Sector · Parcel centres & post

Warehouse automation for parcel centres: more sorts, fewer people.

Orion MIS designs, builds and installs UK-made parcel sortation for parcel centres and postal operators — including the Helix modular sorter, which sorts bags, boxes and awkward freight on a 200mm gap between parcels, scales in 200mm cassette modules from 4,000 to 20,000 parcels per hour, and ships with Orion WCS included, all available on monthly finance.

Automated parcel sortation built for ugly freight: dispatch lane routing, peak volume protection and live WCS visibility — designed, manufactured and supported from one facility in Chichester.

Book a call → Run the ROI calculator Send us a sketch

Parcel sortation · headline numbers

Built for real freight

Sortation capacity4,000–20,000 pph
Gap between parcels200mm
Cassette module pitch200mm
Repair target on critical modules15 min
Core product warranty24 months
Entry systems on financefrom ~£4,000/mo

Finance subject to specification & approval

The parcel centre problem

Peak doesn't wait for recruitment.

Parcel centres all carry the same pressure: more volume, tighter cut-offs, fewer reliable people and less space to play with. Every missed shift, every agency worker, every overtime spike and every dispatch bottleneck adds cost.

Freight reality

Bags, boxes & awkward freight

Manual sortation falls apart on the freight that doesn't fit the brochure: polybags, uneven loads, mixed sizes and high-volume peaks. Helix is designed for exactly that parcel profile — and we run your sample parcels through a live Helix before signing scope.

See Helix →

Dispatch flow

Dispatch lane routing

Parcels routed to the right dispatch lane automatically, with peak volume protection built into the design. Orion WCS handles routing, dispatch zones, peak management and reporting — connected to your existing WMS or transport platform.

Post & parcel products →

Visibility

Live WCS visibility

Routing, alarms, throughput, diagnostics and system health visible from day one — not a paid future add-on. Orion WCS is included with every Helix system as standard, with dashboards, routing logic and alarming.

See Helios →

What fits a parcel centre

The Orion kit that earns its place on a parcel floor.

Maximum throughput at minimum cost per sort. Helix covers the full sortation spectrum, from small regional hubs to national distribution centres — with conveyors, print & apply and WCS built as one connected system.

Helix modular sorter

UK-built servo-driven wheel sorter scaling from 4,000 to 20,000+ parcels per hour with 200mm cassette modules, sorting on a 200mm gap at up to 2.5 m/s transfer — configured to the destination count you actually need, with a 24-month standard warranty and 15-minute repair target.

Conveyors & print & apply

Powered roller, belt, curve, merge and alignment conveyors with ZLP accumulation, plus automated label print and apply integrated directly into the line.

WCS included

Orion WCS ships with every Helix system as standard. It integrates with your existing WMS or transport management platform via REST API, MQTT or flat-file drop.

Monthly finance available

Every part of the Orion range can be put on monthly finance — entry systems typically from £4,000/month on a 60-month term, subject to specification and finance approval.

Proof · post & parcel

Real parcel sites. Real results.

Where a customer name is public, we show it — with the problem, the system and the numbers.

Post & parcel · An Post An Post belt-and-ball sorter under build and test at Orion's facility — 32 destinations in a tight footprint

32 destinations in a tight footprint

A full design, build and commission programme for An Post — Ireland's national postal service. A compact belt-and-ball sorter that fits 32 destinations into a footprint most sorters couldn't touch, running 2,000 parcels an hour including induction — designed, built and proven at Orion's facility before it shipped.

32Destinations · tight footprint

2,000Parcels/hour · including induction

D·B·CDesign → build → commission, one programme

Product · Helix sortation Automated parcel sortation conveyor with mixed freight

Helix: modular sortation for real freight

Bags. Boxes. Awkward parcels. Uneven loads. Mixed sizes. Peak windows. Helix is not built for a perfect brochure parcel — it is built for the freight that makes manual sortation fall apart. Each system is configured around your destinations, footprint, parcel profile and dispatch flow, with Orion WCS, live dashboards, controls and support included from day one.

200mmGap between parcels · cassette module pitch

20,000+Parcels/hour subject to configuration

15 minModule swap · no specialist tools

Finance & ROI

Fund the sorter against current operating cost — not on top of it.

Many parcel operations are already spending the monthly cost of automation on labour, overtime, agency cover and manual rework. All Orion automation — conveyors, Helix sortation, robotics, AMRs, print & apply and WCS — is available on monthly finance, with entry systems typically from £4,000/month on a 60-month term, subject to specification and finance approval. The ROI calculator compares the monthly finance figure against your current sortation labour line, so the saving, payback months and five-year position all fall out of the same model.

Open the ROI calculator → See finance routes Sortation system finance

FAQs

Parcel sortation, asked directly.

The questions parcel centre operators actually ask before signing scope.

What throughput can Helix actually deliver in my building?

Helix is sized to your destination count, parcel mix and shift pattern. Live installations run between 4,000 and 20,000 parcels per hour, with the upper end driven by additional sorter slices and faster belt speeds. We model realistic throughput for your operation as part of the site survey — not a brochure number.

Can Helix handle awkward parcels?

Yes. Helix is designed for real parcel environments — bags, boxes, mixed sizes, polybags, uneven loads and high-volume peaks. Anything outside the standard envelope is profiled in our UK facility before specification — we run sample parcels through a live Helix before signing scope.

How modular is Helix really — can we add destinations later?

Yes. Helix is built around 200mm cassette modules. Adding sort destinations later means extending the divert run and adding cages, not rebuilding the system. Customers regularly start with 16–24 destinations and expand as volume grows.

How much does a parcel sortation system cost?

Cost depends on throughput, destinations, parcel profile, WCS scope, integration scope and install conditions. All Orion automation is available on monthly finance, with entry systems typically from £4,000/month on a 60-month term, subject to specification and finance approval. The ROI calculator gives a sized estimate; send us your numbers and we'll come back with a formal proposal.

Next step

Size the sortation case for your parcel centre.

Send your destination count, parcel profile and shift pattern — or book a call and talk it through with an engineer. We'll come back with a sized system, an indicative monthly figure and a route forward.

Book a call → Run the ROI calculator Send us a sketch

Finance options available subject to specification and approval. Orion does not promise guaranteed approval — we help build the technical and commercial case alongside the lender.