Parcel sorting/sorting systems
Package sorting is a crucial part of e-commerce logistics and freight handling. Manual sorting has always been a common practice in e-commerce, but it is both a time-consuming and inefficient process that can lead to errors, delays, and high costs. A package sorting system can streamline and automate this process, thereby increasing productivity and reducing costs. At Relevator, we have extensive knowledge of sorting systems, so in this guide, we’re sharing insights that can be valuable for those of you considering a sorting system.
A sorting system consists of several different components, including Belt conveyors, roller conveyors, optical scanners, pushers, and more. The conveyors move packages from one point to another within the facility, while scanners read barcodes or RFID tags on the packages during transport to identify the destination or the carrier responsible for shipping the package. The packages are then deposited onto various roller conveyors (often called sorting chutes), where they are collected and placed into roll containers.
Factors to consider before investing in a sorting system
When investing in an e-commerce sorting system, it is important to assess the number of packages to be sorted per hour or day, as sorting time varies depending on the equipment and its capacity. It is also important to assess the system’s maximum weight capacity to ensure that it can handle the weight of the goods you will be transporting.
The facility’s capacity should be sufficient to handle both current operational volumes and potential future growth, ensuring a long-term and sustainable investment.
Price
Sorting systems vary and depend on many different factors, such as size, capacity (number of packages per hour), speed, number of sorting chutes, and other features.
Maintenance and Service
Make sure to follow the recommended service intervals to ensure that the system continues to perform at its best, and so that any issues can be addressed quickly if (or before) something goes wrong.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Investing in a sorting system can offer benefits such as reduced costs, increased productivity, and more efficient package handling. Return on investment (ROI) depends on several factors, including the initial investment cost, the number of packages sorted per day, and the time saved by using a sorting system instead of sorting manually.
Companies have seen significant benefits from package sorting, with labor costs reduced by up to 80% and a positive return on investment within a year.
If you handle a high volume of packages per hour, the return on investment can be very quick—in some cases, in less than a year. Typically, the ROI for an e-commerce sorting system (if you sort a few hundred packages a day) is a few years.
One of the key advantages of automated sorting systems is that they operate continuously, regardless of staff shifts or capacity, which reduces labor costs while streamlining operations.
Investing in an automated sorting system offers flexibility and scalability, allowing you to expand the system over time and grow alongside the equipment.
Although sorting systems can be a significant investment, they often deliver an impressively quick return on investment. By replacing manual sorting tasks, they increase staff productivity and free up time for other tasks, optimize costs, and minimize picking errors. As a result, they enable a quick return on investment.
In fact, warehouse automation can increase productivity by approximately 25%, floor space can be optimized and improved by 10–20%, and inventory accuracy can be improved by up to 15–30%.
The ROI for an e-commerce sorting system can be calculated by measuring the time savings and reduced labor costs relative to the system’s cost.
The benefits of sorting systems can be particularly significant for e-commerce businesses, where fast deliveries and efficient order processing are crucial to meeting customer expectations for, among other things, prompt delivery.
The ROI of a sorting system can vary depending on the size of the operation and the existing package handling system. However, with careful planning and evaluation, a sorting system is typically very profitable, even in the short term.
In summary, investing in a sorting system is not only a strategically important solution for meeting the growing demand in e-commerce, but it can also play a key role in increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring fast and reliable inventory management. By carefully considering factors such as capacity and maintenance, companies can not only optimize their logistics processes but also quickly achieve an impressive return on investment.
Are you looking for a used sorting system? See all our sorting systems.
