Dematic Installs ‘Unique’ Cross Belt Sorter

Dematic has provided Centresoft with a high speed sortation system centred around Dematic’s latest generation 3 Crossbelt Sorter, unique in its design  to increase productivity at its Birmingham warehouse. The Crossbelt Sorter is a high rate, high accuracy sorting solution which provides positive sorting using discrete belt conveyors mounted on carriers in a re-circulating loop configuration. By installing this new system Centresoft can sort up to 15,000 items per hour with Dematic’s fully automatic singulation and separation conveyor system and unique single high speed induction unit on to the cross belt sorter (1 single induction unit capable of 15,000 items per hour). The installation took approximately 9 weeks to implement and the footprint was very small, built on a mezzanine floor in the warehouse.

Centresoft is the UK’s leading video game multi-format specialist  who sell and distribute video games, hardware and associated peripherals including Sony play station and Xbox games on a direct, 3rd party and wholesale basis across the UK.

Dematic installed the cross belt sorter at Centresoft, which includes collection of

pre-packaged, video games from up to 5 packaging and labelling machines.

Each of the packaging machines dispense 2,500 packages per hour, boxed and labelled. The Dematic system collects all of these items from each of the 5 machines, singulated and edge aligned,  at rates of 15,000 items per hour on a single conveyor line.

Items are then automatically scanned and identified and then inducted onto a Dematic high-speed cross belt sorter. This unique Dematic system design allows 15,000 parcels to be inducted from a single induction unit onto the Cross Belt sorter.

The sorter is equipped with 150 sort destinations which are dynamically allocated via the Dematic sort Management system based on destination postcodes and are sorted directly into approved UK packet post sacks.

The contents of each sack is tracked and recorded by the Dematic Sort Management System which also controls the fill rate of the sack. Once filled, the sacks are sealed and approved identification labels are applied. The sacks are then conveyed directly to the outbound despatch area for direct onward distribution inside the UK Royal Mail delivery network.

“What makes this system possible is its clever design”, says Stuart Stables Director of Solutions and Enhancements.

“Cross belt sorters are not new technology and have been an integral part of Dematic solutions for over 20 years, but the latest generation 3 Dematic cross belt sorter, with its new option for overhead induction, now offers new configuration possibilities. This option being in line and over the top of the sorter and not at 30 or 45 degrees as more standard induction units are, enables much more layout options and makes working in the centre as well as the traditional outside of the sorter much more straight forward, and also offers a reduced foot print.

Overall in terms of track length on the sorter, this is the smallest cross belt we have ever produced, but due to its bi-directionally sorting ability working in the centre of the machine as well as the outside, means that the length of the machine was nearly halved over a standard configuration, as the chutes can be arranged opposite each other on the same section of sorter track.

Also with the overhead inline design, this offers a much higher rate of induction as opposed to standard 30 or 45 degree units, and due to its higher rate, far less conveyor is required to link the downstream operations with the inducts on the sorter, leading to a more simplified conveyor layout and lower capital costs.

This new concept and latest generation sorter has been developed for customers which have an in-house parcel carrier sortation requirement, from small and simple to large and very complex sortation needs. Its truly simplified mechanical and modular design, with its infinity expandability and its sophisticated sortation management software, fits any size or scale of operation, and is designed to handle a wide range of varying products and packages, and is truly the perfect partner for any Ecommerce or direct to customer distribution business”.

“Dematic’s approach and the highly professional team who executed our project was really 1st class” says Paul Sherry Operations Director of Centresoft. “From the outset they fully understood what it was that we wanted to achieve, the timescales in which we had to work to and I can honestly say that it is the best executed project I have ever been involved with”.

About Dematic Worldwide

Dematic is a global leader providing an impressive range of intelligent logistics and materials handling solutions. With a global knowledge network of more than 4,000 highly skilled logistics professionals, Dematic is able to provide its customers a unique perspective in world class materials handling solution design. Our commitment to product and solution R&D combined with manufacturing plants in the US, Europe, China and Australia ensures Dematic has the range and capability to provide reliable, flexible, cost effective solutions globally. Our tremendous track record of success has led to the development and implementation of more than 5,000 world class integrated systems for a customer base including some of the world’s biggest companies. Dematic generates a global business volume of around 900 million Euros.