eCommerce
October 26, 2022

Robotic Sortation: The New Way To Sort Products

When it comes to getting a product from point A to point B, there are many different ways of doing so. You can have someone carry the product for you or use a machine to do the work for you. Many companies are now turning to robotic sortation when shipping and receiving products. Robotic sortation is a new technology that uses machines to move and sort products. This technology has many benefits over traditional methods of shipping and receiving products. Keep reading to learn more about robotic sortation and how it can benefit your business.

What Is Robotic Sortation, And How Does It Works?

Using robotic sorting, you can transform any sorting center into an innovative, adaptable sorting center. Future sorting centers will feature intelligent robots that can decide how to arrange packages in place of fixed chutes.

How Robotic Sortation Works?

Sortation systems can perform secondary sort processes for customer orders and primary sort processes, from receipt to decanting into bins or totes. The main goal of sortation is getting the right package to the proper place. You can use various kinds of sortation to achieve this.

Sorting robotic cases for conveyance involves diverting them from a single conveyance system to multiple locations like packing facilities or other process lines.

  • Put Walls: From a batch pick, combine several goods into a single container or separate a bulk batch of the same SKUs into several containers.
  • ASRS Sortation: High-density systems that store and organize products using several techniques, including cuboidal hives filled with intelligent robots, robotic shuttles that can move vertically or horizontally, and carousels.
  • Automated sortation uses robotic arms to accept, scan, sort, and store items for processing or consolidation in highly adaptable and scalable systems.
  • AMR/AGV: This technology sorts pallets or pods of merchandise for storage and retrieval using autonomous vehicles, frequently stationed in a designated field. Suitable for heavy, single-SKU products that are stored on pallets or for SKUs that are sorted across numerous sites.

Related: How To Pick Faster In A Warehouse

The Benefits Of Using Robotic Sortation

Increased Throughput Of Parcels And Productivity

One of the primary benefits of using robotic sortation is that it can help to increase overall throughput and productivity in your warehouse. These sortation robots are highly efficient and fast, allowing them to sort parcels and packages according to specific criteria quickly. And because they operate autonomously, there is no need for costly manual labor or additional staff on site, which can save you time and money in the long run.

 Accurate Sorting Of Items

Another advantage of robotic sortation is that it allows for more accurate sorting of items. These sortation robots use advanced algorithms and sensors to determine where each parcel should be placed, ensuring that every item is correctly sorted and routed to its final destination. This also reduces the risk of errors or package loss, helping you better control your supply chain and operations.

Adaptable And Simple-To-Scale Solutions

In addition to these benefits, robotic sortation is highly adaptable and scalable. The sortation robots are modular in design, meaning they can be easily adapted to suit the needs of your warehouse or facility. And because they require minimal maintenance and support, you can quickly scale up or down as needed without worrying about disruptions or downtime. With robotic sortation, you can rest assured that your operations will always run smoothly and efficiently.

Speedy Installation 

Finally, robotic sortation is also known for its speedy installation process. Since sortation robots are pre-programmed and ready to go straight out of the box, you can usually set them up and start using them with minimal effort or downtime. This makes robotic sortation an excellent choice for organizations looking to quickly modernize their warehouse operations and keep pace with changing market demands. Whether you need to sort a large volume of parcels daily or handle last-minute spikes in demand, robotic sortation has you covered.

Relatively Low Investment

Robotic sortation is a cost-effective solution that can help you streamline your warehouse operations and maximize productivity. With low upfront costs and the potential to save on labor and maintenance expenses over time, robotic sortation is an investment that pays for itself in the long run. Robotic sortation may be your solution if you're looking for a way to improve efficiency and performance in your warehouse or facility.

Overall, there are many benefits to using robotic sortation in your warehouse or distribution center. Whether you're looking to increase productivity, improve accuracy, or reduce costs, these sortation robots can help you achieve your goals quickly and easily.

How Can Robotic Sortation Improve Your Business?

In the order fulfillment and distribution sector, automated sortation has dramatically changed the game by enabling operations to improve efficiency, order accuracy, and throughput while reducing labor costs. The benefit is that companies can operate more productively and profitably than they ever could with manual sortation procedures.

Businesses now have more alternatives than ever for automating their sortation procedures. Newer robotic solutions are now available in addition to the different conveyor-based sorters that quickly come to mind. These choices often require less floor area, are easier to maintain, and may be more easily reconfigured as the business changes, making them a great alternative.

Examples Of Businesses That Have Used Robotic Sortation To Significant Effect

Health care department

One example of a business that has successfully implemented robotic sortation is the healthcare department at a large hospital. With thousands of patients and packages moving in and out of the hospital daily, their logistics team needed an efficient sortation solution. After investing in robotic sortation, they significantly improved their throughput and productivity while reducing errors and managing costs more effectively. As a result, they could serve their patients better and streamline their operations overall.

Online retailer

Another example is an online retailer looking for ways to speed up customer fulfillment times. After implementing robotic sortation into its warehouse operations, the retailer reduced order processing times by up to 50% while improving sortation accuracy and cutting costs. Thanks to these benefits, the retailer has been able to scale up its operations and continue providing a high level of service to its customers.

Food preparation

A third example is a food preparation business struggling to sort its ingredients quickly, efficiently, and accurately. After implementing robotic sortation into its facilities, the company could significantly streamline its operations, reducing errors and managing inventory more effectively. As a result of these benefits, the company has been able to scale up production and focus on providing quality ingredients to customers worldwide.

Manufacturing

And finally, a manufacturer looking to modernize its sortation process and improve productivity in the warehouse chose robotic sortation as the solution. Thanks to the speed, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of these sortation robots, the manufacturer has increased output while maintaining high levels of quality and efficiency. As a result, the company has been able to keep pace with changing demands and compete more effectively in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Military

Robotic sortation can also be used in many other applications, including the military. Whether you need to sort supplies quickly and accurately during a humanitarian mission or sort equipment and vehicles on the battlefield, robotic sortation can help you improve efficiency and productivity. With advanced sensors, cameras, and software capabilities, these sortation robots can quickly and accurately sort various items in various environments. They are an invaluable tool for logistics teams in the military looking to get the most out of their operations.

Agriculture

Finally, agriculture also uses robotic sortation to sort and process large volumes of products moving in and out of farms and processing facilities. By automating this crucial step in the supply chain, farmers can save time and labor while ensuring their products are handled with the utmost care at every stage. Overall, robotic sortation can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to improve efficiency and performance in their warehouse operations.

With robotic sortation, businesses of all sizes can streamline their warehouse operations, improve productivity, and reduce costs. Whether looking for better accuracy or faster processing times, robotic sortation can help you achieve your goals quickly and easily. So if you're considering investing in sortation solutions for your business, consider robotic sortation a viable option.

The Future Of Robotic Sortation

Robotics will increase productivity and economic growth while giving many people worldwide new work opportunities. However, there are still cautious about significant job losses, such as estimates of 20 million manufacturing job losses by 2030 or the possibility of 30% of all employment being automated by that year.

As robotic sortation continues to gain popularity and evolve, we expect to see many exciting advancements in the field in the coming years. One possible application is autonomous sortation systems, which utilize advanced AI and sensor technologies to sort products without human involvement. Other potential developments include advances in battery technology that could enable sortation robots to operate for more extended periods without recharging and new sorting algorithms that could improve processing accuracy even further. Automated sortation has enormous potential for businesses across a wide range of industries, and we will see even more exciting developments in this field in the years ahead.

Conclusion

 Robotic sortation is a new technology quickly gaining popularity in the shipping and receiving industry. This technology offers many benefits over traditional methods of shipping and receiving products. If you want to improve your shipping and receiving process, robotic sortation may be your solution. Conveyr has been building tools for 3PLs. We understand the needs of this industry and can help you implement robotic sortation into your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you streamline your shipping and receiving process.

Recommended: What Is Voice Picking? Pros And Cons Explained


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