Shipping: Streamline outbound logistics with sortation systems, ensuring accurate and rapid order dispatch to various destinations.
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ACHIEVE UNPARALLELED ACCURACY AND SPEED IN YOUR OPERATIONS
Sortation Systems for Optimized Workflow
In the bustling heart of your supply chain, the challenge of sorting a diverse array of items — swiftly and precisely — can make or break the promise of delivery.
Whether you manage a sprawling distribution center, a dynamic e-commerce hub, or a critical manufacturing facility, the efficiency of sorting goods is paramount. KPI Solutions’ sortation systems are engineered to redefine your operations, offering unparalleled accuracy and speed in handling goods of all sizes.
Our solutions are a testament to a more streamlined, cost-effective, and dependable way of meeting and exceeding the intricate demands of inventory management and order fulfillment.
Types of Sortation Technology & Systems
Offering a diverse range of sortation systems, our expertise lies in pinpointing the perfect solution that aligns with your throughput requirements, material flow, and growth strategies.
Cross Belt Sorter |
Diverters |
Pop-Up Wheel Sorter |
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| Crossbelt sorters offer high-speed, versatile sorting for irregular items, enhancing efficiency in dynamic operations. | Diverters efficiently route products in multiple directions, ideal for streamlining sorting in fast-paced distribution settings. | Ideal for varied item sizes, pop-up wheel sorters offer flexible, moderate-speed sorting with exceptional adaptability. |
Shoe Sorter |
Tilt-tray Sorter |
Tompkins tSort |
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| Effectively utilizes overhead space for material handling, maximizing floor space efficiency in busy, limited-area facilities. | Tilt tray sorters provide precise, high-capacity sorting, perfect for diverse item types in fast-paced settings. | Innovative, advanced robotics solution for high-volume unit sortation. tSort provides all the efficiency without the fixed infrastructure. |
Versatile Uses of Sortation Systems
The Power of Precision Sortation
Sortation systems bring transformative improvements to warehouse functions, ensuring precision in Picking and efficiency in Packing. Their advanced technology adapts to the dynamic needs of modern warehouses, facilitating rapid, accurate handling of goods that bolsters both productivity and reliability in the material handling process.
Receiving: Efficiently categorize and route incoming goods, enhancing the speed and accuracy of inventory management in receiving.
Picking: Optimize order picking processes with sortation systems, reducing errors and increasing efficiency in warehouse operations.
Packing: Enhance packing efficiency by accurately sorting items into designated packing areas, speeding up the packaging process.
Industry Applications
Retail & e-Commerce
In retail and e-commerce, sortation systems ensure accuracy and speed in order processing and fulfillment. Tailored to handle diverse product ranges and peak demands, they are essential for staying competitive in online retail.
Third-Party Logistics
For 3PL providers, our sortation systems offer the flexibility and efficiency needed to manage varied products. These solutions are crucial for meeting client commitments in a fast-evolving logistics landscape.
Food & Beverage
Our sortation systems address the unique challenges of the food, beverage, and grocery industry, enabling efficient handling of perishables and online orders. They play a key role in maintaining product freshness and optimizing distribution.
Medical & Pharma
In medical and pharmaceutical logistics, precision is vital. Our sortation systems ensure compliance and product integrity, especially critical in cold storage environments.
Visualize Your Next Sortation Project With
Advanced Design & Simulation
Experience the future of your distribution center with custom-engineered design and simulation. By leveraging proprietary simulation tools, we work with you to reveal optimizations and efficiencies that allow for precise planning and execution.
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Progressive Modeling: Experience a 3D model of your proposed sortation system, providing a clear visual of the design in your facility’s context.
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Operational Analysis: Analyze potential operational scenarios through simulation, ensuring the system’s design meets your specific throughput and efficiency goals.
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Optimization Strategies: Identify optimization opportunities in the sortation process, enabling adjustments before implementation for maximum efficiency.
Comprehensive Support To Ensure Long-Term Success
LifeTime Services
Our relationship with clients doesn’t end with the commissioning of the system. Our post-sales support ensures that your conveyor system continues to operate at peak efficiency.
Resident Maintenance
24/7 Support
Field Services
Upgrades, Modernizations & Retrofits
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is an automated sortation system?
An automated sortation system is a high-speed logistics solution that identifies items on a conveyor and diverts them to specific destinations (such as shipping lanes, packing stations, or storage areas). By using scanners and automated diverters, these systems eliminate the need for manual sorting, dramatically increasing throughput and accuracy. - What are the main types of sortation technology?
The right technology depends on your product type and speed requirements:
- Sliding Shoe Sorters: High-speed systems ideal for cartons and totes.
- Cross-Belt Sorters: Versatile systems that handle irregular items and small parcels at very high speeds.
- Tilt-Tray Sorters: Precise systems for diverse items, often used in retail and apparel.
- Pop-Up Wheel Sorters: Flexible, moderate-speed solutions for a range of item sizes.
- Robotic Sortation (tSort): A modular, portable solution that uses small robots to sort items without fixed conveyor infrastructure.
- When should a business invest in a high-speed shoe sorter?
A sliding shoe sorter is ideal for sorting large volumes of fragile or heavy cartons (up to 100+ items per minute) with minimal impact. Because the “shoes” gently slide products off the main line, it is the preferred choice for high-volume distribution centers that handle diverse product weights and sizes. - How does robotic sortation (tSort) differ from traditional conveyor-based sorting?
Unlike traditional sorters that require fixed steel infrastructure, robotic systems like tSort use autonomous robots that move across a table or platform. This system is highly scalable—you can add more robots during peak seasons—and it requires a much smaller footprint and lower upfront investment than fixed systems. - How do sortation systems improve outbound shipping operations?
In the shipping area, sortation systems automatically route completed orders to the correct loading dock based on the carrier (UPS, FedEx, LTL) or geographic destination. This ensures that packages are staged correctly for the driver, reducing loading times and eliminating “mis-sorts” that lead to shipping delays. - Can sortation systems handle irregular or “ugly” items like polybags?
Yes, but specific technology is required. Cross-belt and tilt-tray sorters are best for irregular items because the product sits securely on a moving belt or tray rather than being pushed by a diverter. This prevents polybags and round items from getting stuck or damaged during sorting. - What is a “pop-up wheel” sorter, and where is it best used?
A pop-up wheel sorter uses sets of wheels that rise to catch the bottom of a carton and steer it onto a spur line. It is a cost-effective, moderate-speed solution often used in receiving areas or at the end of picking zones to route bins to different packing lanes. - How do I determine the right sortation speed (throughput) for my facility?
Throughput is determined by your “peak hour” volume rather than your daily average. We analyze your busiest times of the year to ensure the sorter can handle maximum capacity without causing upstream backups. Sorters can range from 30 cartons per minute to over 400 pieces per minute for unit-level sorting. - How does vision technology and barcode scanning work with sortation?
Every item entering the sorter passes through a “scan tunnel” (often 5 or 6-sided) that reads the barcode regardless of its orientation. The system then communicates with the Warehouse Execution System (WES) to identify the correct divert point and track the package’s exact position on the line in real time. - Is it possible to upgrade or expand a sortation system after it’s installed?
Many modern sortation systems are modular. For example, diverters can often be added to a line, or a robotic tSort system can be expanded by adding more robots and induction stations. KPI Solutions offers Modernization and Retrofit services to help you scale your current sortation capacity as your order volume grows.