Swiss Post has selected the Syncrotess yard management system (YMS) from AI and optimization software provider Inform for its planned regional parcel center in Pratteln, Switzerland.
The optimization engine in Inform’s YMS helps ensure that all areas of yard management run efficiently, from storage area utilization and dock door allocation through to internal vehicle move orders. With the ability to run as a decision support tool or a fully automated decision-making AI system, the YMS has optimization and automation capabilities. This will be the fourth deployment of the YMS within the Swiss Post network of parcel distribution centers and is scheduled to go live when the site opens in 2022.
Dr Eva Savelsberg, senior vice president of Inform’s logistics division, said, “Swiss Post is one of our oldest customers, having started using our YMS some two decades ago. We’ve certainly enjoyed being able to continue to grow and adapt our solution, ensuring they stay at the leading edge of technology.”
Dr Ingo Marko, senior consultant and project manager for Inform’s logistics division, said, “There is very limited space on-site, which impacts how trucks are checked in and out of the facility as well as where swap bodies are stored. The ETA of inbound trucks is intelligently calculated while the vehicle is in route to the regional parcel center, and the driver receives drop-off and pick-up instructions via text message to their mobile phone prior to arrival. In addition to the unique external truck arrival process, excess swap bodies will be stored in an off-site storage area that will be managed as part of the YMS, allowing the internal vehicles to still perform transfers to and from this external area in an optimized way.”