The following are some of the issues that need to be addressed when determining the most appropriate sortation system for different applications and throughput requirements, from as little as 5-20 items per minute to several hundred per minute.

An increasing number of companies are looking to enhance the speed and efficiency of their material handling, and the implementation of high performance conveyor sortation can be critical to success, particularly in applications with a high level of cross docking activity.

Recent years have certainly seen a rapid improvement in both the speed and reliability of sorters but, at the same time, a host of new systems have emerged that have left many users with a potentially confusing array of options to choose from.

Advances in mechanical and electronic controls, tracking systems and computer and IT techniques have achieved high throughput and virtually error-free operation across a wide range of applications including order fulfillment, palletising in manufacturing, and parcel, freight and baggage handling.