The plan is to place the new sorting machines in Oulu and Helsinki. Posti has centralized mechanical sorting of print items also to Kuopio and Tampere.

“For our customers, increased automation means increased speed, additional services and the possibility to track mailing batches. At the same time, our personnel will have more modern sorting machines in their use. Oulu and Helsinki are the first options when planning the location of the machines because they are important hubs of item flows,” says Sami Reponen, Posti’s Director of Postal Services Production.

In addition to Oulu and Helsinki, mechanical sorting of print mail will continue in Kuopio and Tampere. The new machines will complement Posti’s network of mechanical sorting that currently already includes six similar machines. The existing and coming machines can cover the entire sorting network of Finland and operate as efficiently as possible also in exceptional circumstances.

“It’s important for us that our customers get high-quality and quick service throughout Finland regardless of their geographical location. When implementing reforms, we carefully consider how we can best ensure our service level now and in the future, also in exceptional situations, whether it’s an increase in demand due to a peak season or a wide power cut, for instance,” says Sami Reponen.

Automation improves the tracking of mailing batches and lightens heavy work stages

The three new machines are so-called MSM sorting machines that are suited for diverse letter and publication sorting as well as sorting other addressed items.

“With automation, publishers, for instance, can better track the progress of their mailing batch in our network. Automation also helps us direct addressed items to address clarification quickly, if necessary. For our personnel, the machines are an important tool. The sorting machine quickly sorts items to the delivery order, which means that the deliverer doesn’t have to sort the items according to the mail recipient’s address as extensively as today,” says Sami Reponen.

The installation and deployment of the new sorting machines is planned for 2020.

Facts about sorting machines and mechanical sorting at Posti:

• When Finland started using postal codes in the early 1970s, it made the use of mechanical sorting possible, which was adopted immediately. Finland is divided into postal code areas with a postal code consisting of five numbers. The first two numbers of the postal code determine the sorting center where the mail will be sent.
• Posti is the only company in Finland that engages in mechanical sorting on this scale. Mechanical sorting is centralized to four locations: Helsinki, Tampere, Kuopio and Oulu.
• Approximately 80% of all print items delivered by Posti in Finland pass through Helsinki, which means that Helsinki is the logical location for two new machines.

Source: Posti Group