If you have already dealt with sorting solutions on the market in more detail, you have most likely already noticed Mr. Hans Kratz. He has been developing and selling sorting solutions worldwide for more than 20 years and has an exceptionally deep understanding of customers' internal processes. We have taken the opportunity to conduct an exciting interview with him - read for yourself.
Mr. Kratz, when exactly does it make sense for an interested party to invest in a sorting solution?
A sorting solution always makes sense when a prospective customer can no longer efficiently distribute the quantity of products he has to sort. This is often the case when the goods are sorted manually or with the help of simple conveyors. The respective companies register an immense error rate in sorting, which results in high additional costs, as e.g. subsequent deliveries are necessary.
By using a sorting solution, the performance can be increased many times over on the customer side and the throughput can be optimised. At the same time, a drastic reduction in the error rate can be observed. In addition, the use of a sorting solution makes the personnel available for other value-creating activities
In which areas is a sorting solution traditionally used?
Nowadays, internal logistics is no longer conceivable without automated conveyor, storage and sorting systems. In many places, the labour- and cost-intensive manual sorting process is replaced by automated high-performance sorting. Besides the manufacturing industry, there is great interest in high-performance sorting systems, especially in the logistics centres of the CEP industry. Due to the booming online trade, the worldwide parcel volume as well as the purchasing behaviour and the expectations of the customers, e.g. same-day-delivery, have strongly increased in the past years.
What would be interesting for the future is the connection of sorting systems to a shuttle storage solution. Until now, the various process steps had to be linked by several parallel running conveyor lines. A combination of sorter and the system components goods receipt, warehouse, picking and shipping would enable all logistics processes to be carried out within a single integrated system.
The installation of a sorter in the upstream zone of a high-performance warehouse would be particularly advantageous from a business management point of view, because the perfect interaction of the two systems, the modular construction and a tailor-made layout would allow both the internal material flow and the use of space to be effectively restructured, thus sustainably increasing system performance and availability.
Mr. Kratz, can you tell us what the main difference is between sorting using conventional conveyor technology and a sorting solution?
Sorting with conventional conveyor technology is very costly because the line management is complicated and the general transparency of the processes is poor. With a sorting solution, the available space can be used more efficiently and the throughput of the entire system can be increased many times over - unlike the use of conventional conveyor technology. In addition, the technology is simpler as well as more robust compared to many transfer units and sorting becomes more independent of the material being conveyed.
What information is needed from the customer's side to create an initial quotation?
The most important information required from the customer's side would be the following:
What is the goal to be achieved by a sorting solution?
The goal of using a sorting solution, is on the one hand the increase of productivity and one the other hand the optimization of the profitability on the customer side. Through a maximum throughput capacity, the delivery date reliability can be improved and thus the satisfaction of the own customers can be increased. Ultimately, the use of a high performance sorting solution makes for more efficient and effective work, which is reflected in zero-error allocation.
How does a project ideally proceed?
First of all, it must be clearly stated that there is no general concept for implementing a sorter project - each project is a tailor-made, customer-specific solution.
At the beginning of each project, the customer-specific framework conditions, i.e. information on the material to be sorted, the required system performance, the design and arrangement of the infeeds and the target points must be determined. Sorting quantities and sorting routes are then used to determine the sorting requirements.
The most important criterion for the design of a sorting system, apart from the material to be sorted, is the required throughput capacity, which depends, among other things, on the sorter speed, the sorter capacity and the arrangement of the inward feeders and end points.
After the layout has been approved, the detailed design and manufacture of the modules is carried out. These are completely assembled including the electrical components. Parallel to this, the electrical and software plans are to be drawn up. Once all components have been produced or created, they are shipped to the customer - where they are assembled and commissioned, enabling the system to be handed over to the customer as a turnkey solution.
In general, it can be said that for the smooth and efficient integration of a sorting system into an existing intralogistics system, information regarding the material flow paths and their interfaces must be taken into account - i.e. the entire process must be described in detail. Only then is it possible to design a sorting system that is optimally utilised and geared to the requirements.
What should be considered when searching for the right sorting solution?
It is important to find a solution that is exactly tailored to the individual customer requirements.
It is always an advantage to select a supplier who can supply the mechanics as well as the material flow control and, if necessary, the visualization from a single source, which testifies to a high level of system competence. In addition, it is advantageous for trouble-free installation and operation to contract a full-range supplier with appropriate experience.
If you think beyond the project planning and installation of the system, you should also always pay attention to the availability of the sorting solution - shortened service and maintenance measures can save customers immense costs. Furthermore, I would recommend implementing a solution that can be adapted to the company's own development - in other words, the system should ideally be flexibly expandable and modular. This way it can be easily extended and adapted to changing circumstances. It is also important to ensure high availability by shortening maintenance and service measures.
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