EuroSort Powers New Levels of Distribution Efficiency and Precision in Massive Sortation System Installation for Mouser Electronics
- Shane Novacek
- 18 hours ago
- 7 min read
Global electronic components distributor’s journey to processing over 30,000 SKUs per hour begins on EtherCAT-enabled sortation systems with over half a mile of track
It’s been said that life is a journey, not a destination — and the same can be said about product distribution and fulfillment. There are thousands of possible processes to move a product from initial warehouse pick to doorstep delivery, but countless things can go right… or wrong along the way. A giant in semiconductor and electronic component distribution, Mouser Electronics operates in a league of its own when managing the complexity of B2B order fulfillment and its customers’ supply chains.
“Mouser distributes products from over 1,200 different manufacturers and specializes in new product introductions with intensive support for research and design engineers, as well as the manufacturing supply chain,” says Matt Bell, VP of Outbound Operations at Mouser Electronics. “Our mission is to make sure that our 650,000+ customers can order with confidence through the highest possible order accuracy and on time delivery.” The Mansfield, Texas-based Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary is ranked as the #5 electronic components distributor in the 2025 Global Top Distributors List published by Supply Chain Connect and offers over 1.2 million active SKUs with an endless range of product sizes and forms of packaging. Sorting and delivering millions of items with accuracy exceeding 99% and same day shipping with order cutoff times as late as 8:00 PM is an immense challenge.
Traditional sortation systems could not handle the varied, and incredibly small product. Additionally, the technology currently in use reached max capacity, preventing Mouser from continuing their impressive growth streak as they were constructing a new building at their site. That’s when Mouser commissioned EuroSort, a leader in bespoke sortation equipment with U.S. headquarters in Owings Mills, Maryland, to deliver a groundbreaking sortation solution to meet the multifaceted requirements at Mouser’s flagship global distribution hub in Mansfield. “With equipment that can handle almost unlimited sorts, EuroSort stood out among their competitors,” Bell says. “The only thing that limits the number of sorts EuroSort can deliver is space. With our new building, we have a lot of space, so we are able to install absolutely massive sortation lines.” Accordingly, the resulting EuroSort system was a highly customized suite of sorter technologies spanning four unique sorter types with over half a mile of track combined, all integrated tightly with an advanced, EtherCAT-enabled automation platform from Beckhoff.
A long and winding road to sort items with speed and precision
Mouser’s product mix is incredibly diverse. The company distributes everything from large transformers and reels of semiconductors down to individual components in tiny poly bags. Before EuroSort’s involvement, Mouser’s previous sortation equipment had reached its limits. Handling the more delicate and lightweight items at high speed was especially difficult because they could literally float off the equipment depending on the environmental conditions. “It couldn’t go any faster, and lacked the accuracy needed for the smallest items,” recalls Scott Eisenberg, Regional Sales Manager and Marketing Lead at EuroSort. “This bottleneck constrained throughput and made it hard for Mouser to scale their operations.”
Adding to the complexity, Mouser’s facility posed significant physical constraints. “The largest sorter is actually located on a third-level mezzanine with only 14 feet of clear height,” Eisenberg says. “We had to design a system that packed thousands of destinations into this compact vertical space without sacrificing speed or reliability.”
Another critical requirement was operational continuity in Mouser’s existing building. EuroSort had to install and commission one of the new sorters without any downtime. That meant building this new system over the existing one as it ran in full operation and then transitioning seamlessly to the new sortation system.
To tackle these multifaceted challenges, EuroSort deployed four distinct types of sorters at Mouser, each tailored to specific stages of the operation. For order consolidation, the Single Split Tray Sorter, which integrates with existing goods-to-person (GTP) systems, was a major upgrade and now handles the full range of products offered by Mouser. “With EuroSort technology, we also made significant improvements to our existing equipment,” Bell adds. “For example, we were able to improve the performance of our existing GTP system by 100%.”
Equally impressive was the Dual Split Tray Sorter, designed specifically for the constrained mezzanine space. “It’s the behemoth of the fleet — with thousands of destinations packed into limited vertical clearance,” Eisenberg remarked. “This sorter alone can process about 30,000 items per hour and will be a key player in improving overall pick efficiency at the site.”
On the receiving side of things, EuroSort’s Cross Tray XL and standard Cross Tray sorters manage everything from heavy inbound cases to the small individual items inside them on the same sorter. “This flexibility is crucial given the wide variety of package sizes Mouser processes,” Eisenberg notes.
Finally, EuroSort introduced cutting-edge technologies such as the parallel induction, custom designed chutes, and a brand new, multi-destination chute system known as E-Sort, currently in field testing at Mouser. “The parallel induction technology is a first in the world, and the Mouser application was our pilot project,” Eisenberg adds. “The new multi-destination chute can also feed 10 different sort destinations from a single drop, dramatically increasing sorter efficiency.”
All signs point to EtherCAT
The machine control technology that brings EuroSort’s labyrinth of sortation equipment together was backed by Beckhoff’s sophisticated controls architecture, which brought all the automation, motion control, networking, safety, and diagnostics capabilities the enormous project demanded. Blake Waybright, Controls Developer at EuroSort, describes the power of Beckhoff’s C6030 Industrial PC with capable Intel® Core™ i5 processor: “The fully integrated automation platform powered by TwinCAT software and EtherCAT communication lets us handle not only the real time control but also all of our applications, multiple fieldbus protocols, and the HMI software all on the same device.”
The TwinCAT 3 engineering environment supports multi-core task assignment, allowing EuroSort to separate fast real time tasks from slower background processes from core to core to maximize overall CPU bandwidth. “We achieve scan times under 300 microseconds, which is essential when we’re detecting items less than two centimeters apart moving at high speed,” Waybright says. “TwinCAT’s integrated engineering environment and version control supported by TFS and Git make it easy for us to manage complex projects and push rapid software improvements. It also boosts our programming, debugging, simulation, and visualization all in one place.”
In terms of networking, EtherCAT has already been EuroSort’s communication standard for many years. “Before we standardized, we conducted a very open search throughout the industry, interviewing vendors and integrators that are partners, and even customers, and we kept landing on EtherCAT,” recalls Jeff Zerr, Advisory Controls Engineer at EuroSort. “Every other protocol had limitations we would reach one way or another, whether it was node count, transmission speeds, scan times, bandwidth issues, etc. Ultimately, it was EtherCAT that brought us to Beckhoff in the first place.”
Today, EtherCAT distributed I/O hardware is equally critical in the Mouser application. Because these sorters are so large and have so many I/O points, EuroSort uses hundreds of machine-mounted EtherCAT Boxes and high-density EtherCAT Terminals to minimize space requirements in I/O cabinets. “This distributed approach reduces wiring complexity and lets us design the control system around the mechanical chute layout rather than the other way around,” Waybright explains.
Machine safety, too, was handled in a streamlined, fully integrated way with Beckhoff’s Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) and TwinSAFE I/O system. EuroSort integrates safety devices like emergency stop pull cords spanning up to 100 meters directly into the EtherCAT network. “TwinSAFE lets us remotely troubleshoot safety faults and show operators exactly where issues occur to quickly return equipment to a safe state,” Waybright says.
The openness of Beckhoff’s platform also facilitated integration with various protocols. “We communicate over OPC UA with Mouser’s warehouse management system (WMS) to report package dimensions and bar code information in real time,” Waybright details. “We also use EtherNet/IP to interface with machine vision cameras and traditional PLCs upstream.” EtherCAT also directly integrates with IO-Link to communicate with various encoders on conveyors at the site via an EP6228-0022 EtherCAT Box.
Crucially, Beckhoff’s EtherCAT network topology, designed as multiple redundant rings without branching to chutes, ensured both reliability and speed. “We will be handling over 40,000 EtherCAT I/O points on the largest sorter,” says Pete Diamonti, EuroSort’s Engineering Manager. “Segmenting the network into sync groups and rings lets us commission and troubleshoot the system modularly, which is essential for timely completion of a project of this scale.”
Maintenance teams have also benefited from advanced EtherCAT diagnostics. “Without Beckhoff’s detailed diagnostics, we wouldn’t know if an especially small item floated off its path or if the machine made a mistake,” Eisenberg says. “Our logging system records every item’s journey for up to 30 days, enabling us to troubleshoot problems long after they occur.”
Doubling down on pick rate improvements, energy savings
The results of the collaboration among Mouser, EuroSort, and Beckhoff have been remarkable. The new EuroSort systems are now tasked with handling up to 30,000 items per sorter per hour, with the goal of handling 100% of Mouser’s total distribution volume. Additionally, the new sortation stack has created a more predictable and scalable flow across Mouser’s Mansfield global distribution center.
“Put rates on the existing goods-to-person systems have almost doubled the previous system’s, with operators now reaching as many as 600 items per hour during peak times,” Bell reports. This dramatic uplift is a direct result of the seamless integration between the GTP systems and the EuroSort Single Split Tray Sorter, enabling faster, more accurate handling of Mouser’s highly diverse product mix. The result is a more responsive order fulfillment operation that can adapt to fluctuating demand without sacrificing accuracy.
Energy savings with the new sortation system were also substantial. “Our sorters run on motors typically rated at one horsepower,” Eisenberg explains. “That’s less than 30 horsepower total for a machine half a mile long. Compared to other technologies like shoe sorters or AGV systems that can draw hundreds of amps for much smaller sections, the energy savings over a 10- to 20-year lifecycle can exceed $1 million.”
By all accounts, this ongoing journey has been a fruitful one. Leveraging customized EuroSort sortation solutions powered by Beckhoff's high-performance EtherCAT architecture and flexible TwinCAT software platform, Mouser Electronics has achieved unprecedented rate improvements, energy savings, and operational agility — setting a new benchmark in electronic components distribution. As Waybright summarizes, “Beckhoff isn’t just making our solutions possible — they’re making them successful.”
The combination of higher throughput, real time EtherCAT communication, and tighter control over item destinations has reduced bottlenecks at critical handoffs and unlocked new capacity for growth. Accordingly, Mouser and EuroSort are busy with future plans for the Mansfield distribution center. “EuroSort’s team in The Netherlands is working on a new design for high density consolidation which will give us tens of thousands of locations and transform how we fulfill orders yet again,” Bell concludes.
Ready to increase speed and precision in your next machine build? Contact your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.
Shane Novacek is the Marketing Communications Manager at Beckhoff Automation LLC