Royal Mail is gearing up for an online Christmas by installing a new automated parcel machine in its Tyneside mail centre.
The new machine, from Bowe Group, uses a system of conveyor belts and scanning technology to sort parcels for despatch, and can handle up to 10,000 parcels an hour through 200 sorting trays.
It is part of a multi-million pound investment programme at Royal Mail to replace time consuming and physically demanding manual sorting processes, while helping the company manage the surge in online shopping. As a result of automation, parcels are sorted up to four times more quickly than if they were sorted by hand.
Achim Dunnwald, chief operating officer at Royal Mail, says: “We are transforming the way Royal Mail processes parcels which are rapidly growing in popularity thanks to the boom in e-commerce and new online shopping trends accelerated by the pandemic. Our investment in state-of the-art parcel sorting machines and automated technology enables us to compete more effectively for business and meet the demands of our customers, while helping to secure quality jobs for the future of Royal Mail.”
Lisa Banton of Bowe Group UK & Ireland, says: “We are extremely pleased to partner with Royal Mail on this journey towards fully automating their sorting centres with our very latest technology. We believe our parcel sorting solution and services will enable Royal Mail to effectively meet the demands of their customers now and in future. We are particularly pleased that the Bowe Group and Royal Mail teams collaborated together to deliver this automation just in time for the peak period.”
