Singapore Post is investing about S$45 million (€28m) to upgrade its mail sorting infrastructureand give it better capability to handle its growing number of packets and parcels.
All existing 26 sorting machines, which have been in operation for more than 14 years, willbe replaced with an integrated sorting system comprising 16 various machines that can sort letters,packets and publications. The technology supplier was not named.
SingPost said the investment in new machines will help to deliver an even more efficient andbetter service. The new sorting machines will increase mechanisation rate in the sorting process,thereby reducing human reliance and enhancing accuracy. The mechanisation rate for sorting letterswill increase from 85 per cent to 95 per cent and that of publications, from 58 per cent to morethan 90 per cent. The mechanisation rate for packets will also increase from 85 per cent to 90 percent.
The new machines also possess additional intelligent capabilities and can efficiently handlethe growing volume of e-commerce items. Among the intelligent capabilities are the abilities toread and sort outgoing international mail according to countries; to read QR code to accesstracking information and details; and to read mail for redirection and forward it to the newaddress.
Currently, outgoing international mail and redirected mail are manually sorted, making itvery labour-intensive. Through automation, SingPost will be able to raise productivity and improveaccuracy at the same time.
Wolfgang Baier, Group CEO of SingPost, said: “We recognise that customer needs are changingand we are constantly pushing the envelope to ensure we maintain the highest service standards,including the current over 98 per cent next day delivery rate that we have achieved.
“Upgrading our postal infrastructure with the latest technology will give SingPost capacityto process mail items faster, thereby enhancing service quality and productivity in the process.This investment will also prepare us for a new economy with fewer letters and more packets.”
Baier explained: “Customers are at the heart of all that we do. The new sorting machines arepart of our S$100 million investment to upgrade infrastructure, and improve service. Thetransformation of the sorting centre and the recent introduction of the 24/7 POPStation terminalsare part of this commitment to serve our customers well.”
SingPost said that today it stands as one of only several postal operators in the world thatconsistently achieves a Quality of Service standard of over 98 per cent for next day delivery.
