Astec ensures TNT is sorted
February 1st 2005 Astec Conveyors recently designed a materials handling system at TNT’s new £8.2million Birmingham depot – which TNT claims is the first in the UK to be fitted with a hi-tech hub-style sortation system.
The brief was to provide an effective reversible materials handling system that could be operated by both night and backshift workers.
To reduce ground floor congestion, a mezzanine floor with a raised sortation conveyor system was proposed. This also created a segregated area for handling very small packages and documents on the upper floor while creating a better flow for bulk items and a marshalling area at ground floor level.
Inbound goods are offloaded from collecting vehicles onto loneshaft conveyors to be indexed to a checkpoint, where they are weighed and labelled.
Parcels are then transported on a common close pitched powered roller conveyor, and up a reversible inclined belt conveyor to mezzanine floor height, which Astec designed to minimise dead areas.
After being barcode scanned, discharged and delivered to the hub for further sortation, returning outbound parcels are unloaded from trailers at the depot and fed onto the Astec sortation system to run in reverse – before being transported back to floor level and diverted down designated lanes for van deliveries.
According to Astec sales director, Roger Pendleton, the project was completed on time and within budget. More articles from Astec Conveyors Limited: | 
