Why “Traditional” Loop Sorters Still Reign Supreme for High-Volume Operations
In the ever-evolving world of material handling and automation, robotic sortation is often touted as the ultimate solution for efficiency and scalability. With promises of agility, flexibility, and reduced labor demands, robotic sortation has certainly captured the spotlight. But does it really provide any benefit to high-volume applications that “traditional” loop sorters didn’t already?
In this post, we’re here to set the record straight by tackling some common myths about “traditional” unit sortation. We’ll explore why traditional loop sorters remain a reliable, cost-effective choice in many applications, offering robust performance and surprising flexibility to help you make an informed choice for your facility.
Myth 1: Only Robotic Sorters Can Handle 100% of the Product Mix
Reality:
Any supplier telling you they can handle 100% of your product mix on one system is lying to you. In every system, there will be exceptions, and the goal is to limit those exceptions as much as possible.
Why Loop Sorters Make Sense:
Modern loop sorters are designed to handle a broad array of products, from light polybags to heavy and awkward items. For example, the EuroSort Cross Tray Sorter, with its four walls and positive divert, can handle any item that fits in the tray, up to a 50 lb bag of dog food, down to a 5g polybag, and do it at rates of up to 16,000 units per hour. These sorters excel in facilities that require high throughput and high reliability.
Myth 2: Robotic Sortation is the Only Choice for Flexibility
Reality:
Robotic sorters are flexible, able to adapt to different types of items, SKU variations, and layouts. However, flexibility isn’t exclusive to robots, loop sorters have evolved to handle a wide range of SKUs with various tray sizes, sorting methods, and speeds.
Why Loop Sorters Make Sense:
Loop sorters are extremely reliable and can be configured to handle specific product types and volumes. Loop sorters are the better choice for companies that don’t need rapid adaptability but prioritize consistency and reliability. The straightforward mechanics of a loop sorter like the EuroSort Split Tray Sorter allow for high reliability and operational predictability, a valuable advantage for industries like apparel, footwear, retail, and pharmaceuticals, where maintaining a steady, high throughput is key.
Myth 3: Traditional Unit Sorters Cannot be Expanded
Reality:
There’s a common misconception that traditional loop sorters are rigid, fixed systems that can’t quickly scale with growing demand. While robotic sortation is often seen as more adaptable, loop sorters can also be expanded and optimized for future growth.
Why Loop Sorters Make Sense:
The EuroSort Suite of sorters is designed using a modular no-weld extrusion framework that allows for easy changes, extensions, or adaptations. Unlike robotic systems, these loop sorters can double the throughput with no change in footprint and can even add additional destinations over a weekend with little to no downtime.
Myth 4: Traditional Unit Sorters Require More Labor
Reality:
Robotic systems are doing some unique inductions and pack out processes that reduce labor and touches. However, this is not limited to robotic sortation alone, loop sorters pioneered many of these technology partnerships and can offer higher batch sizes to increase the operator efficiencies.
Why Loop Sorters Make Sense:
Between using robotics to automatically induct items onto the sorter, combining multiple items to a tray, and automating the packout, EuroSort has implemented all of the above over the last 20 years. Check out our Video section for some examples below of robotic induction onto our sorters, examples of automatic take-aways, and even fully automated “lights out” solutions.
The Takeaway: The Right Solution for the Right Problem
Both robotic and traditional sortation systems have their place in modern distribution and shipping settings, and understanding the strengths and limitations of each is essential to making the right choice for your business. Robotic sorters bring flexibility and adaptability to lower speed and evolving operations, but traditional loop sorters offer higher throughputs, cost-effectiveness, reliability, and ease of maintenance that make them a valuable option.
EuroSort’s loop sorters are a robust, tried-and-tested solution that meets the needs of many high-volume facilities. Ultimately, the choice between robotic and traditional sortation depends on the specifics of your operation: volume, flexibility, growth projections, and risk tolerance.
In a world with no one-size-fits-all solution, loop sorters and robotic sortation can each contribute to a well-rounded, efficient system. By carefully assessing operational needs, facilities can strike a balance that maximizes productivity and meets today’s—and tomorrow’s—demand. Contact EuroSort today to see if a EuroSort sorter makes sense for your operation.