Turkish parcel distribution and courier services company Kuryenet has announced the deployment of a new automated parcel sorting system in Turkey, which it claims is the largest solution of its kind to be installed in Europe.
The automated robotic parcel sorting system was designed and installed by Chinese robotics company LiBiao Robotics in collaboration with Kuryenet’s distribution and after-sales support partner, Lodamaster.
The site is situated in Tuzla, a town on the outskirts of Istanbul. This also marks the first implementation of such technology in Turkey, with installation only taking four weeks from start to finish, according to Kuryenet.
“Our aim is to become a global brand in the parcel delivery sector,” said Derya Aydin, assistant general manager of operations at Kuryenet. “We believe that automation is the key to success in our industry and we have always been early adopters of pioneering technology and systems.
“We are delighted with the way that the robotic sortation system has integrated with the other technology that we deploy at our Tuzla facility. The installation went particularly smoothly with engineers from LiBiao and Lodamaster working closely with personnel from our operations team to ensure the success of the project.
“Time is very important in our industry, so the reliability of the robotic system was very attractive to us.”
The system, which can reportedly process 45,000 items per hour at a 99.9% accuracy rate, consists of 120 LiBiao autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that connect with 700 destination chutes and five parcel induction points.
What’s more, collision avoidance technologies help the bots perform their tasks, with the devices also supporting a load capacity of up to 10kg.
At every induction station, a worker loads a waiting AMR with a parcel, with the package’s shipping label then being automatically scanned. Next, a destination chute is assigned based on the town or city to which the parcel is headed.
The AMRs’ navigation system controls the journey of each bot and its load to the assigned chute. When it arrives, the parcel is tipped into the designated mail sack.
A control system is also in place to alert users when the sack is full. Delivery information is then printed and attached to the mailbag, before the bag is transferred to the dispatch area and then the delivery vehicle.
The company reports reduced operational costs as a result of the AMRs’ energy efficiency technology, which enables them to complete four hours of work on a five-minute charge. Kuryenet has also made savings on labour costs.
LiBiao’s AMR range was developed to act as a more cost-efficient and adaptable alternative to traditional tilt-tray and cross-belt conveyor-based sortation systems.
In addition, further robots, chutes and induction stations can be introduced into the system based on clients’ individual needs.
