Expansion of sorting systems

“Open heart surgery”

Swiss Post is investing in the expansion of its parcel sorting systems and gearing up for continually rising parcel volumes. In autumn 2013, work began on a second sorting system at the Härkingen parcel centre. Franz Lingg, head of the Härkingen centre, likens the upgrade to “open heart surgery”, because operations are running normally during the conversion until the summer of 2014. A new system is being created, a kind of double-decker, in which the two systems are interconnected. After the conversion, the two systems should be able to handle 25 percent more parcels. An identical expansion is planned for the Frauenfeld parcel centre. “So far, we have been able to absorb the volume increase with organizational measures”, says Stefan Luginbühl, Head of Parcels & Express. “But with today's capacities, we will reach the limit by 2015 at the latest.” With the expansion of the sorting systems, Swiss Post is also looking to enhance its ability to meet customer requirements for next-day delivery.