TNT opens state-of-the-art sorting centre in Sao Paulo

TNT has opened its first sorting facility in Brazil this month, which is expected to dramatically improve processing times. The company has packed out a 14,000 square metre facility in Sao Paulo with state-of-the-art equipment able to handle around 5,500 packages per hour.

The terminal has been completely redesigned, with changes in the loading and unloading systems that mean processing that had taken between four and eight hours can now be completed in 40 minutes.

It should help the company’s operational capacity to triple, TNT said.

The new sorting plant is part of an investment and automation strategy TNT has been undertaking since 2009.

The adoption of barcode and scanning systems as well as automated weighting equipment is part of upgrades being made across TNT’s operations in Brazil.

The company is already testing out new sorting facilities in Campinas, another important region for TNT where the company deals with a large amount of cargo each day.

Other locations are also in line for automation upgrades in future, TNT said.

Ricardo Gelain, marketing and sales director at TNT, said that from its international experience, his company had found that investing in technology was the “first step” towards achieving desired levels of performance.

He said: “The launch of the sorter at Sao Paulo is tied to the company’s strategy to invest in technology, one of TNT’s priorities for this year. With this, we will streamline our processes and ensure more safety, agility and speed for our customers.”