United Kingdom, 2007-Jan-15
Siemens has won a £37 million (€55m) contract with Royal Mail to refurbish its postal automation equipment.
The order involves the upgrade of Royal Mail's Integrated Mail Processor systems for standard letter sorting. The systems will be fitted with new letter flow and reading equipment which will increase the sorting speed by up to 20%.
Originally developed by Siemens in the mid 1990s, the Integrated Mail Processor (IMP) system is the backbone of Royal Mail's postal automation and is installed in more than 30 of its distribution centres across the UK. The systems can perform the entire letter processing functions - such as pre-processing, reading, coding and sorting - in one process operation.
Siemens' postal automation division is, like Siemens Traffic Controls, part of the company's Industrial Solutions and Services Group. It will improve Royal Mail's functionality through the introduction of advanced colour recognition cameras to read printed postage blocks and smart stamps. It will also increase performance by upgrading mechanical operations to reduce jams and increase throughput.
Dr Paul Barton, Royal Mail's engineering director, said: "The decision to upgrade our existing IMP systems will provide a cost-effective way of extending the operational life of the IMPs and at the same time enhance their performance and functionality.”
A pilot system will be completed by October 2007 and the first load test has been scheduled for the 2007 Christmas postal rush. The bulk of Royal Mail's IMP sorting systems will then be converted in just ten months. Siemens engineers based in Konstanz, Germany, will work alongside colleagues in the UK to ensure completion of the contract by November 2008.
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 164 years ago. The company employs 20,314 people in the UK, including about 6,500 in the manufacturing sector. Last year’s revenues were £3.5 billion, including exports of £580 million, and it spent almost £75 million on research and development. As a leading global engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, including the shortage of natural resources, increasing environmental care, and a growing demand for healthcare, mobility and security. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
Ms. Anne Keogh
Media Relations Manager
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