The parcel has changed — but have sorting operations changed quickly enough with it?
E-commerce has created an increasingly complex flow of small, lightweight and irregularly shaped items moving through postal and logistics networks. They may look insignificant individually, but at scale they can create some very significant operational challenges.
In the latest episode of Logistics Business Conversations, recorded at Parcel and Post Expo in London, Paul Hamblin speaks with Gert Jan Veelenturf of Eurosort about what this changing parcel mix means for logistics operators.
Traditional sorting systems were largely designed around predictable formats. Today, operators may need to process everything from conventional cartons to lightweight bags, cylindrical products and awkwardly shaped packets – often through the same facility.
So what happens when the technology wasn’t originally designed for what is now coming through the door?
The conversation explores how sorting technology is adapting, why simply increasing automation isn’t always the complete answer, and how operators can achieve greater throughput without continually demanding more floor space or labour.
They also discuss one of the industry’s biggest constraints: growth.
For many logistics businesses, automation isn’t necessarily about reducing headcount. It’s about allowing the existing operation and workforce to handle substantially more volume. With warehouse space expensive, labour increasingly difficult to secure and e-commerce continuing to reshape parcel flows, getting more from the same footprint is becoming increasingly important.
The discussion also looks ahead at robotic induction, increasingly automated sorter exits and where parcel handling technology could be heading over the next five years.
Are today’s sorting systems ready for tomorrow’s parcel volumes?
Listen to the full episode of Logistics Business Conversations below.
