High-density sortation for 40,000+ daily orders

The challenge

Lens Online is the warehousing and distribution arm of Specsavers’ manufacturing and distribution estate, responsible for getting the right product to the right store, on time, across 1,000 locations in the UK and Ireland. Speed and accuracy are non-negotiable: when a store commits to a delivery time for a customer’s glasses, the fulfilment operation has to deliver. Any error or delay has a direct knock-on impact on customer experience.

The operation was spread across three sites in Kidderminster, each playing a distinct role in the fulfilment process. As volumes grew towards 40,000–45,000 orders a day, the complexity of managing multiple sites became a constraint. Specsavers needed to consolidate into a single automated facility, one that could handle current volumes reliably, sort product into the right packaging, and scale as demand continued to grow.

Sustainability added another dimension to the brief. Stores were placing increasing importance on reducing packaging waste, and any solution would need to address this alongside throughput and accuracy.

The solution

Working with Libiao Robotics, Breathe Technologies designed and delivered a T-Sort automated sortation system that fits a high-throughput operation into a compact footprint. The system handles 40,000–45,000 orders daily. Receiving product, sorting to one of three box sizes, and despatching consolidated store orders with speed and accuracy.

The ability to sort to three box sizes was central to the brief. Each store now receives a single, correctly consolidated box containing all their product, packed in the right size container, meeting the quality expectations stores place on the operation. This approach reduces packaging waste by up to 50%.

The T-Sort’s small footprint made consolidation into a single site viable, while its modular architecture gives Specsavers the flexibility to scale as volumes grow. Breathe Technologies invested significant time upfront understanding the specific demands of the Lens Online operation, enabling a solution built around real-world requirements rather than a generic fit.