A case conveyor system is a powered material handling system that moves cartons, boxes, and totes through a warehouse using belts, rollers, or motorized driven rollers.

It handles transport, accumulation, merging, sortation, and induction between receiving and shipping.

Case conveyor is distinct from pallet conveyor, which carries full pallets, and bulk conveyor, which handles loose material. Most distribution centers run a combination of all three.

A case conveyor system moves cases through sequential zones, each controlled independently by sensors and drives that start, stop, and divert product based on signals from a warehouse control system (WCS). Zones accumulate, merge, singulate, and sort cases with no human handling.

Modern systems use photoelectric sensors, zone controllers, and 24-volt motorized driven rollers that run only when product is present.

Control platforms like Hytrol's EZLogic coordinate zone logic so cases flow through without collisions or back pressure.

Case conveyor falls into five categories: belt conveyor, roller conveyor, motorized driven roller (MDR), zero-pressure accumulation, and sortation conveyor.

• Belt conveyor carries small, fragile, or irregular cases on a continuous belt

• Roller conveyor moves uniform cartons at lower energy cost

• MDR runs each zone only when product is present, cutting energy up to 60 percent

• Accumulation holds cases in zones without back pressure between upstream and downstream processes

• Sortation diverts cases to lanes, dock doors, or carriers at speeds up to 30,000 units per hour

Case conveyor cost depends on throughput volume, system type, facility size, and integration complexity.

A basic single-line accumulation conveyor can start in the low six figures. A full sortation-fed case handling system for a regional distribution center can reach seven figures.

Cost drivers include conveyor length, MDR versus line-shaft drives, sortation technology, controls integration, and site-specific installation needs. HOJ provides fixed-scope quotes after a site assessment, so you see the full number before committing.

Case conveyor installation typically runs 16 to 32 weeks from signed scope to commissioning. Straightforward retrofits can finish in 8 to 12 weeks.

Full greenfield systems with custom fabrication and heavy controls integration can run 36 to 52 weeks.

The main timeline drivers are equipment lead times, controls programming, site readiness, and production schedule accommodations. HOJ gives you a firm commissioning date in the signed proposal, not after work begins.

Case conveyor bottlenecks are prevented through correct accumulation logic, properly sized merge and induction points, controlled case release timing, and real-time monitoring of zone status.

Most bottlenecks come from flow variability, merge starvation, or micro-stops under two minutes that go unlogged.

Prevention starts with a throughput assessment that measures actual versus designed performance at peak, not average. From there, targeted fixes in controls, accumulation, and merge logic often recover capacity without replacing equipment.

Case conveyor moves individual cartons, boxes, and totes at 60 to 300 feet per minute on light- to medium-duty frames.

Pallet conveyor moves full palletized loads at 30 to 90 feet per minute on heavy-duty frames rated for 2,000 to 4,500 pounds per pallet.

Case conveyor supports order fulfillment, sortation, and shipping lanes. Pallet conveyor supports receiving, put-away, and palletized dispatch. Most distribution centers operate both, connected through automated palletizers or layer pickers.

Zero-pressure accumulation is a conveyor control method that holds cases in individual zones without cases touching each other, eliminating back pressure, product damage, and jams.

Each zone starts and stops independently based on signals from photoelectric sensors.

Hytrol's EZLogic platform is the industry-standard zero-pressure control system. It supports singulation mode, which separates cases zone by zone, and slug mode, which releases groups of cases for high-density throughput.