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Ferag: Denisort improves efficiency in fashion distribution

Photo by Ferag AG

A highly efficient Denisort sorting line built by Swiss company Ferag AG has been installed at the new MyBox Logistics distribution centre in Kielce, Poland. The modular system, which is tuned for compactness, is equipped with 342 tilting trays and 205 chutes. It is designed for a throughput of 8600 units per hour – primarily shoes and accessories plus other fashion products.

The pressure in the fashion industry is enormous, with trends and preferences coming and going again rapidly. It is thus of vital importance for providers in this area to use omnichannel technology and to invest in innovations to ensure a faster, better supply to their distribution network. This also applies to the Marketing Investment Group (MIG) from Poland, the parent company of MyBox Logistics. Founded in 1989, the distribution group is primarily known in Germany as the owner of the fashion chain Sizeer, which caters to a young, lifestyle-oriented clientèle. In recent years, the group has significantly expanded its brand portfolio. At the same time, it also recognized the signs of the time early on and prepared for further growth and the uninterrupted e-commerce boom with the construction of a new distribution centre featuring state-of-the-art technology. “Due to the dynamic development of our group, we have implemented automated systems for storing, transporting and sorting our products,” reports Dariusz Maj, Head of Logistics at MyBox Logistics. Here, Maj draws attention to the Denisort sorting line, which was implemented in a matter of months by Ferag and which he is particularly proud of. This is the core technology at the newly completed distribution centre located on a greenfield site close to Kielce. With its outstanding precision, the Denisort technology ensures that the highly efficient processes in the 15,000 square-metre logistics hub are not only completed quickly, but also smoothly and with perfect reliability. This is essential, as the site is used for supplying over 400 shoe and sportswear stores across East-Central Europe and processing the rapidly growing number of e-commerce orders.

Gentle handling of products at 8600 units per hour

With a chain length of 205 metres, the Denisort line is designed for a throughput of over 8600 units per hour. The robust design is geared towards seamless conveying, sorting and order picking. In all three processes, the chain of the tilting tray sorter advances at a speed of 1.2 metres per second. At two loading zones – each with eight workstations – the goods sent from the warehouse are positioned by hand and placed in one of the 342 trays. Each of the trays can tilt on both sides depending on requirements in order to eject the conveyed goods onto one of the 205 chutes in the parallel sorting sections according to its eventual destination – usually individual stores across MIG’s wide network or stations for shipping online orders. Incidentally, the chutes are made of laminated chipboard, which ensures particularly gentle handling of the products and guarantees a long service life.

Sorting of a wide range of product shapes and geometries

Another plus point of the system from Switzerland’s Zürcher Oberland is that the 650 x 450 mm standard sorting trays are able to receive shipment units in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The Ferag system not only processes shoe boxes, classic shipping boxes or Maxibrief packages reliably, but also polybags, which have recently become increasingly popular. Usually, a mixture of different packaging formats with their own feel, structure and dimensions creates major problems for conveyor and sorting technology. This is not the case on the Denisort system, where Ferag has eliminated the risk of damage that can occasionally occur in such cases. In addition to shoes, this versatility also allows MyBox Logistics to sort textiles and accessories also sold at the retailers, plus shoe accessories such as laces and care products.

Modular design results in a flexible system layout

The Denisort technology is suitable for both simple and complex system layouts. It also works perfectly when space is at a premium. This means it allows for a great deal of flexibility in terms of the space available and any potential restrictions caused by the building architecture. The Denisort line fits seamlessly into the available space at MyBox Logistics in Kielce, despite the challenging installation caused by the low ceiling heights and the pillars that support the mezzanine floor directly above and the warehouse facilities on the upper floors. “Ferag found the perfect solution for these unfavourable conditions and successfully overcame all the challenges,” comments Maj. He also acknowledges that this aspect played a decisive role when choosing the Denisort system. “For economic reasons, we had to install the sorting system on the lowest floor. The fact that Ferag readily agreed to install the system here despite the limited space and all the obstacles in its way meant we were immediately won over by Denisort.”

High scalability for further growth in the near future

In addition to the Denisort system’s efficient and consistent use of the space available, there is also its high degree of scalability. This was also high on Maj’s list of requirements for the system. The Denisort line in Kielce can thus not only be expanded to cope with the growing requirements expected at MyBox Logistics in future, but also be optimized with the addition of automatic feeding at any time. As a result, the Ferag system always meets the technical requirements for further improvements in efficiency as soon as these are required by the customer.

For more information, please visit: https://www.ferag.com/en/company/news-newsletter/