 million followers on Facebook.
About SilMan Industries
SilMan Industries (formerly SilMan Construction) is based in San Leandro, California, with Engineering and Field Operations offices in Tupelo, Mississippi. 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 transport the NUMMI assembly line in Fremont, Calif., transport the equipment, and reinstall the system in Blue Springs, 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.
Warehouse automation systems solutions from Silman, a national leader in innovative warehouse technology. Our team designs, engineers, and installs the best warehouse automation system for each company’s needs and situation. We are national, serving all cities. This includes: Oakland. Los Angeles. Phoenix. Dallas. Chicago. Atlanta. Bowling Green. Charlotte. Huntsville. Indianapolis. Seattle. Kansas City.
Frequently Asked Questions for Order Pack-out Systems
How does automation handle the challenge of sorting both polybags and cartons?
Automated systems manage mixed packaging by utilizing specialized conveyance systems and advanced controls. Variable-speed belts and centering devices can be used to ensure that inconsistent items like flexible polybags are stabilized and properly spaced for downstream processes. SilMan's solution for thredUP incorporated specialized physical conveyance hardware controlled by the Unison Warehouse Control System (WCS). The WCS tracks and controls both rigid cartons and flexible polybags, directing them through in-motion weighing, automated dimensioning, and labeling processes. This integrated, multi-disciplinary approach allows a seamless flow and maintains high throughput despite the complexity of the package mix.
What is a Warehouse Control System (WCS) and why is it essential for an automated pack-out line?
A Warehouse Control System (WCS) is the crucial layer of software that directs and manages automated material handling equipment. It acts as the operational bridge between a high-level Warehouse Management System (WMS) and physical devices like conveyors, scanners, and sorters. The WCS is essential because it captures real-time data from equipment—such as in-motion scales and dimensioners—and immediately executes the control logic, for example, diverting a package or commanding a Print and Apply (P&A) machine to affix a label. SilMan's Unison WCS provides the necessary intelligence to optimize throughput and accuracy across the entire automated pack-out process.
What are the main benefits of using an automated Print and Apply system in e-commerce fulfillment?
Automated Print and Apply (P&A) systems speed up the final shipping process and significantly improving labeling accuracy. They eliminate the slow, error-prone manual step of printing and affixing shipping labels, a major bottleneck in high-volume e-commerce fulfillment. Key benefits include dramatically increased throughput, consistent and accurate placement of carrier labels, and a reduction in mis-shipments or fines from carriers due to illegible or incorrectly placed labels. For operations handling mixed media like polybags and cartons, automated P&A ensures reliable label application and supports the overall scalability of the operation.
