Behind the scenes of online shops and parcel delivery …
Every link is indispensable
In December, children look forward expectantly to what Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus will bring. Grown-ups are equally anxious: will the presents arrive on time? Those making ‘normal’ purchases from online shops also want to know whether they will be delivered normally in the last month of the year. Millions of orders and millions of parcels are processed day in, day out in the Netherlands and in surrounding European countries. SixPointTwo is also a link in the logistics chain that ensures this. A look behind the scenes …
In the sorting centres of Amazon and DHL, among others, many parcels are transported by the sorting lines 24 hours a day. These lines contain numerous subcomponents and modules produced by SixPointTwo. They are part of large sorting systems and perform their work inconspicuously within them. They have in the meanwhile become indispensable …
Sorting system for parcel dispatch
Automated, fast parcel handling that limits human activity to the minimum: that is what parcel dispatch is all about. A good example is the bulk sorting system used by an international logistics service provider in a network of regional mail sorting centres. SixPointTwo has made several components like roller conveyors with side guides, for this sophisticated system. These roller conveyors ensure that parcels move steadily and smoothly. The side guide prevents parcels from falling off the track. We also made other systems with powered rollers for this bulk sorting system, to shift parcels to another conveyor.
Cross-sorting system
An international parcel delivery service provider processes hundreds of thousands of parcels from more than 1,000 collection points every day. This is done in two automated sorting centres. Together, these huge sorting centres cover more than 10,000 square metres and are equipped with fully automated conveyor belts, robotics, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and high-quality image recording. We created modules for this logistics system, with which the flow of parcels can be slowed down or accelerated as required. This ensures streamlined delivery of parcels to the sorting station, from where they can be sent to the appropriate distribution points. From there, they are then distributed to recipients.
Reliability is crucial
In a sorting system, every link is important. This is because the whole line comes to a standstill the moment even one part fails. The result: delays, extra costs and disappointed recipients. Obviously, this cannot be allowed to happen. SixPointTwo has built in extensive quality control to prevent downtime. All the subcomponents and modules we deliver are carefully assembled according to work instructions. They are then fully tested according to a test protocol based on the four-eye principle. Products equipped with motors pass through additional functional testing before they are released by our Quality Department. We use a FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) for this purpose.
The final component in SixPointTwo’s quality assurance is our own track-and-trace system. Although our customers do not make this a hard requirement, we consider traceability a must. With the track-and-trace system, we can trace the corresponding batch numbers of all components and raw materials used for the final product by means of the unique product number. We can also always retrieve the assembly date and release date from the quality department.
We make sure that things run smoothly …
The flow of online orders and packages is constantly increasing. From the consumer to the delivery person: everyone in the logistics chain wants to ensure that the process runs smoothly, literally as well as figuratively. Not just in the month of December, but on all days of the year. SixPointTwo is happy to contribute to that!