Is labor becoming more challenging to find, or are you looking to improve efficiencies for your distribution center? Conveyor automation provides an opportunity to add efficiencies and improve the safety and ergonomics of your operation. Whether it’s sortation, case building, or staging for shipping, the right conveyor sorting system can improve the movement and fulfillment of your center’s packages, boosting the efficiency of your warehouse operation and distribution centers at large.
Benefits of Automation
Automating processes can have huge benefits for your operation. The benefits of automation are somewhat universal across industries and projects, and include:
- Lowered labor costs
- Increased safety and better ergonomics
- Improved efficiencies
- Better able to navigate smaller or shrinking labor pools
- Greater accuracy
- Space-saving solutions
Learn more about how Engineered Products and Papé Material Handling has helped companies automate their warehouse operations, maximizing efficiency, safety, and ROI.
Questions We Ask Before Starting a Conveyor Project
Before you automate any of your processes, you need to do some research and planning. When choosing the right conveyor sorting system for your center, there are many different considerations you’ll want to make. The key things to take into consideration include:
- What are the package sizes?
- Are you considering a powered or gravity conveyor? Belt or roller?
- What orientation do your boxes travel?
- What are the packaging types (e.g. cardboard, plastic, plastic totes)?
- What are the package weight ranges (you’ll want a minimum and maximum to achieve an average, too)?
- What are the throughput requirements? For example, you’ll want to determine the number of incoming packages vs outbound packages, and understand the different volumes of inbound and outbound shipment according to the day, hour, week, or season.
- How are the boxes labeled or barcoded?
- How do you unload trucks of small packages?
- How do you ship out small packages?
- How are returns handled?
- What ergonomic or safety issues do you have with regards to manual handling of small packages? This will help you determine how automation can fix these issues.
- What kind of Warehouse Management System (WMS) Inventory Software do you have?
- What are your competitors doing? This can always help you determine how to keep a competitive edge in your market.
Once we’ve got these questions answered, we can make better recommendations on what conveyor system will work for you, your applications, and your systems.
Success Stories
Looking for some inspiration? Take an inside look at all of the moving parts that come with Engineered Products packing and conveyor systems.
Next Steps
Engineered Products, a Papé company, is a large provider of warehouse, storage, conveyance and allied products to local and national clients. Once you’ve gathered information from the questions listed above, you’re ready to move onto the next planning stage. Call or email Yianni Maroutsos 206-394-3300 ymaroutsos@eppape.com or info@eppape.com and we will set up a no-cost consultation. We look forward to working with you!
