Ready for take-off
Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre (HWDC) in Slough is showing how we can build a business able to thrive in a changing marketplace.
Online shopping will continue to grow parcel traffic, with international business via our General Logistics Systems (GLS) wing expected to be a key source of future revenue.
Our aim is to combine Royal Mail’s strength in small parcels with GLS’s 20-year track record of success in larger, deferred deliveries.
Colleagues at the 42,000 sq m facility – equivalent to six football pitches – have shown their appetite for the challenge through constant adoption of new equipment and processes.
‘People shop mostly online these days, so we need to keep abreast of where the world is going,’ said OPG Bola Ogunlana. ‘That way we can stay ahead of our competitors, ahead of the market and keep meeting customer expectations.’
Fellow OPG Bhupinder Shokar, has seen a lot of change in her 14 years at HWDC.
‘We used to do manual work, but now we have the Linear Parcel Sorting System (LPSS) which is brilliant,’ she said. ‘It’s so fast.’
The facility has two LPSS machines, each taking up one third of the space of the current Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM), with more on the way.
‘In five years, technology will have changed things again,’ said Bhupinder. ‘We’ll have a 24-hour operation and a larger workforce. It’ll be like Christmas all the time, which would be great for our customers.’
‘It’s going to be all parcels as that’s where the money is,’ added OPG Ronnie Leslie. ‘Running seven days a week will make the business a lot stronger.
‘The new machines help us work faster and keep us at the forefront, keeping our jobs secure.’
Sixty engineers ensure the technology works smoothly and remove redundant features for sale or recycling to generate income and create space.
Among recent innovations are 21 automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which move yorks around the building, freeing colleagues for other tasks.
Another hugely efficient improvement – larger mailbags holding more small parcels while staying within the 11kg weight limit – means 57% fewer bags are despatched.
‘In five years’ time I see a lot more AGVs, at least five more LPSS machines and the world will be our oyster,’ said Mark Lindars, infrastructure and design project lead.
‘Letters are declining each year, so we’ll have fewer of those machines but more specific ones for certain product streams. Automation will help us be more profitable and able to compete.’
