AUTOMATED
SORTATION SYSTEMS

Automated Conveyor Sortation Systems for Small parcels

Sortation Systems have experienced staggering growth with the exponential increase in automated sortation volume generated by eCommerce. Warehouse robotic automation systems process consumer orders so efficiently; thus the sortation systems now must process volumes of smaller poly bags, boxes and parcels at rates no facility could have imagined 20 years ago.

Traditional Retail Store sorter – for Large Boxes

Automated conveyor systems traditionally (prior to 2012) sorted high quality rectilinear boxes or totes at high speeds. These sorted products went to powered takeaway downlines so the products could be properly stacked, fluid loaded in trucks, or manually palletized, and then loaded onto trucks. Shoe Sorters could run at 650+ feet per minute to process up to 200,000 cases per day at a mega Regional Distribution Center replenishing stock to a network of retail stores. These cases were opened by aisle upon arrival in the store and placed on the shelf. Orders were filled at the stores by consumers picking items from the shelf, checking out at the register and driving home.

The ROI for these sortation systems was driven by streamlining inventory costs.

Additionally, the expanded Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) selection in general merchandise, apparel and grocery stores has more than tripled in the last 20 years. In many cases more SKU’s than a physical store could display for customers. This was occurring in parallel with the evolution of eCommerce shopping.
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The automated sortation systems at Fulfillment Centers

Ironically, the endless Internet shopping aisle contributed to the eCommerce shopping experience and sales growth. The automated sortation systems at Fulfillment Centers now have significantly higher throughput requirements and are one of the significant changes in warehouse automation that supplant traditional retail Distributions Centers. But the sortation volume demand doesn’t stop at the FC shipping door. The delivery network from the Fulfillment centers requires two more sort facilities that never existed previously which is what truly makes the growth in eCommerce Sortation exponential.

Sortation
Systems will Sort eCommerce packages...

Sortation Systems will Sort eCommerce packages 3 times in the Delivery Process.


The automated sortation systems in eCommerce fulfillment centers must process and sort completed orders with shipping labels for third-party carriers. The carrier shipping / delivery network will pass these packages through at least two more sort facilities after leaving the fulfillment center enroute to the consumer doorstep.

Sort To Consumer

  • The fulfillment centers sort packages by carrier, service and destination (area). The size of the fulfillment center processing order dictates sort volume. Centers doing 1,000 orders per hour in 2018 are now challenged with volumes of 10,000 – 15,000 per hour in 2022.
  • The next sort is typically a hub for one of the large carriers where packages are received, re-scanned and sorted to a last mile center. There are 100s of these massive centers in the US. This is where the concentration of smalls high volume sortation occurs.
  • Last mile centers are the new micro-facilities made popular by Amazon Prime – that we all see in our neighborhoods. There will be over 4,000 of these facilities across the US by 2025. Packages are sorted by route stop for each truck. These facilities deploy 50 to 800 delivery trucks per day making 180-220 deliveries per truck per shift!
  • Remember, Amazon had a goal of same day delivery (2019) within 5 hours of order being placed by Prime Members.

Innovation leadership in Warehouse Automation. The evolution of distribution…

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