Proven Solution For Eyewear Sortation

OPEX® Sure Sort® is transforming the optical industry by automating order fulfillment, reducing labor costs, and improving accuracy.

Sure Sort® – A Game-Changer For The Optical Industry.

In today’s fast-paced vision and optical industry, efficient and accurate order fulfillment is paramount. As a proven system that has transformed many distribution centers, OPEX® Sure Sort® stands out as the optimal solution for your eyewear distribution needs. By implementing this cutting-edge technology, your business can experience a remarkable boost in efficiency, reduce labor costs, and achieve unparalleled accuracy in order processing. With Sure Sort, you are investing in a system that ensures your operations are future-ready and capable of meeting growing customer demands. This automated solution simplifies complex workflows, minimizes errors, and optimizes warehouse space, enabling you to stay ahead in a competitive market.

The Challenges

The vision and optical industry is diverse, encompassing eyewear such as glasses, contact lenses, and accessories, along with specialized products like sunglasses and designer eyewear. Warehousing in this sector typically follows three models: Store replenishment, ecommerce for online consumer orders, and a hybrid approach combining both. These workflows generally involve either batch picking and sorting to finalize orders or direct picking to order totes or shipping containers. However, this industry faces significant supply chain challenges, including labor shortages, high labor costs, and elevated employee turnover, all of which increase training and supervision expenses. Additionally, there is constant pressure to minimize space requirements and reduce operational costs. Traditionally, the industry relied on manual processes using rolling carts for batch picking or direct picking to order totes or boxes, leading to high labor costs and a greater risk of mis-sorts, underscoring the need for a more efficient system. 

12

Sure sort Systems in place in major eyewear manufacturers, distributors or retailers across the globe

2.2M

Eyewear units sorted monthly on average.

100%

Elimination of manual order sortation at the distribution center*

*based on one national eyewear brand 

The Solution

Store Replenishment

One national eyewear company transitioned from a manual process to a highly efficient automated process. Previously, their original workflow involved several manual steps, including sorting and packing by hand, starting with grinding lenses for prescription glasses and assembling into frames in one of three labs.  After completing each prescription, they manually sorted the orders into shipping boxes designated for specific regions in a consolidation area. These boxes were then shipped to the Central Distribution Center, where each one was opened, and items were manually sorted via a put-wall process for delivery to retail stores.

By implementing three Sure Sort systems in its Distribution Center, the company eliminated all manual put walls in the labs. Now, cross-dock package sorting and order consolidation for contact lenses, prescription glasses, and other optical products by retail location are completed and shipped out within one day, cutting order processing time by 50%.

Order Fulfillment
Several e-commerce order fulfillment centers follow a similar process. Traditionally, labs create eyewear and contacts, manually sort them, ship them to a distribution center, where they are manually sorted again before last-mile delivery.

With Sure Sort, this process is streamlined. Labs now ship items directly to the distribution center, where Sure Sort automatically sorts them at a rate of 2,400 units per hour. This change reduces labor costs while increasing efficiency and order accuracy.

An added bonus

Distribution Centers can now sorts parcels received daily from vendors for retail stores using Sure Sort. Instead of manually sorting each parcel to its retail store destination—a labor-intensive process that can take hours—Sure Sort streamlines the process, freeing workers to focus on more important value-added tasks.

Adding Sure Sort To Your Workflow

By incorporating OPEX Sure Sort into your workflow, you can significantly enhance your operations within the vision and optical industries. You’ll experience notable labor savings by reducing your workforce needs and streamlining the adjustment to fluctuating order volumes, cutting down on both training and supervision costs. Your throughput and accuracy will improve substantially, with fewer mid-sorts and more accurate inventory counts, resulting in smoother, more efficient operations.

With Sure Sort’s automation, you’ll reduce errors and optimize warehouse space, allowing you to process more orders at a lower cost. This improved efficiency positions you to meet increasing customer demands, expand your market reach, and prepare for future growth.

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Download the Proven Solution Eyewear Solution Used Case Study PDF