Dream machine
New automated parcel sortation machinery has been installed at Bristol Mail Centre to speed up the processing of parcels.
The new technology replaces a manual sorting process that can be both time consuming and physically demanding, often requiring two separate sorts to get parcels in the right place for despatch.
It will also increase our capacity to process parcels at peak volumes by enhancing efficiency. Currently around 12% of our parcels are machine sorted. But within five years we plan to increase that figure to more than 80%.
The parcel sorting machine (PSM) is an intelligent system of conveyor belts and scanning technology that automatically sorts parcels for despatch to mail centres across the country. Under the new system, parcels are tipped onto a conveyor belt at the front end of the machine before being manually placed onto individual cells on two conveyor belts. The parcels then enter Dimension Weight Scan areas which use bar scanning technology to read the destination of 2D barcoded items. For those items that do not have a barcode, the machine uses Optical Character Recognition technology to read the postcodes.
Once the machine has registered the destination address of a parcel, the item travels along the conveyor belt on the sorter until it reaches the appropriate container. At this point, the tray opens up and the parcel drops into the container ready to be taken to vehicles for despatch.
The machine is capable of sorting parcels to 81 different destinations within our network, covering the entire length and breadth of the country. It can handle parcels from the size of a CD up to an item slightly larger than a 45cm by 35cm by 20cm tray - around the size of two shoe boxes side by side or a school rucksack - with a weight range of up to 3kg. With its bar scanning technology, the machine is also able to process tracked items much more quickly.
Simon Barker, national operations director, said: ‘The roll out of this new technology is transforming the way Royal Mail processes parcels which are continuing to grow in volumes. The technology will help us to speed up the passage of parcels to local mail centres.
'We have worked closely with our unions throughout this programme, and colleagues who work on the machine have said they prefer the quality of work compared to manual sorting.’
As well as Bristol, the technology is now operational in 11 other mail centres including, Swindon, Hemel Hempstead, Chelmsford, Greenford, Warrington, South Midlands (Northampton), Jubilee, Gatwick, Birmingham, Leeds and Preston.
Click here to watch the automated parcel sortation machinery technology in action.
