KLM Cargo has officially launched a new and innovative sorting system that can handle more than 2,000 items per hour, bound for more than 70 destinations. The system was built in cooperation with Lödige Industries and Vanderlande. The innovative sorter allows for faster handling of all post, express and pharmaceutical consignments.

 

Bertholt Leeftink, director – general Enterprise and Innovation of the ministry of Economic Affairs and Kajsa Ollongren, alderman of the municipality of Amsterdam, officially launched the sorter with help of Marcel de Nooijer,  EVP KLM Cargo, and  Pieter Elbers, KLM president and CEO.

 

Air France and KLM are the world’s first airlines to make use of this kind of sorting system. In Paris, the system has already been a great success since its launch in April 2015. KLM opted for a same kind of system, but had to make various innovative 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. The main challenge in building the sorting system lay in accommodating existing cargo processes in 50% of the floor space. This was achieved, in part, by scaling up vertically. The storage space for containers has doubled, ensuring that there is space for growth.

 

Together, KLM and Air France are the world’s fifth-largest air cargo carrier. Every year, KLM and its partners carry 928 kilotons of cargo. Schiphol is Europe’s third-largest air cargo hub, after Frankfurt and Paris.