Sitma Machinery supplies sorting systems to Poste Italiane
Sitma Machinery has supplied Poste Italiane with three sorting systems for different hubs to manage parcels for the e-commerce sector and improve their efficiency at both hardware and software level.
The postal operator asked the Italian company to help it automate several new logistics hubs, specialized in the management of parcels and ‘restmails’ (non-standard large letter formats), all within the world of e-commerce.
Acting as a system integrator, Sitma took the lead with various suppliers for this project, providing a seamless handover. The last frontier for the supplier, from a technological standpoint, is the key investment in software.
The Poste Italiane hub in Brescia uses the Easy Sort Tilt tray automated system. This is a system capable of recognizing and sorting parcels and restmails of different shapes, volumes and sizes, all from different origins.
The system, using lighter and more reliable 3D-printed trays, has enabled a 20% increase in productivity and reduced noise levels. The sorter also features an innovative exit safety system that allows operators to easily manage the change of containers once they are full.
Sitma explained that a great deal of work has also been done in terms of software. Thanks to the partnership with skilled technological players, the supplier has managed to implement a system capable of integrating with the one already in use by Poste Italiane, allowing parcel recognition and tracking.
Each package has a unique code that is read, transferred into a string and sent into a national database. This guarantees the management of shipments in total safety, while minimizing error rates and avoiding waste of money and time.
New solution for non-EU parcels
Further to the installations for an additional plant in Malpensa, with expected to start up by December 2020, Sitma is also working with Poste Italiane for the design of a custom management system.
The solution will allow Poste Italiane to operate in compliance with the new legislation – which comes into force in 2021 - aimed at optimizing the delivery and processing of goods from non-EU countries within the European territory and subjected to tax and customs controls.
The sorting system designed by Sitma will be able to manage not only the flow of goods from all over the world, operating according to a capillary geographic distribution perspective, but will also support logistic operators in the management of customs aspects, linked to content and the value of each single package.
M&A deals ahead?
Looking further ahead, Sitma CEO Stefano Nanni said the Italian group wants to position itself as a broader supplier in future. “We have already identified M&A targets for possible synergies in the e-logistics sector in order to position ourselves more and more as a service supplier, much more than a hardware producer,” he explained.
Founded in 1965, Sitma Machinery specializes in the design and construction of machines, systems and complete lines for the Packaging, Post-Press, DM/ Transpromo and e-Logistics sectors, with more than 9,000 machines installed worldwide. Based near Modena in northern Italy, the company has branches in France, the USA and Japan and operates in more than 70 countries through an international sales network.