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The Royal Mail is the United Kingdom’s most well-known courier as well as acts as the country’s postal service. Since its inception, it has become an institution as its network of post offices and places to drop off your post and parcels is unparalleled in the U.K. They even have Amazon beat in this regard so what they have to offer network-wise is certainly nothing to sniff at.
Launching A New Automated Sorting Facility
Back in 2023, Royal Mail launched its brand new Midlands Super Hub in Daventry, UK. This was a technological leap for the company and the facility Spans up to 21.5 hectares, equivalent to 30 football pitches in size. The facility is now Royal Mail’s largest automated parcels centre. It has the capacity to handle up to 90,000 parcels per hour, with each item taking just seven minutes to move through the sorting system.
Sustainable Goals
Sustainability was a driving factor as to why this new facility was built and the design choices reflect this. The Super Hub is energy-efficient, harvests rainwater, and generates its own solar power. Its location near several major online retailers enables late parcel drop-offs for next-day delivery, which also helps cut down on emissions due to travel time.
One of the most impressive and well-realised features of the site is its integrated rail link and a dedicated Royal Mail train, connecting the hub to the West Coast Mainline, the UK’s main rail corridor. The train route extends to the company’s distribution centre near Glasgow.
This rail link has led to the company being able to take 16 Royal Mail trucks off the road daily, equating to over 3,000 trucks annually. It could be argued that there are now fewer jobs for postal workers, but the company seemed dedicated to their mission statement of having fewer vehicles on the streets. This initiative aligns with Royal Mail’s Steps to cut the company’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2040.
