Incompatibles Package Calculation
A cost-analysis tool that compares running conveyable packages through the Incompatible process versus moving them to the automated system.
Context
Incompatible packages go through the most expensive process in the building, as each package is handled a minimum of three times by an employee. Typically, customers and other UPS hubs will send trailers with only Incompatible packages. In our facility, we have inbound doors that are built specifically for Incompatibles-only trailers. However, sometimes these trailers can still contain conveyable packages (Cube and Small) mixed with the Incompatibles. When this happens, the operating plan is to remove the conveyable packages from the trailer, finish processing the Incompatibles, then put the conveyable packages back onto the trailer. The trailer will then be moved to a regular unload door to be processed as usual. Due to time, the Operations team will process conveyable packages through the Incompatibles system.
Action
The user inputs the number of conveyable packages in the trailer. The tool outputs the cost of running these packages through the Incompatible operation versus through the Cube/Small operation. While this calculation was initially meant as a cost-analysis for Operations management, it was adapted into a tool that Operations can use live during the sort as these Incompatibles-only trailers arrive.
Result
Operators have more information to make the decision of running conveyable packages as the operating plan says. It also gives operators the visibility of their impact on the overall business.
General UPS Context
Packages are processed through the facility in one of three main processes, based on the type of package: Cube, Small, and Incompatible.
| Package Type | Specifications | Process |
|---|---|---|
| Cube | - Larger than 16” x 16” x 7” (shoebox) but smaller than 5’ - Weight is below 70 lbs - Conveyable on automated belts without causing issues (e.g. jams) - Can be handled by a person with normal strength under normal conditions |
- Cube packages get processed using the automated belt system. - Each package is scanned through a camera tunnel and sorted based on the label to the correct outbound trailer. |
| Small | - Smaller than 16” x 16” x 7” (shoebox) - Weight is below 10 lbs - Small, thin envelopes |
- Because of its size, Small packages get processed at first through the automated belt system (in a tote or bag), then through the Smalls automated belt system, where the packages will be removed from any container then sorted into a bag. - The bag is then put into an outbound trailer in the automated belt system again. - The S.M.A.R.T. facility has five single-line sorters (SLS) to process Small packages. One SLS contains up to 110 bins, which means our sort can create bags for up to 550 unique destinations (which are typically specific cities across the U.S.). |
| Incompatible | - Larger than 5’ - Weight is over 70 lbs - Includes shapes incompatible with the belt system, such as tires, cylindrical packages, and flat envelopes |
- Incompatibles are named as such due to the incompatibility with the automated belt system that processes Cube packages (due to size, shape, weight). - These packages are taken to an Incompatible Depot, where employees scan and sort these packages onto carts. - These carts are then put onto trains for an Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV) to take to the correct part of the building. - Then, these carts are unloaded onto a belt, where an employee scans each package into the correct outbound trailer. |