To mark its 75th anniversary, Vanderlande hosted a live signing ceremony at Parcel+Post Expo 2024 of a contract to install sorting technology at one of DHL Group’s MechZB last-mile depots at Regensburg in southern Germany – its 75th contract of this type.
The project is expected to go live in the autumn of next year and will enable DHL’s Regensburg depot to handle 4,500 parcels per hour from four infeeds with belt unloading telescopics to 37 buffer chutes.
According to Vanderlande, the MechZB (mechanized delivery bases) last-mile depots were developed to help DHL Group meet increasing demand from e-commerce orders. The sorting solution includes a unique bulk chute design developed through a collaboration between Vanderlande and the parcel delivery company. This improves productivity, because it enables up to 200 parcels to be buffered without any action required by operators.
The MechZB transportation and sortation systems have been designed so that parcels do not need to be scanned or sorted by hand. Formerly, parcels had to be loaded manually into roll containers, and then unloaded by hand into delivery vans at the output of the system. This process is now automated by the chutes right up to the loading of the vehicles, ensuring less handling and improved ergonomics.
Commenting on the project, Dietmar Doll, VP engineering with DHL Group, said, “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Vanderlande to extend our regional network of sorting depots. The MechZB program has supported our business growth, and the sortation technology has also greatly improved working conditions for our operators by automating many manual tasks.”
Patrick Verhoeven, Vanderlande’s executive managing director, APS EMEA LATAM, added, “It’s fitting that as Vanderlande celebrates its 75th anniversary, we are able to extend our collaboration with DHL Group by joining forces on the 75th MechZB project. The original program has proved to be a huge success, helping DHL to increase the speed and efficiency of its last-mile operations.”