Product Identification in Recycling (Reclaimation)

[Phil Schoner]

My client reclaims packaging material, receiving broken and damaged stuff and separating the usable from the not. It can get pretty messy and spread out as the person does his reclaiming thing. Some items have multiple components which need to be sorted. Its done in a warehouse setting with a lot of the stuff on pallets.

Product identification includes good stuff, unusable stuff, and stuff waiting to be picked over. Labeling each pallet seems to be a very time consuming approach to identification. Identification by location will not allow the stuff to be brought together for the actual separation work. Any ideas out there on an efficient identification technique for this situation?

 

[David Mullins]

You have:
A. Awaiting picking
B. Good stuff
C. no good stuff.

Tip A on a conveyor.
Operators pick B and throw into appropriate storage or chute.
Whatever gets to the end of the conveyor falls into the bin and is considered C.

So the layout & process can heavily influence your solution.