Deutsche Post Invests EUR 400 Million In Letter Mail Network
By Anuja Abraham
Deutsche Post has installed a total of 288 sorting machines for standard and compact letters as well 87 machines for Großbrief and Maxibrief items since 2009, an investment of around EUR400 million.
For Jürgen Gerdes, Corporate Board Member for MAIL at Deutsche Post DHL, the benefits are obvious: “The automated processing of 65 million mail items per day is more efficient; our customers benefit from faster and more precise delivery; and we are easier on the environment thanks to fewer carbon dioxide emissions and the use of less electricity.”
Since fewer sorting steps are needed and the level of automation is substantially higher, the new sorting systems ensure that mail processing is faster and even better. Such systems allow Deutsche Post to reduce its annual carbon dioxide emissions by almost 5,000 tons, and the new machines use 22% less energy than the older ones.
In addition to modernizing the mail network, the company also began expanding its parcel transport network last year in anticipation of future customer requirements. By 2014, Deutsche Post will have invested around 750 million euros in its nationwide parcel infrastructure. In order to increase the high quality of service even further, parcel center capacities will be substantially expanded in part with the help of significantly higher sorting speeds. Instead of the 20,000 parcels per hour which is typical today, parcel centers in the future will be able to handle 28,000, 40,000 and even 50,000 parcels per hour, depending on the location.
