Feature

Belting for peak season: How to prevent unplanned production stops during high-demand periods

As one of the biggest shopping days on the calendar, Black Friday marks the start of a festive-shopping frenzy. However, while manufacturers may enjoy a spike in sales, the strain of increased demand can amplify existing supply chain problems.

01/03/2022 15:39:51

Here, Adriano Parmesani, Industry Segment Manager of Distribution Centres for Habasit, discusses the preventative measures plants can take to keep their conveyor belts running smoothly during the e-commerce peak season.

Distribution centres, e-commerce retailers and logistics providers in the courier, express and parcel (CEP) industry must handle a massive increase in package volumes over the peak season. This includes both inbound delivery, as they sort it and build stocks to prepare, and then outbound, to fulfil customer demand.

Reports have found that some online retailers saw an increase in sales of over 700 percent over the 2018 and 2019 Black Fridays, compared with a regular Friday in both years – without even considering the Christmas period. As throughput drastically increases, effective planning and preparation become essentiall, to maximise system uptime and pick-to-pack accuracy.

Sophisticated, high-speed picking and packing systems rely on conveyor belts to store, sort, align, route, pack and deliver goods...

Read the full article in the March issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.