Victoria Kickham started her career as a newspaper reporter in the Boston area before moving into B2B journalism. She has covered manufacturing, distribution and supply chain issues for a variety of publications in the industrial and electronics sectors, and now writes about everything from forklift batteries to omnichannel business trends for DC Velocity.
Choosing the best sortation system for your warehouse or distribution center (DC) depends on many factors—and it can be an especially daunting task in light of today’s accelerated e-commerce activity and the growing array of high-tech solutions available from manufacturers and systems integrators. But before making plans to invest in that cool system you saw on YouTube or that cutting-edge solution that was demoed at a recent industry trade show, make sure to analyze your facility’s needs and future demands to ensure you make the best decision.
“The one critical [issue] is always data, data, data,” says Andy Lockhart, director of strategic engagement, warehousing solutions at Vanderlande, a company that supplies automated material handling solutions, including sortation systems, for airports, warehouses, and parcel distribution facilities. “What are you trying to sort? How big are the items? How much are you sorting, that kind of thing. Data [is essential] to designing the right system.”
The right data can determine whether you need a simple sorting solution that’s been around for decades or a more advanced system designed for complex operations—or a combination of different technologies. And in some cases, emerging robotic solutions may be just what you need to get the job done.
MATERIALS AND THROUGHPUT
Sortation is the process of distributing items—by piece, case, tote, or polybag—to specific locations in a facility for packing, shipping, or routing to another destination in a company’s network. The process is common to every warehouse and DC, and at some point, managers will need to evaluate how well their system is working and whether or not it’s time to change or upgrade it.
The first step in that process is to look at what, exactly, is being sorted: What is the size range, the shape of the items, the kind of packaging each item comes in, and the throughput requirement? The answers to those questions will help determine what type of sorter is best for a particular operation, according to Dean Terrell, vice president of engineering at logistics automation and software company Fortna.
For example, paddle and push sorters can be used to sort a wide range of items in rigid or semi-rigid packaging: Paddles swing outward to divert an item onto a particular path, and pushers extend to do the same. These types of sorters have been in use for decades and represent the most basic, and often most affordable, sorting solutions, Terrell says.
At the other end of the spectrum, crossbelt sorters are ideal for handling parcels, polybags, apparel, and fragile items. These conveyor-based systems sort the items using “crossbelts”—small segments of conveyor that move products from one location to another within the system.
Other options include tray-based sorters—often ideal for sorting odd-shaped items—and sliding shoe sorters, which convey items on a surface of aluminum extruded slats, each equipped with a pusher. A series of pushers can be used in succession to move the items off the sorter and divert them onto a particular path.
“If the product is shipped in round cylinders, well that’s a hard item to handle, so a tray sorter is best for that,” Terrell explains. “If there are a lot of polybags, [flat items], and things of that nature, we would look toward a crossbelt sorter.”
Throughput makes a big difference in system selection. Paddle and push sorters are best for low-throughput applications, such as sorting boxes or totes to loading doors for shipping (although they can be used in high-throughput applications as well, according to Terrell). Crossbelt sorters, on the other hand, are best for high-throughput applications—even those involving small or fragile items—as well as in operations that are sorting a wide range of products, such as e-commerce fulfillment. Crossbelt sorters provide the most gentle and accurate method of sortation, even at high speeds, Terrell says. Sliding shoe sorters offer similar benefits for variable and high-speed operations, especially when sorting products of a variety of sizes, shapes, and weights, the experts say. Warehouse managers should also consider the number of destinations they are sorting to, as this increases the complexity of the sorting process and may drive the need for a higher-end solution.
ROBOTICS TO THE RESCUE?
Advances in robotic technology are influencing the sorting process as well. Both Terrell and Lockhart say there is growing interest among warehouse and DC managers in incorporating autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) into the sorting process, much as e-commerce giant Amazon.com has done at some of its sortation centers nationwide. At those sites, workers place packages on top of a shuttle-like AMR equipped with a conveyor belt; the AMR then drives the package to a designated location and uses the conveyor belt to propel the package into a chute, which funnels the item to its next destination.
“You’ve effectively got picked goods, each one placed onto a single AMR,” Lockhart explains. “[The AMR] will then take that product to the right exit point. It’s like a shoe on a traditional sorter, dropping [the item] where it needs to go for shipping.”
Amazon’s accomplishments and the “cool factor” are driving much of the interest in AMR sorting, but there’s a long way to go before the process sees much uptake at even the largest, busiest DCs. Terrell says customers are beginning to test AMR solutions and that the future looks bright for large-scale adoption—but only if the customer can justify the investment compared to other automated sorting solutions. He gives an example: Some initial attempts at AMR sortation have involved the construction of expensive mezzanines on which fleets of mobile robots sort items into chutes that funnel the packages into containers below. The concept is sound, Terrell says, but the size and cost of the mezzanine structure can be prohibitive. Proper planning and design is essential to making it work.
“I don’t think suppliers or end-users have figured out the best way to apply AMRs for large-scale sortation just yet, but I do see applications for that in the future,” Terrell says, explaining that the technology is best suited for low- to medium-throughput operations that have a high number of sort destinations. “As the technology continues to improve and the cost continues to come down, robotic sortation will become feasible for more and more applications.”
In the end, it comes down to applying the right technology where it makes sense in your facility—and Lockhart reiterates the importance of planning and preparation in figuring that out.
“How much growth are you planning for? Hopefully, you have more than just next year’s time horizon in your plan,” he says. “I’ve talked to people who are mapping out a 20-year time horizon. It’s important that you size things right or that you build [a system] so you have expansion capabilities down the line. You have to understand your business, your process, and your data so you can design the right solution.”
Supply chain planning (SCP) leaders working on transformation efforts are focused on two major high-impact technology trends, including composite AI and supply chain data governance, according to a study from Gartner, Inc.
"SCP leaders are in the process of developing transformation roadmaps that will prioritize delivering on advanced decision intelligence and automated decision making," Eva Dawkins, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Composite AI, which is the combined application of different AI techniques to improve learning efficiency, will drive the optimization and automation of many planning activities at scale, while supply chain data governance is the foundational key for digital transformation.”
Their pursuit of those roadmaps is often complicated by frequent disruptions and the rapid pace of technological innovation. But Gartner says those leaders can accelerate the realized value of technology investments by facilitating a shift from IT-led to business-led digital leadership, with SCP leaders taking ownership of multidisciplinary teams to advance business operations, channels and products.
“A sound data governance strategy supports advanced technologies, such as composite AI, while also facilitating collaboration throughout the supply chain technology ecosystem,” said Dawkins. “Without attention to data governance, SCP leaders will likely struggle to achieve their expected ROI on key technology investments.”
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
Serious inland flooding and widespread power outages are likely to sweep across Florida and other Southeast states in coming days with the arrival of Hurricane Helene, which is now predicted to make landfall Thursday evening along Florida’s northwest coast as a major hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While the most catastrophic landfall impact is expected in the sparsely-population Big Bend area of Florida, it’s not only sea-front cities that are at risk. Since Helene is an “unusually large storm,” its flooding, rainfall, and high winds won’t be limited only to the Gulf Coast, but are expected to travel hundreds of miles inland, the weather service said. Heavy rainfall is expected to begin in the region even before the storm comes ashore, and the wet conditions will continue to move northward into the southern Appalachians region through Friday, dumping storm total rainfall amounts of up to 18 inches. Specifically, the major flood risk includes the urban areas around Tallahassee, metro Atlanta, and western North Carolina.
In addition to its human toll, the storm could exert serious business impacts, according to the supply chain mapping and monitoring firm Resilinc. Those will be largely triggered by significant flooding, which could halt oil operations, force mandatory evacuations, restrict ports, and disrupt air traffic.
While the storm’s track is currently forecast to miss the critical ports of Miami and New Orleans, it could still hurt operations throughout the Southeast agricultural belt, which produces products like soybeans, cotton, peanuts, corn, and tobacco, according to Everstream Analytics.
That widespread footprint could also hinder supply chain and logistics flows along stretches of interstate highways I-10 and I-75 and on regional rail lines operated by Norfolk Southern and CSX. And Hurricane Helene could also likely impact business operations by unleashing power outages, deep flooding, and wind damage in northern Florida portions of Georgia, Everstream Analytics said.
Before the storm had even touched Florida soil, recovery efforts were already being launched by humanitarian aid group the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN). In a statement on Wednesday, the group said it is urging residents in the storm's path across the Southeast to heed evacuation notices and safety advisories, and reminding members of the logistics community that their post-storm help could be needed soon. The group will continue to update its Disaster Micro-Site with Hurricane Helene resources and with requests for donated logistics assistance, most of which will start arriving within 24 to 72 hours after the storm’s initial landfall, ALAN said.