NASHVILLE STATE Community CollegeWarehouse & Inventory Management

LOGI 1030

Unitizing and Shipping

Sorting

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Sorting

Purpose: Take orders that are spread across a number of pick tasks andre-combine them into their original order configuration

Two common methods:Manual Sorting: Manually scan each item and place in appropriate

container until order is completed

Auto Sorting: A machine scans and delivers each item to its appropriate container until the order is complete.

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Sorting

Types of Auto Sorting:

Tilt Tray: Product placed on trays tilts to deliver product to desired chute.

Bomb-Bay

Cross-Belt: Instead of a tray that tilts, the “tray” incorporates a belt that delivers product to chutes either on the left or the right.

Garment

www.gbisorting.com3

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Sorting

Different Auto Sorter Layouts and Designs

Basic Inline

Basic Oval

Entertainment/Multi Media (v)

Triple-Chute High Density

Internet Order Fulfillment

Basic Inline

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Basic Oval

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Entertainment/Multi Media

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Triple Chute High Density

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Sorting

Three Sort Methods:

Wave or Batch Sorting: Inventory is picked in bulk to fill the orders for eachspecified time period or wave.

Sort to completion before beginning next wave/batch

Continuous: The sorter sorts on a continuous basis rather than in waves.

Requires a continuous flow or product to the sorter.

Requires more sophisticated software

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Sorting

Sort Methods:

Multiple: Similar to wave/batch in that work is configured in waves

or batches

Able to sort multiple waves or batches at the same time

Requires even more sophisticated software

Uses a process called “dynamic chute allocation”

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Sorting

Options to use with automatic sorting:

Print and Apply:The ability to print and apply unique labels to product while it isbeing sorted.

Auto Induction (also called “metering and merging”)

A belt feeds product onto the individual trays in a precise and accurate manner

Leads to more consistent placement of product on trays for better accuracy and helps maximize throughput

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Sorting

Different ways to deliver product to the chutes:

Tilt Tray

Split Tray

Cross Belt

Bomb Bay

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Shipping Sorter

Scanner and conveyor system which sorts cases to their assigned shipping divert.

Shipping

Unitizing: The process of taking multiple items and creating one load, either by combining on a pallet, filling a carton, or filling a shipping container.

Shipping looks deceptively simple. However, unless the shipping departmentaccurately completes shipping documentation, correctly palletizes the loads,and places every pallet and carton on the correct trailer at the right time, all of the work accomplished within the warehouse, up to this point, is fruitless.

Correctly executed, unitizing should eliminate split shipments

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Shipping

Weight Checking is simply a process to verify that the actual weight of the order is equal to the expected weight, +/- a small percentage for corrugate and dunnage.

The appropriate application of unitizing is often overlooked as a way to reduce costs by ensuring we optimize the shipping container by using the correct sizecarton/container, the container is labeled correctly, and the containers are properly configured.

“Containers” may include mobile secure cages, modular containers, plastic or wooden pallets, plastic totes, corrugate boxes, etc…

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