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When installing the new system, Vanderlande and DPD were building on a track record of success, having introduced the same design template to 24 other parcel depots across the country. Taken together with other system installations, Vanderlande currently equips 49 DPD UK sites with automated solutions. That figure will rise, because the two companies have signed a contract to use the same system as York at another eight regional sites.
A collaborative design
The concept and design for these automation projects were developed through a collaboration between DPD and Vanderlande. The goal is to provide the parcel carrier with the capacity and flexibility it needs to improve operations at individual depots with some flexibility to change the number of conveyor lines, infeeds and chutes at each location.
An individual item can be tracked within the system and, if required, guided down a particular chute to its destination van. This enables DPD to out-sort and then release vehicles in what it calls “dynamic waves”. In the past, because there was no tracking of individual items, all the vans would have to wait to leave until that very last parcel was processed.
At York, installation was due to take place in 2027, but was moved forward as DPD dealt with high demand triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project ran to schedule, and on the day of opening, the drivers filled their vans at the old site in the morning before returning to the new facility after deliveries. “When we moved in, there was support from Vanderlande on site to make sure everything was running smoothly,” says Sara Bonner, DPD Site Manager at York.
The system is certainly helping to improve operations at the depot. “In the old building, the volume of parcels grew too big for us to handle manually,” explains Sara. “The new depot has the capacity to cope with 25,000 parcels every night, and there’s no way we could deal with that number on a manual sort.”
Delivering service improvements
Introducing such a sophisticated level of automation enables DPD to offer better services to its customers through the provision of predictable 30-minute window slots. “The shift from manual operations has elevated us above our competitors in terms of service, speed and efficiency,” says Sara.
Through advanced automation, DPD York is harnessing the power of data. “I have a dashboard that tells me what the throughput will be and this supports me in managing the team,” explains Sara. “I know what needs to be sorted every hour based on the volume that’s coming in.”
A deep and lasting relationship
The success of the York project has solidified an already close relationship between DPD and Vanderlande, which stretches back 20 years. “The working relationship is excellent – because I get to sleep at night!” says Sara.
“I know my team will phone Vanderlande if there is an issue, and about 80% of the time it can be sorted out remotely. We are protective of who we partner with, but Vanderlande is a trusted brand to sit alongside DPD.”