Belgian postal operator bpost has completed the installation of its new sorting system at its Antwerp X terminal, more than doubling the sorting capacity from 9,000 to 20,000 parcels per hour.
The modern 360° scanner on the PSM scans the barcode even when it is on the bottom or side of the parcel. As well as the destination, the scanner registers the weight and size of each parcel.
The machine has 160 chutes to transfer parcels in containers for 400 different destinations. While Antwerp X used to sort parcels mostly bound for addresses in the Antwerp region, the sorting center can now handle larger volumes, including parcels bound for addresses outside the region. This transforms Antwerp X from a regional to a national sorting center.
The machine is equipped with an automated brake function on the chutes reducing the risk of damage to parcels. The new machines sort larger formats, which also cuts the number of parcels requiring manual sorting.
Jos Donvil, CEO bpost, said, “Parcel volumes have still to stop growing and the peaks we hit during the end-of-year period grow year-on-year. To be able to handle the growth investing in a new sorting machine was essential. We have worked on this project for five years and we obviously set ourselves the target of hitting milestones ahead of the busy periods so we could support our customers in the best possible way. The investment in the Antwerp X sorting center shows bpost’s ambition to be the preferred partner in e-commerce logistics, while also giving due consideration to the development and work environment of our employees.”