"More and more small items, constantly changing packaging and the consistently required short delivery times make an automatic solution for sorting small parcels a must-have for our customers," says Frank Engelen, Product Manager at VanRiet Material Handling Systems BV. VanRiet has recognized this and launched the HC Smalls Sorter, a new sorting solution specially designed for small, lightweight parcels from a size of 100 x 50 x 0.5 millimetres and a weight of 50 grams.

The special feature of the HC Smalls Sorter is an infeed belt made of narrow profiles, which smoothly transfers small packs to the sorting deck. In addition, a further developed design of the sliding shoes in combination with rounded slats prevents thin packets from getting caught under the conveyor elements. In addition to small parcels, the surplus conveyor can process the complete range of packages.

The new sorter is based on the technology of VanRiet's flagship product, the HC Sorter. It is correspondingly robust and also features the patented fully enclosed deck. This ensures that dirt and pieces of cardboard cannot get stuck in the system. The deck also contributes to a low noise level and safe working conditions for distribution staff. The HC Smalls Sorter achieves a high throughput rate thanks to its maximum speed of 2 meters per second. Thanks to the new changeover system, it is possible to place a large number of outlets every 650 to 900 millimetres along the main line. Thanks to the short distances between the outlets, the system requires very little floor space. Thanks to the modular design of the sorter, customer-specific configurations of the standard components can be easily implemented. It can also be expanded and synchronized with other shoe sorters.