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Modern logistics systems in the newest postal centre in Guangzhou, China
With over 1.2 billion inhabitants china has a naturally enormous mail volume. What has been missing so far however, are modern postal centres with a high degree of automation for logistics systems. In the existing, relatively old postal centres the mail is still processed by hand. In the south of china, in Guangzhou, the postal service began modernisation in 1999. Following the modern European postal mail handling centres, a new postal centre was planned in Guangzhou, which is equipped with logistics systems with state of the art technology. Since in China the know-how in postal automation has not progressed as in the rest of the world, china post has decided to import their complex logistics systems from Europe.
THE MATERIAL FLOW IN A POSTAL CENTRE
The material flow in a Postal Centre begins with the delivery of the mail. The parcel and letter mail is predominantly delivered to roll containers by trucks or lorries. In the roll container there are mailbags with parcels or letters and letter mail in standard trays or cardboard boxes. The unsorted mail in the Postal Centre is now categorised by the zip codes. This sorting process is automated throughout most of Europe and, in the future, Guangzhou will be also.
The most diverse logistics systems are needed.
OVERHEAD BAG CONVEYING SYSTEM
The linear motor overhead conveying system licom lTM transports, sorts, buffers and distributes the mailbags to their different destinations. On a total track length of 1.2 km, 350 trolleys with bag clamps are in operation. The mailbags are unloaded from the roll containers, attached manually at four automated unloading stations and transported to three different main destinations for further treatment. The bags with parcels are sent to the parcel sorting system; they are opened manually at opening stations and are supplied to the cross belt sorter.
Mailbags with letters and flat parcels are sent to the mailbag opening stations where they are reloaded in trays and sent onto the tray conveying system.
Mailbags destined for another location (a transfer destination) are sent directly on to the transit route and are sorted after being put into roll containers.
AUTOMATIC ROLL CONTAINER UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR TRAYS
Trucks or lorries supply roll containers filled with letter trays directly to the Postal Centre. At three automatic unloading stations the trays in the roll container are unloaded automatically. This function is carried out by a portal robot, which transfers six trays at the same time from the roll container and loads these directly onto the tray conveying and sorting system.
TRAY CONVEYING AND SORTING SYSTEM
The trays with letters or flat parcels unloaded from the roll container are sent over on vertical conveyors into a temporary buffer line. The mail is automatically sorted after the postal code mail has been designated to trays. Afterwards the trays are delivered to over 70 final destinations and according to their object code are removed manually into empty roll containers. The trucks are loaded according to their route with the roll containers and then drive to their designated different regional places. They are then forwarded by flight for destinations further a field. The tray conveying system consists of 1,1 km of track with high-performance belt and roller conveyors such as eleven vertical S-conveyors with a capacity of 1600 trays per hour.
THE LAUNCH
The new Postal Centre in Guangzhou started operating successfully in mid-2001. This pilot project is decisive for further planned postal centres across the country.
With the logistics systems:
- Postal Centre in Guangzhou
- Tray conveying and commissioning system in Cathay Pacific Catering Services, at Chek Lap Kok airport,Hong Kong
- Monorail system in the cigarettes industry, for high-speed tobacco transport
GILGEN LOGISTICS GROUP is now firmly established in the Asian market.
It shows us that also in a market difficult for European conditions such as Asia, that a European enterprise can be successful, as technologically fastidious products are in demand.
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