Intralox DARB Sorter Handles Varied Products for Brødrene Dahl

Customer Objectives

Plumbing supplier Brødrene Dahl expanded its distribution center in Langhus, Norway, to meet growing market demands. The wholesaler required a multi-destination sorter able to handle a broad range of product weights and sizes. The new system needed to sort products such as plastic totes, buckets, rolls of hose, long products, unevenly loaded boxes, and plastic-covered boxes at a rate of 20-45 per minute and fit in a limited footprint.

Intralox Execution

Brødrene Dahl ruled out all low- and mid-rate sortation options, which caused jams and miss-sorts when tested due to their unconventional products. Tilt-tray and cross-belt sorters would not fit in the specified footprint with the number of necessary diverts, and would be excessive for the wholesaler’s required rate.

Integrator and equipment supplier Swisslog proposed Brødrene Dahl use the Intralox right-angle DARB Sorter S400 because of its functionality and price. The DARB Sorter excels at sorting varied products, ensuring items do not have to be removed from the system. Also, its tight divert centerlines keep floor space usage to a minimum. The 200-foot (60-meter) system installed at Brødrene Dahl includes 60 divert locations that sort into gravity chutes feeding manual palletizing stations.

Results

Intralox’s DARB Sorter S400 easily handles Brødrene Dahl’s wide range of products, and achieves the company’s required throughput. In addition to solving the sortation challenges, the DARB Sorter simplifies and minimizes maintenance. The DARB Sorter and Activated Roller Belt technology will be considered for future Brødrene Dahl distribution centers.