Dutch automation specialist Hexapole has installed a Small Parcel Sorter (SPS) to optimize Yodel’s sorting capabilities at its Shaw depot in Oldham, UK.
Hexapole had previously supplied Yodel with an SPS at its Hatfield sorting centre in Hertfordshire.
Due to increasing small parcel volumes, Yodel decided to install a second SPS at the Shaw center near Manchester to help streamline operations. This was delivered through a refurbishment and reinstallation effort using a unit that had previously been installed at a third-party premises in Switzerland.
Carl Moore, chief operations officer, Yodel, said, “We were thrilled to be working with Hexapole on a second SPS and, once on-site, the build process was remarkably quick, testament to their organization and good planning. This investment in equipment and tech will help deliver improvements in flow as well as reduce parcel handling by our colleagues. Since its installation, the operational benefits have been immediate.”
Hexapole adapted and refined the sorter at its base in the Netherlands to meet Yodel’s specifications prior to its installation at the Shaw depot.
Bas Bloemink, managing director at Hexapole, said, “At the Hatfield distribution center, our sorting machine and software control have been used for more than 20 years. It is fantastic that Yodel has chosen to work with Hexapole to install a second SPS for their national distribution center in Shaw. Our sorting system enables the company to manage all kinds of mixed flows of small and larger parcels.”
The SPS organizes parcels into plastic sacks which are then sealed, labeled and transported. This has eliminated placing any additional requirements for sortation capacity on the main sorter. Sacks can hold four times the quantity of parcels compared with the tote. Containerized parcels can be processed and tracked as a single unit.
Sustainability has been shown to be an added benefit as the sacks used in operations are fully recyclable and remain within the Yodel network. All empty sacks can be collected at the service centers and returned to the sorts for onward recycling.