FedEx has opened a new 120,800m2 automated sorting facility at the Memphis World Hub. It includes 17.7km of conveyor belt, has a space dedicated to moving bulky, non-conveyable shipments, and can sort 56,000 parcels per hour.
According to FedEx, the four-level facility will reduce sort times, improve reliability and allow packages to be sorted in one building. It incorporates state-of-the-art technology, including six-sided scanning, which allows for packages to be scanned on all sides to capture size and barcode information for accurate sorting.
It also includes new weighing and dimensioning systems and is equipped with 1,000 cameras to monitor the flow of packages and ensure efficient movement through the operation.
“The Memphis World Hub is the heart of the FedEx global network, and this dynamic new sort facility is equipped with the latest data-driven technology that enables us to strengthen our hub operations,” said Lisa Lisson, president of air operations at FedEx. “Modernizing the Memphis World Hub is a key step in our network transformation to help our customers compete and win with the world’s most flexible, efficient and smart logistics network.”
The facility upgrade includes a new Hub Operations Command Center that is three times the size of the original and serves as the centralized control function overseeing all operations at the Memphis World Hub.
The FedEx World Hub is the largest sorting facility in the FedEx global network, with 13,000 team members, spanning 380ha with 171 aircraft gates and 135km of conveyor belt. It can process 484,000 packages per hour.