A fast and reliable delivery is an essential element of success for modern e-commerce; it is of no surprise that the following names UPS, Amazon, DPD, DHL and Royal mail all provide their customers with the power to deliver their items within a window of 24 hours. From purchase to delivery, logistics companies have set a new standard of procurement for their clients. This need for instant access to new tangible items took a sharp upward spike during COVID-19, unusual circumstances led to a worldwide rise in e-commerce leading to the “Amazon Effect”.
To combat this increase in demand, many logistics companies took a leap into increasing the efficiency of their production capabilities, either increasing the capacity of existing lines or building new facilities with the objective to aid the surge. Yet for many this step forward only increased the capability of manual decision points, as the necessity was more focused on the at once, rather than the foresight to future proof these lines. Workers are still twisting, turning, lifting bending and reaching rather than expressing creativity within their work, moving to an automated system provides numerous benefits.
It Increases Productivity and Operational Efficiency
The sheer volume of production within parcel sortation facilities is inconceivable, over the past three years alone 11.6 billion packages were shipped within the UK. Now imagine if these parcels were all managed via conveyor systems that only boasted manual decision points, this would incur manual labour for the workers. On average, a skilled worker within the logistics industry has the capabilities to handle around 600 to 800 parcels per hour. Various factors can cause this number to fluctuate, the size and weight of the parcels, conveyor system speeds along with the ergonomics of the workers station. Manual workers can make a substantial effort in moving the production lines along, especially if you factor the number of workers on a production line along with shift length.
Yet there is still room for error, it is only natural workers will tire, the nature of the work is fast paced, consider to what you can buy online, workers could be working with small packages to others that can weigh a substantial amount. Risk of injury can occur, leading to increased downtime of production, with the added benefit of reducing the potential to pay worker compensation costs overall decreasing profits. The use of automated conveyor systems and even robotics to weigh, measure and package decreases human intervention, thus any injuries and expenses.
Through innovation automated conveyor systems have far superior capabilities, newer technology such as:
- configurable acceleration and deceleration parameters for gentler handling of product and less wear on mechanical components.
- "decentralised" style drives can reduce installation timescales and footprint size of control panel.
- improved fault diagnostics compared to DOL applications.
- configurable speeds can adapt to changing production volumes or profile.
- safety over network (i.e. PROFIsafe) can facilitate compliance up to PLe with ease of establishing variable safety zones to suit your installation.
Increasing production capabilities to a new level. Royal Mail’s latest mega hub at DIRFT is testament to the benefits a switch to an automated system can have, processing up to 90,00 parcels per hour, with each parcel taking just seven minutes to pass through the sorting machines.
Of course, not every company will be able to source the funding for a 53-acre warehouse solely for the purpose of parcel sortation. Yet this technology is not only for industry giants, as industry standards are improving across the board, automated lines have been developed that have the capability to process up to 10,000 parcels per hour, in some cases leading to operational efficiency rising by 1150% from skilled manual workers.
It Helps you Reduce Labour Costs
Paying up front for anything new can be daunting, it is an expense which harbours the much-needed discussion of when ROI will start to occur. Yet, newer systems come with the benefits of reducing labour costs. Leading factors to consider are the reduction of workers needed to operate the lines once operational, moreover, automated systems can be operational 24/7, automated systems can run without fatiguing providing more time for the production to operational.
It Increases Customer Satisfaction by Increasing Accuracy
Human error can arise, incurring additional costs to rectify. Automated systems have been designed to ensure the likelihood of this extra cost occurring to decrease. These bespoke conveyor systems use motors, sensors, and control technologies to ensure there is a reduction of errors, increasing accuracy when measuring, weighing, and packaging parcels. Predefined rules and workflows are set within the software to ensure consistent and accurate sortation. Coupled with sophisticated scanning technology that can accurately read labels, conveyor systems can precisely sort parcels within predefined parameters such as post codes, leading to a more effective arrangement for delivery.
Due to the Amazon effect discussed earlier, customers expect their parcel to arrive within a set time frame, if it is not negative connotations arise of the company leading to customer satisfaction to decrease, loosing trust and loyalty. The intricate designs of automated systems avoid this, with less errors and a faster processing speed parcels can reach their destination at a faster rate, leading to faster delivery times and reliable service.
What to Consider Before Purchasing a Sortation Solution
The advent of getting a new system is very exciting, reducing labour costs and increasing productivity is key when working within production lines, yet there are still important considerations to divulge prior to purchase. Most important points to cover include:
- Working how you wish to scale your business.
- Available space for the system
- Environmental Impact
- Finding a system that applies to the size and weight of parcels that you will move.
- Ensuring your legacy system is compatible with a new system.
How can Elmleigh help with Parcel Sortation Systems?
At Elmleigh we have an extensive history with integrating automated conveyor systems for the logistics industry. Our team worked closely with industry giants during COVID -19 upgrading their systems to adhere to the challenging times, of late our team has been working hard stripping out legacy systems whilst integrating new automated technology, future proofing their lines.
Recent developments within Elmleigh have improved the services that we can offer a client, providing full turn-key solutions, our professional project managers supporting clients from initial conception, all the way through to maintenance. Our teams offer:
Do you want a New Parcel Sortation System Installed?
Contact Elmleigh today to arrange a top-quality integration for your new parcel sortation system.
Our team of experts will integrate a system that increases efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
Contact us via 01455 847045 or fill out our contact form on our contact page.