The combined operation of two identical DistriSort ESF split tray sorters is enabling Spain's leading fashion retailer to improve significantly the output from its centralised distribution warehouse, shipping more than 300,000 items during an eight-hour working day. They have enabled the fashion retailer, with over 350 stores in 26 countries, to respond more quickly to the demands of its high street outlets.
ESF split-trays sorters designed by DistriSort, have already been installed by Polymark in a number of prestigious UK sites and are gaining Europe-wide acceptance for the tangible benefits they bring to high-speed sortation. In addition to the exceptionally high sort rate, the EuroSort systems offer an excellent price/earnings ratio, low-noise, high degree of safety and low-cost maintenance.
These factors influenced the decision to purchase the ESF systems as part of a fully integrated conveyor-sortation system. The overall handling scheme, installed and commissioned within 6 months of order placement at the DC of a leading Spanish fashion retailer has given that much-needed increased handling capacity, sorting nearly 39,000 items per hour to 700 different destination zones.
Based on a daily call-off for fashion items from a host computer all flat-wrapped fashion wear is batch picked and transferred to any one of 16 induction stations around the sorter. At each station, operators manually scan the item to link it with the split tray into which it is being placed, this ensures discharge into the appropriate carton at the programmed drop zone. The sorter's computer will have already received data from the host computer detailing how many of any individual item is required at a specific destination. The cartons directly beneath the sorter arrive automatically on powered gravity roller conveyors. When an order is complete or carton full it is moved to a centralised roller conveyor for transfer through automated strapping and weigh stations before finally passing to one of six exit lanes to await pick-up and onward delivery to the high-street store.
By using batch picking staff no longer walk up and down aisles to accumulate a singe order, they collect large quantities of the same item and send this to the induction stations. This puts order compilation under the total control of the sorter.
DistriSort supply split trays in a range of formats - single, dual and quad, the installation in Spain uses a dual format tray. These trays are held in individual aluminium frame carriers, any number of carriers linking to create a complete flow-path over the desired drop positions. The carriers are driven by an advanced design of timing belt that ensures a positive powered drive without the risk of slippage and adds to the overall reliability and precise control of the sorters operation.
Sortation accuracy, which eliminates miss-sorts, is attributed to actuators sited at every discharge location, they react immediately to control signals initiating operation of a single latch permitting the tray door to open. With a dual split tray each half operates independently. A particular design feature of the tray operation is that it closes whilst travelling around curves, allowing maximum use of the 'straight' run for sorting positions.
Yet again the performance of the DistriSort sorter, available in the UK from Polymark, has brought improved output to a company's distribution operation, enabling faster response to 'down-line' supply chain requirements.