SORTING SOLUTIONS FOR

CROSS-DOCKING

MAXIMIZE YOUR EFFICIENCY

While pursuit of a resilient, more efficient supply chain is a natural driver for most manufacturers, the path they take to get there is constantly evolving. Increasing pressure to quickly fulfill product orders across complex networks has led to a rise in the use of cross-docking. When products are being unloaded from a truck or railroad car, sorted, and directly reloaded onto outbound trucks or rail cars how are you controlling that sorting process efficiently?

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SAVING TIME AND MONEY STARTS HERE

One benefit of cross-docking is to have products going to the same destination another is to take large shipments which can then be easily broken down into smaller groups for easier delivery.

The ability to automate how packages are sorted in cross-docking is an important one. By using the right automation in your sorting processes, you can reduce costs, eliminate the movement of product in and out of storage, decrease order fulfillment time, and improve on-time order delivery rates.

A QUICK GUIDE FOR DETERMINING A NEED FOR CROSS-DOCKING

There is a break-even point at which cross-docking starts makes commercial sense. The break-even point will be different for each client, but the inputs that go into the break-even calculation are fairly standard.

Total number of unique SKUs
Total volume and velocity of each SKU
Total number of inbound suppliers
Total number of outbound destinations
Profiles and patterns relating inbound and outbound
Distribution of high velocity SKUs vs low velocity SKUs

Availability of supporting information systems
Access to low-cost transportation network
Facility costs
Labor costs
Handling profile of SKUs (geometry, fragile, high value, etc.)

Factoring all these inputs into the equation to arrive at a “cost per unit sorted” will inform the decision between whether you need to invest in building an in-house cross-docking operation, explore opportunities with third party partners who offer cross-docking capabilities or maintain status quo.

IMPROVE DELIVERY TIMES AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH AUTOMATION

In addition to traditional cross-docking practices such as transporting inbound inventory to multiple fulfillment centers, OPEX’s Sure Sort^® robotic sorting system can also be used for store fulfillment, in the back of a store. With the shift in buying behavior, retailers will continue to utilize their existing brick and mortar footprint to help meet the demand of online and/or contactless pick-up orders. When products arrive to a store location items often need to be resorted and touched multiple times before they find their place on a shelf ready to be sold. The Sure Sort sortation system can sort inbound items down to the retail store level and even to a specific aisle location within that store. By automating this process, workers have a faster and easier method to unload product coming in and get products to the aisle and on a shelf. Product restocking can be done in half the time which maximizes in-store employee productivity and enhances overall customer experience.

OPEX SOLVES THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGES

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SURE SORT^® GROWS WITH YOU

Sure Sort^® automated put wall provides a low-cost solution that can scale with your business. Unlike any solution on the market, Sure Sort has changed the way businesses have approached their supply chain challenges due to its flexibility, speed and accuracy. Because of its unique design, Sure Sort can fit in a small footprint from a small retail inventory back room to a dock in a large distribution center and in existing brownfield or new greenfield facilities. Without Sure Sort, you would need between six to eight manual put walls with approximately 40% more labor needed. Sure Sort can be installed fast without disruption to your operation and easily integrates into your WMS.