Yodel chooses Hexapole’s sorting system!

The British Yodel (Yodel Delivery Network Ltd) has opted for a sorting system – machine and software – from Hexapole for its National Distribution Center in Shaw, near Manchaster. Yodel is one of the UK’s largest parcel carriers. Every day, tens of thousands of parcels of all shapes and sizes are sorted out from three enormous distribution centers for delivery in England, Ireland and the Channel Islands. Director Bas Bloemink is proud: “At one of the distribution centers, our sorting machine and software control have been used for more than 20 years. It is fantastic that Yodel also chooses Hexapole for National Distribution Center Shaw. Our sorting system enables the company to manage all kinds of mixed flows of small and larger parcels.”

Sorting parcels directly into mail bags

The new sorting machine is mechanically optimized by Hexapole, which means that it will be sorting parcels directly into mail bags.
We also supply the machine control software (level 1) and the overarching software layer with business rules and database (level 2) plus the link with the warehouse management system (WMS). For the machine control, use is made of PLCs from Beckhoff Automation.

The sorting machine is of the split tray sorter type (also called bomb-bay or flat sorter) and is equipped with two input platforms for manual feeding. The sorter has the shape of an elongated oval with linked trays that circulate around. Postal parcels are inserted into the tray. As soon as the tray rises above an exit, it falls open and the box falls directly into the mail bag. In the current configuration, this type of machine can sort up to approximately 9,500 packages per hour.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many projects were canceled in the past year. However, in the world of e-commerce and therefore also for parcel carriers, the numbers of parcels to be sent have increased enormously. We are extremely proud and happy that a company like Yodel has once again opted for a partnership with Hexapole.