TNT's UK Network Development Team awarded Astec Conveyors the contract to design a materials handling system at their new GBP8.2 million Birmingham depot.

As part of TNT's ongoing strategy to expand in the global express distribution logistics and international mail, its UK Network Development Team awarded Astec Conveyors the contract to design a materials handling system at their new GBP8.2 million Birmingham depot. TNT claim this to be the first depot operation in the UK to be fitted with a hi-tech hub-style sortation system. Provided with an overview of the potential system layout, constraints and operating criteria, Astec Conveyors in conjunction with TNT went about designing a concept that would provide an effective reversible materials handling system that could be operated by both night and backshift workers.

Previous TNT depots highlighted floor congestion when transporting bulk goods and the high maintenance costs of flexible roller conveyors as the main problems with the existing equipment.

TNT's proposal to reduce ground floor congestion included the installation of a mezzanine floor with a raised sortation conveyor system.

This also was utilised to create a segregated area for handling very small packages and documents on the upper floor, whilst creating a better flow for bulk items and a marshalling area at ground floor level.

Inbound goods are off-loaded from collecting vehicles onto driven roller conveyors to be indexed to a checkpoint, where they are weighed and appropriate details printed on the delivery/routing label.

Following this procedure, parcels are merged and transported on a common close pitched powered roller conveyor, and up a reversible inclined belt conveyor to mezzanine floor height.

Astec designed special modular merge units with close pitched segmented rollers that minimise possible 'dead areas' to provide optimum merge / diverting capability for large parcels down to small jiffy bag items.

A barcode scanner checks and communicates information to the host TNT Universe computer and the sortation PLC system to ensure traceability, whilst performing the updates in 'real time'.

Items are then discharged down designated inclined/ declined belt conveyors onto telescopic boom conveyors and into awaiting trailers to be delivered to the hub for further sorting.

Returning outbound parcels from the hub are unloaded from trailers at the depot and fed onto the Astec sortation system to run in reverse, back up inclined/declined belt conveyors to the mezzanine floor, then through the barcode scanner.

Barcode labels on consignments are scanned and items transported back to floor level and diverted down designated lanes for van deliveries.

Astec Conveyors undertook the turnkey operation and project management, including supply of the mezzanine flooring.

The line control PLC and control gear was housed in a new 'wardrobe style' control panel with special software to interface to the host TNT Universe computer system.

Sales Director of Astec Conveyors, Roger Pendleton commented, 'As a manufacturer of materials handling equipment, with in-house expertise in control and automation, this enabled us to successfully control the over all project from concept to completion, on time and within budget.

We worked very closely with TNT management to ensure co-ordination of materials and labour onsite and tested the system at all stages to ensure we met their specified handling criteria to the full.

I would very much like to think Astec Conveyors will be going places with more TNT projects.'