KLM Cargo has officially launched a new sorting system that can handle more than 2,000 items per hour at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Air France and KLM are the first airlines in the world to make use of this kind of sorting system, and it has already been put to good use at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport since its launch in April 2015.
KLM opted for the same kind of system but had to make various adjustments owing to a lack of space.
To make space for a new pier at Schiphol, one of KLM Cargo’s three warehouses had to be partly demolished, and the main challenge in building the sorting system lay in accommodating existing cargo processes in 50 per cent of the floor space.
This was partly achieved by scaling up vertically, with storage space for containers doubling, ensuring that there is space for growth.
KLM Cargo executive vice president, Marcel de Nooijer says: “E-commerce is a fast-growing branch in the cargo industry. This innovative system allows us to keep pace with the rapid increase in post and express consignments. The system is faster and smarter, allowing us to offer better service to our customers.”
De Nooijer was joined by KLM president and chief executive officer, Pieter Elbers; director – general enterprise and innovation of the ministry of Economic Affairs, Bertholt Leeftink; and alderman of the municipality of Amsterdam, Kajsa Ollongren.
The sorter allows for faster handling of all post, express and pharmaceuticals, and was built in cooperation with Lodige Industries and Vanderlande.
