Deutsche Post has completed its biggest investment in new mail technology for more than 15years, with all 82 of its mail centres now equipped with the latest automated mail-sorting
machines, while the company also reported a 20% improvement in its parcel capabilities.The €400 million mail investment involved installing a total of 288 sorting machines forstandard and compact letters as well 87 machines for large letter (Großbrief) and ‘maxi’ letter(Maxibrief) items, a process that began in 2009. The Stuttgart mail centre was the last site tobegin operating the new Großbrief mail-sorting system, completing what the company said represented“a clear commitment to the future of mail”.
Jürgen Gerdes, Corporate Board Member for Mail at Deutsche Post DHL, said the benefits wereobvious: “The automated processing of 65 million mail items per day is more efficient; ourcustomers benefit from faster and more precise delivery; and we are easier on the environmentthanks to lower carbon dioxide emissions and the use of less electricity.”
Since fewer sorting steps are needed and the level of automation is “substantially higher”, thenew sorting systems would ensure that mail processing was “faster and even better”, the companyclaimed. The systems will also allow Deutsche Post to reduce its annual carbon dioxide emissions byalmost 5,000 tonnes, with the new machines using 22% less energy than the older ones.
In addition to modernising its mail network, the company last year also began a three-year €750million expansion of its parcel transport network, in anticipation of future customer requirements.In order to “increase the high quality of service even further”, it said the capacities of itsparcel centres will be substantially expanded, in part with the help of significantly highersorting speeds.
“Instead of the 20,000 parcels per hour that is typical today, parcel centres in the future willbe able to handle 28,000, 40,000 and even 50,000 parcels per hour, depending on the location,”Deutsche Post observed.
It said the work that has been done so far has already raised the capabilities of the wholenetwork by some 20%.
“Various technologies have been put in place that substantially improve efficiency, speed andquality of processing,” the company said. These include scanners that can read addresses on any ofthe six sides of a parcel, partially automated unloading of vehicles, and new sorting techniquesthat further minimize the risk of damage.
“With investments of more than a billion euros in the mail and parcel infrastructure, DeutschePost DHL has made a clear declaration in favour of the home market,” said Gerdes. “In times whencompanies are increasingly reluctant to invest, such measures are a real shot in the arm forGermany as a business location.”
