Austrian Post Success Story
The challenges of efficiency, labor shortages, and increasing e-commerce order quantities often push companies to look for logistics automation solutions to stay competitive. Faced with similar challenges, the Austrian Post decided to install Caljan AutoUnloaders in their facilities, taking an important step towards a fully automated sorting process.
Automation as a solution to support employees amidst growing workload
While e-commerce volumes have slowed since the pandemic, it continues to outpace the brick-and-mortar retail and is expected to reach 41% of global retail sales by 2027. At the same time, many countries are experiencing the lowest manpower rates in the last 50 years, creating a serious challenge for businesses handling large amounts of cargo. Such was the case with the Austrian Post, too.
“Following the major spike in e-commerce volumes worldwide, we also saw an increase in the number of swap bodies arriving at our facilities every day. This led us to explore alternative unloading methods to support our employees during a period of significantly growing workload. After researching the market, we decided to work with Caljan as our external partners to develop and implement an automated solution,” says Felix Slavik, VP of Project Management and Innovation at Austrian Post.
Emptying a swap body in 30 minutes
Austrian Post operates three sorting machines at its hub - a small parcel sorter, a bulk sorter and a cross-belt sorter with a throughput of approximately 15,000 parcels per hour. Following consultations with our experts, the company chose to install two Caljan AutoUnloaders for swap bodies and trailers in its facilities.
The no-touch automated solution is designed to eliminate the manual loading and unloading of loose-loaded cargo and improve operational efficiency. While the operator can move up to 800 parcels per hour, the Caljan AutoUnloader handles up to five times that amount, freeing up workers to focus on other tasks with high business impact.
“We installed both AutoUnloaders in September 2023. Currently, each of them can run up to 3000 parcels per hour, unloading the bulk material from one swap body in 30 minutes. It runs over the singulation and automatically feeds the perfect 1D flow of parcels to our cross-belt sorter, reducing the physical strain on operators and the risk of injury,” shares Sever Serban, Technical System Project Manager at Austrian Post.
This is possible because of a sensor-controlled parcel flow that guides the AutoUnloader shuttle during the docking process, ensuring a perfectly alignment with the floor of the trailer or swap body and a seamless detachment from it.
The goal: Fully automated sorting
Caljan AutoUnloader has become a useful asset for the Austrian Post, enabling the company to meet the demand for faster deliveries while ensuring a gentle unloading process and improving the working conditions for their employees.
"Using AutoUnloader to unload containers is extremely efficient and works seamlessly within our logistics centres. With the volume of polybags and parcels we handle, this is the way forward for us and hopefully, our partners since the network effect helps drive the business case on all sides. We’re looking forward to integrating AutoUnloaders at all of our new sites to further increase the degree of automation in our sorting system," adds Felix Slavik.
Watch how the Austrian Post uses the Caljan AutoUnloader in their daily operations!
To find out more about the solution and its applications to your business needs, reach out to our team of experts.