The Chameleon ® parcel-processing solution provides modular parcel automation suitable for any space. This parcel-processing solution is fully adaptable to changing environments with a modular design that offers customizable options, including sorting, dimensioning, labeling, barcode reading, OCR reading, and RFID capabilities. The conveyor-based Chameleon offers scanning, weights and dimensions, labeling and sorting functions. Automation Supports Ecommerce Expansion Gorbel® helped a last-mile delivery business overcome the problem of loose floor-loaded products from an online retailer. Their customer was sending a mix of boxes and polybags, and manual unloading required too much labor and time. “For ecommerce, the loading of the trucks and how it gets delivered is completely different,” Sawatzky says. “Every layer of the box wall could be different in the trailer, and you don’t know what it looks like until you start unpacking it.” After a long search, the company installed a Destuff-it™ to manage the loose loads. The conveyor minimized the risk of injury, and employees recognized the value of the machine relative to their workload. Because the Destuff-it is easy to operate, there’s no language barrier to train employees to use the machine. Before the machine was installed, it took three employees about two and a half hours to unload a truck of unpalletized products. With the machine, two employees manage the work in 90 minutes. The Destuff-it paid for itself within six months, and the company ordered another one. Now that the facility has the right machinery in place, the retail customer can increase its loose load volume, improving its efficiency.
EII’s LightSort® streamlines sorting processes.
“This machine currently runs about 4,000 pieces per hour, and we’re working on some new sorting technology to allow us to get up into the 6,000 to 8,000 range,” Gregory says. The LightSort ® pick-to-light systems streamline sorting, making it easy for temporary workers to operate at full speed and improving sort accuracy. The LightSort operator wears a ring scanner that scans the package, and a light illuminates for the correct sorting location on the rack, mailbag, or Gaylord-sized box. “Experienced operators can sort about 500 pieces per hour,” Gregory says. Affordable and Flexible A growing parcel operation can take advantage of an affordable automation solution that can shift or change according to volume or market requirements. The EII parcel handling and sorting solutions are not disruptive to overall operations, so the rest of the warehouse doesn’t have to miss a step. Customers can integrate them into existing systems with their own IT teams, or EII can provide technical support. The machines are modular and easily connected to provide a finer level of sorting by destination to reduce shipping costs. “A DC may have our Chameleon machine that sorts to six destinations, and each of those six destinations has a LightSort system for an even finer sort,” Gregory says. “The top-level sort destination may be California, and then they can sort to Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco, for example.” 4,000 pieces hour, and we’re working
Typically, DC operators turn to EII solutions to help overcome labor issues. They may use temporary labor, and training and language barriers present daily challenges. Or they may be enjoying increased volumes that exceed their current capabilities. The EII machines use far fewer people daily than manual operations. The shift toward ecommerce applies additional pressure on the labor situation. Online retail typically requires more labor per item sold than traditional brick-and-mortar sales. Each item must be picked and packed individually rather than be delivered to stores in bulk. Without automation, it takes more labor to generate the same revenue, putting pressure on already stressed margins. Gregory recalls one DC operator that had used 24 people each day for a small sorting operation. The EII solution required only four people to keep the machine operating. “We were saving them 20 people every day, so if you translate it into the ROI argument, the machine pays for itself very quickly,” he says. Many DCs aren’t in a position for a complete makeover, but these facilities could benefit from higher velocity operations with automation at a level that makes sense for their operation and budget. Warehouse operators can overcome staffing issues by doing more with fewer resources. At the same time, automation can move high volumes efficiently with far fewer mistakes that are common with manual operations. Automation can move warehouse operations from chaos to efficiency. Typically, DC operators EII solutions to help
50 Inbound Logistics • November 2024
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