Equipment Integration

FastTrak provides comprehensive controls for all types of conveying, sorting, and routing equipment.  FastTrak communicates information received from sensors and scanners with the client’s host and shipping software.  Subsequently, it communicates information to the appropriate PLC controller to rapidly convey, sort, and route packages with total accuracy.  Packages can be diverted to its appropriate shipping carrier bin, sent to an exception lane, or sorted for additional processing.  Sorter technologies include shoe, bomb bay, garment on hanger (GOH), tilt tray, cross belt, pop up wheel, or motor driven roller (MDR).  Solutions utilize touch screen operated human machine interfaces (HMIs) that provide access to controls, display alert notifications, monitor system operations, and display maintenance oriented reports.  FastTrak ensures that conveyors operate smoothly and allows convenient control via HMIs placed throughout operations. 
Types:

• Accumulation 
• Transportation 
• 24 and 48 Volt 
• Merges 
• Routing 
• Metering 
• Sortation

GRSI can use printer applicators, handheld, and desktop printers to create labels.  Printer applicators automatically print and apply labels to achieve rapid throughput rates.  Handheld and desktop printers (thermal, laser, or inkjet) are less expensive but require manual application, making them ideal for lower volume applications.  Labels can be top or side applied to a range of packages including cartons, bags, envelopes, shrink film, and cold seal.  FastTrak software can communicate to the host and shipping systems to gather necessary label information, generate its own label information, or trigger an automatic label creator/controller.  FastTrak stores label information and scans it for verification and accuracy.  FastTrak can simultaneously communicate data between several label printers to streamline operations.

Types of labels:

• Carrier compliant shipping 
• UCC-128 (GS1), LPN (license plate number), and other bar code
• RFID
• Integrated label/pack list combinations
• Custom

Label printing:

• Laser
• Inkjet
• Direct thermal
• Thermal transfer

Label materials:

• Paper, synthetic, tags, and thermal
• Permanent, adhesive-removable, semi-removable, ultra-removable, and freezer
• Preprinted, die-cut, but-cut, roll, piggyback, strip, and fanfold design
• Flexographic (up to 6 colors) or offset (up to 4 colors)

Patented flip label technology makes it possible to print a shipping label with the pack list on the reverse side.  The underlying software ensures the shipping label and pack list match 100% of the time.  The label can be automatically applied using a printer applicator at a rate of 1,200 per hour or it can be manually applied using a specialized printer.  Label sizes range from: 4”, 5”, or 6” x 8”.  Solutions dramatically increase throughput, lower materials costs, and lower labor costs.  This is an environmentally sound, sustainable solution because it requires less paper and plastic than traditional pack list insertion.

Key benefits include:

• Higher throughput
• Less labor
• Lower material and labor costs
• Elimination of cumbersome “pack list enclosed” pouches
• Requires only one printer
• Customizable printing on reverse side:
• Pack lists
• Return slips
• Marketing literature
• Less paper and plastic
• Green, sustainable solution!

FastTrak utilizes and communicates information with scanners, cameras, and RFID.  The software is integrated to this equipment and uses their gathered information to track the location of items and make specific decisions about different processes such as sorting, print and apply labeling, pack list printing and inserting, picking and putting, and many others.  FastTrak also seamlessly communicates this information to and from the WMS or ERP host system.  The placement, stability, and information gathered from this equipment are critical for maximum system uptime.

Scanners

• Omni
• Linear
• Raster
• Stitching
• RFID
• Color/digital
• Single-beam
• Multiple light beam

FastTrak communicates information to and from the host and shipping system to gather necessary document information.  It communicates this information to high-speed laser/inkjet printers and printer applicators to create pack lists, invoices, forms, and other documents.  The printers automatically place the documents into containers (totes, cartons, etc...) or onto their outside. All inserted documents are scanned and verified to ensure 100% accuracy.  FastTrak can also create pack list/shipping label combination sheets which are manually inserted and applied to the order.
FastTrak also provides form printing:

• Form/label combinations, cut-sheet, continuous, and multi-part formats
• Flexographic (up to 6 colors) or offset (up to 4 colors) printing

FastTrak triggers automated feeders to dynamically insert customer specific preprinted materials such as marketing literature, coupons, and manuals into containers (totes, cartons, etc.) or onto conveyors.  This is an essential tool for integrating marketing campaigns into fulfillment operations.  The feeders can handle various paper sizes with different coatings for optimal insertion.  Optional capabilities include document folding, multi-sheet insertion, and multiple inserters.

Managed void fill machines recommend the optimal quantity of void fill pillows and bubble sheets for each carton.  The result reduces void fill costs and damage claims because it eliminates overfilling and underfilling.  It provides the end-user with a clean appearance and securely protects orders.  This technology is ideal for random piece pick orders.

A shrink tunnel automatically applies a durable layer of shrink wrap to various size orders to secure multiple items and provide protection.  Orders are conveyed through a heated shrink tunnel that tightens the shrink film around the order. Options include various shrink tunnel lengths and widths with different shrink wrap thicknesses and colors.  Additionally flight bar, side belt, timing, screw, multi-packing infeeds are optional.

A palletizer uses a mechanical arm to pick cartons from a conveyor and automatically stack and organize them on a pallet.  Completed pallets are conveyed to storage or shipping.  Palletizers work with all carton sizes and can be hand operated, semi-automated, or highly sophisticated with fully automated robotics.  Additional options include automated pallet stretch wrappers and bundlers.

Suitable for high volume applications, operators place incoming orders into blown-open bags that can operate at an extremely fast rate of over 55 bags per minute.  The order is scanned prior to induction and is associated with an LPN that is printed on each bag.  After each order is filled, the bag is sealed and dropped onto an outbound conveyor.  Bag sizes can be changed very quickly to maintain flow rates.  Optional equipment includes flattened sealing for a cleaner appearance, shipping label printing, custom identification printing and labeling, various size in-feed tunnels, and optical switches on machinery.

These machines can significantly increase order throughput by automatically erecting various size cartons (over 700 cartons per hour).  FastTrak tracks cartons travelling through fulfillment using an LPN bar code.  Carton erectors are often accompanied by adjustable carton tapers/gluers to seal different size cartons for a completely automated system.  There are many different carton sizes, types, and other attributes to consider when deciding which carton suits each need.  Contact a GRSI representative today to help guide this process.

• A-frame
• Advance shipment
  notice (ASN) labeling
• Air pillow dispensers
• Baggers
• Banders
• Bar code labels
• Bomb-bay sorters
• Bottle unscramblers
• Bundlers
• Cameras
• Cappers
• Carousels
• Carton erectors
• Cartonization systems
• Carton sorters
• Case packers
• Closers
• Cohesive packaging
  machines
• Conformable packaging
  machines
• Conveyors
• Covert technology
• Cross-belt sorters
• Dashboard displays
• Depalletizers
• Dimensional scanners
• Dimensional weight
  reduction machines
• Document inserters
  and collators
• E-commerce
  applications
• Email notification
  
• Fillers
• Garment sorters
• HMIs

• Host interfaces
• Hot-melt labelers
• In-motion systems
• Invoice inserters
• Item sorters
• Label printer
  applicators
• Labor reporting
• Lidders
• Manifest systems
• Order checkout
  systems
• Order management
  systems (OMS)
• Over-cappers
• Pack list inserters
• Pack station design
• Packing machines
• Padded and bubble
  envelopes
• Palletizers
• Pick/put-to-light
  systems
• PLC programming
• Pocket labelers
• Pouch feeders
• Print and apply
• Printers
• Product protection
• Put-to-light systems
• Quality control
  systems
• Rate metering
• Return labels
• Return systems
• Reverse logistics
• RF systems
• RFID readers

• Robotics
• Scales
• Scanners
• Sealers
• Serial number
  control
• Shipment
  monitoring
• Shipping labels
• Shipping systems
• Shipping tubes
• Shoe sorters
• Shrink tunnels
• Skin/vacuum
  machines
• Slotting systems
• Smart packaging
  software
• Sorters
• Spare part
  management
• Stretch wrappers
• Tagging labelers
• Tapers
• Tilt-tray sorters
• Track and trace
• Truck/trailer
  loading software
• Tubing machines
• Voice systems
• Void fill machines
• Warehouse
  management
  systems (WCS)
• Web notification
  messaging
• Weigh machines
• Wrappers