Logistics systems integrator Dematic has formed a strategic partnership with Opex Corp. allowing the integrator to implement Opex's Sure Sort piece-picking solution for customers in North America, the companies said today.

Dematic will apply and implement Sure Sort—a robotic, small-item sorter that functions as an automated order consolidation method for batch-picked items—as part of an overall Dematic system, the companies said. The agreement expands Dematic's omnichannel order fulfillment offering and allows Opex to reach new markets with the Sure Sort solution.

Sure Sort is ideal for e-commerce order fulfillment and retail store replenishment applications, according to both companies. As a subsystem within a Dematic system, Sure Sort will integrate with Dematic's iQ Optimize warehouse execution system (WES), which manages all of the functional areas of a company's order fulfillment system, according to Dematic. 

Bernard Biolchini, Dematic's executive vice president and CEO for the Americas, announced the partnership during the company's Material Handling and Logistics Conference, taking place in Park City, Utah, this week. Biolchini said the partnership is an example of Dematic's focus on extending its omnichannel solution offering as well as its commitment to combining software and automation technology to solve customers' problems. Biolchini told an audience of customers, vendors, and industry partners that the integrator is investing heavily in software because it represents the next evolution of the industry. Becoming "software centric" is a key way to meet changing industry requirements, he said, referring to software as the "core and center of the evolution of this industry.

"The Dematic suite of modular and standardized solutions is comprehensive—adding Sure Sort to the mix enables users to obtain the ideal small-item piece picking solution," added Mike Khodl, Dematic's vice president of global solutions. "The ability to design and implement a wide variety of pre-engineered, standardized system configurations is critical to effectively accommodate the growing demands of omnichannel distribution in this age of acceleration."