DHL Express has deployed a new parcel sorting system at a warehouse in Austria which will help it meet new demands for flexibility and speed.
The new technology in Linz-Hörsching, designed by material handling specialist VanRiet, will provide a parcel throughput of around 6000 pieces per hour or around 325 tons per day.
DHL worked with VanRiet to design the site, which required a high level of flexibility due to its combination of road and air hubs with a courier service centre.
Sensors can detect when there is free space on the conveyor belt, with each package is assigned a position on it that prevents contact with other parcels.
The site will prioritise the security of customer shipments as well as energy efficiency, with the lighting in the rooms and outdoor areas being sensor-controlled and solar panels deployed on the facility’s roof.
The system is in the final stage of its installation, with about 10% of the nearly 9000 square metre still to be furnished.
Ken Straetman, project manager at DHL Express Austria, said the collaboration had created a “versatile system that sets us up for the future.”
“When DHL Express Austria issues a tender for a sorting system, we do not only want the best technical solution, but we also look for a strong partner who understands our business. The express business is growing at a fast pace with an increasing complexity of requirements, therefore we need flexible solutions and a supplier that can provide these within a tight schedule.
“DHL Express puts the customer in the centre of every process, so we need a sorting system our customers can rely on.”
