Weigh to go
August 1st 2009 Mettler Toledo has installed advanced package and pallet scanning technologies at DHL
Aviation's air freight logistics division at East Midlands Airport. The result means the firm can
quickly measure large pallets, capturing weight, volume and barcode information easily
Over recent years, Mettler Toledo
has been working with UK-based
DHL Express to install the latest
equipment for the automatic, in-motion
data capture of parcels and packages.
Whereas, traditionally, delivery charges
would have been based on weight alone,
the switch to a system able to provide a
complete data profile of packages,
including dimension, weight and object
identification, was necessitated due to a
growing trend towards lighter packages
and the requirement for more convenient
data capture.
Having proven the benefits of its
Cargoscan TLX MultiCapture technology for
the scanning of smaller packages, via the
installation of some fifty machines at
various DHL Express collection depots,
Mettler Toledo was approached by DHL to
develop a solution that would enable large
pallets to be quickly and accurately
weighed, measured and scanned.
200 pallets per hour
The solution from Mettler Toledo was the
Cargoscan CSN840 Pallet, a complete data
capture system that automatically collects
dimensions, weight and identification
information from virtually any kind of
pallet, including those with dark and glossy
surfaces, in less than five seconds. Able to
handle up to 200 pallets per hour,
throughput of freight is significantly
improved. The non-intrusive overhead
dimensional scanners can be floor, ceiling
or wall-mounted, a benefit that not only
reduces the system's footprint but also
provides operators with the flexibility to
place pallets under the measuring system
from any direction and orientation.
The first two Cargoscan CSN840 PalletTM
machines were installed at DHL's
International Gateway in London Colney,
followed by a single system into DHL
Dublin. With the advantages of the system
being clear, in spring 2009 DHL Aviation at
East Midlands airport ordered a further two
Cargoscan CSN840 Pallet model, as well as
a Cargoscan TLX MultiCapture machine.
While the arrival of the MultiCapture
models has provided DHL Aviation at East
Midlands Airport with the capability to
benefit from the comprehensive data
capture of smaller items, it is the larger
Cargoscan CSN840 Pallet model that will
perhaps bring the greatest convenience to
this major hub for international airfreight.
Dimensional weight: a minute
"When large parcels have a low overall
weight," explains DHL London Colney
International Gateway Manager, Angus
MacDougall. "We calculate their shipment
cost according to their volumetric or
dimensional weight – the amount of space
they take up in a vehicle or aircraft.
"While measuring smaller parcels is
standard practice in the transport and
logistics industries, measuring large pallets
is often very difficult using conventional
technology, so their dimensions often have
to be manually measured and recorded,"
he added. "This is obviously a time
consuming process and is not cost
effective. What we needed was a product
that could quickly, reliably and accurately
capture and record a pallet's weight,
volume and barcode information and
transfer this information in a format
compatible with our information
management system."
Faster invoice processing
"By capturing weight, dimension and
barcode information quickly and efficiently,
the Cargoscan CSN840 Pallet unit allows
invoicing to be processed quicker than
previously, increasing our revenues. The
unit also ensures correct track and trace of
all pallets by accurately recording their
movement," says MacDougall.
"Until we installed the Cargoscan
CSN840 Pallet we had no efficient, reliable,
accurate system for measuring pallets. The
system was extremely cost effective and
has proven to be extremely robust and fit
for purpose. It also fits seamlessly into
DHL's existing interface software."
For a free brochure showing how
dimensioning, weighing and identification
of parcels and pallets can benefit your
business, visit:
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