Asendia UK invested £2.5 million at their Heathrow distribution centre for advanced automated sorting belts and robotic over-labelling arms, which became fully operational at the end of May 2022. These advanced technologies impressed retailers by boosting efficiency, with the system now capable of processing up to 7,200 parcels per hour.
While the sorting and labelling systems were each designed to perform well on their own, integrating them highlighted room for further innovation. The absence of real-time visibility into system performance created inefficiencies, requiring the operations and engineering teams to manually investigate the causes of rejections, stoppages, and other operational issues. This gap needed addressing to prevent unnecessary downtime and optimise productivity.
We lacked centralised, real-time data on the performance of the automated parcel processing system. Without this data, it would take us hours to investigate why parcels were being rejected to the ‘failed’ chute. To minimise downtime and boost productivity, we needed to pinpoint the causes of these rejections and belt stoppages.
– Mostafa Nait Charif, Head of Engineering, Asendia UK
In response to this challenge, the Asendia engineering team took the initiative to bridge the gap between the two systems, creating an innovative solution to monitor both in real time. The team developed a digital monitoring system capable of accessing and integrating data from both the sorting and labelling systems, allowing for proactive issue resolution.
Rejection from the lines is typically due to label quality problems, feeding quality, parcels shape or missing data. I began by asking our supervisors what would help them in their daily work, to overcome these issues. They said they needed parcel processing information as early as possible so that action could be taken to avoid parcels going into the ‘rejections’ chute and having to reprocess them, which avoids any delay and adds value for customers.
– Mostafa Nait Charif, Head of Engineering, Asendia UK
The result was a fully automated Operational Visibility System, integrated with a web-based operations dashboard that alerts the team in real time. Large monitors placed next to each sorting line not only display text alerts but also provide data on line performance. Additional monitors are strategically stationed across the warehouse, offering relevant information, such as pressure levels in the chutes, helping the team predict and plan next steps more effectively. The system is also equipped with voice alerts that integrate with existing operator walkie-talkies. This innovation delivers real-time, personalised messages to the operations and maintenance teams, ensuring they are informed even without visual contact.
By creatively pairing two systems that weren’t originally designed to collaborate, Asendia UK has achieved a major breakthrough in operational efficiency. The in-house developed monitoring system provides comprehensive real-time and historical performance data, enabling the team to reduce downtime and improve parcel throughput significantly. Key outcomes include:
- 46% reduction in downtime due to issue resolution.
- Reduction in barcode quality issues and missing data detection time from 7 minutes to 16 seconds.
- 61% reduction in rejections for recirculation.
- Enhanced GDPR compliance with independent data checks during parcel processing.
- 5x faster processing compared to manual operations, greatly improving SLA performance to meet tight flight and truck schedules.
The team has also benefited from improved working conditions, with fewer interruptions and a more engaging workflow for the 16 staff members who operate across multiple shifts. The focus group continues to look for ways to further streamline operations and reduce recurring issues, ensuring continuous improvement in productivity.
With operational visibility, we can react much more quickly. This has had a profound impact on productivity, and the availability of historical performance data means we can keep refining the process. It’s a significant win for us and a key differentiator from our competitors, who lack this level of automation and labelling integration. For our retail clients, it means faster service and greater reliability.
– Mostafa Nait Charif, Head of Engineering, Asendia UK
