Why Your Business Needs an Automated Sorting System

Using technology such as robotics, sensors, and scanners, automated sorting systems automate repetitive but essential tasks in order fulfillment, inventory management, and other major warehousing workflows. By streamlining operations and reducing the need for manual labor, automated sorters can enhance your business’s scalability and efficiency, among many other benefits. 

Although manual sorting has been the standard for many years, it is prone to errors and delays. Automated sorting is the future of warehousing, with more companies adopting these systems to meet the market demands of the e-commerce boom.

Signs Your Business Can Benefit From Automated Sorting Systems

These signs may indicate that your business can benefit from these systems, making the investment worthwhile:

• Business and inventory size: You’re running a large operation with an extensive inventory and are finding it challenging to keep track of items.
• Shipment frequency: You ship orders frequently and want to fulfill orders more quickly and efficiently. 
• Sorting processes: Your warehouse spends a lot of time sorting items, and the volume of orders overwhelms your operation and makes your workflows prone to errors.
• Unloading capabilities: Your business receives inbound shipments and containers, and processing these requires excessive time and labor.

5 Reasons to Implement Automated Sorting Systems

Sortation is one of the most crucial functions in a warehouse. This process plays a key role in order fulfillment, influencing whether the correct products are picked, packed, and shipped. Here is a closer look at these technologies’ benefits and five reasons to automate your sorting processes.

1. Enhanced Operational Efficiency

As manual sorting can often be time-consuming and labor-intensive, one of the main benefits of implementing an automated sorting system is that it can significantly increase your operation’s efficiency.

Automation can simplify complex sortation processes via technologies such as pack- or pick-to-light systems and robotics. Additionally, automated sorters can handle much larger order volumes at a rapid rate without the need to adjust your workforce, helping you reduce order cycle times and achieve a higher throughput. With almost half of global consumers wanting faster delivery, shorter cycle times will likely increase customer satisfaction.

Along with using sorting systems for fulfillment, these technologies can optimize reverse logistics by allowing you to manage returns more efficiently and quickly process refunds. These systems can sort returned items into assigned locations, eliminating the need for manual put walls. Automated sortation can also expand your operation’s unloading capacity. These machines can organize inventory before preparing items for further processing and streamline cross-docking by reducing storage time in warehousing.

Because these systems can operate 24/7, your operation will enjoy increased productivity. Workers will also have more time to focus on high-value activities that require a human element, such as customer service quality control.

2. Increased Accuracy

Besides being a lengthy process, manual sortation often has a high error rate. When performing repetitive tasks, disengaged or tired workers are prone to making mistakes, such as picking the incorrect item or misrouting a package. Beyond negatively impacting delivery times and frustrating customers, mis-shipments can be costly.

Automated sorters identify, categorize, and route items to their designated destinations, greatly reducing the risk of human error. By automating your business, you can fulfill and process orders more accurately. Shipping the correct items on time is essential for preserving customer trust, maintaining a positive reputation, and minimizing the expenses of returns or exchanges.

Properly sorting items can lead to further cost savings. Employees are less likely to lose or misplace items, leading to fewer inventory replacements and less time spent locating lost goods.

3. Improved Worker Safety

Sometimes, mistakes in the workplace can be more detrimental than an incorrect order or a delayed shipment — workers who are fatigued or distracted might injure themselves or others. Accidents become even more likely when order volumes increase in peak seasons, as employees may be exposed to physical and mental stress while trying to meet operational demands. 

Automated sorting systems reduce the need for manual labor and strenuous tasks such as handling heavy items. As a result, there is a lower risk of injury, allowing you to create a safer working environment for employees.