Postal and courier service provider Royal Mail has announced the installation of a new parcel sorting machine at its Birmingham Mail Centre, which is reportedly capable of processing 157,000 parcels per day.
The postal service hopes that the automated machine will help to meet the shift in customer demand for quick and next-day delivery of parcels.
Ricky McAulay, operations development director at Royal Mail, said: “Customers want more parcels, delivered the next day – including Sundays.
“We are investing in the latest technology to ensure we can meet this demand as we modernise our business.
“Our new parcel sorting machine in Birmingham will help drive growth as we transform into an even more parcels-focused business.”
Royal Mail claims that automated technologies are responsible for sorting more than 22 million parcels every week across its UK network.
The process is especially key to the adaptation of post-pandemic demand for parcels and the company’s shifting of resources further towards facilitating parcel distribution.
According to Royal Mail, parcel volumes are 30% higher than before the pandemic, with parcel deliveries now accounting for almost 60% of its total revenue.
What’s more, the company hopes to have 70% of its parcel processing automated by 2023 and 90% by 2024.
