In the year ahead, KLM Cargo will be taking a new sorting system for handling express shipments and mail into operation at Schiphol. Lödige Industries will start constructing the system in August 2016 and it is expected to be operational by mid-2017.
Following the preparatory phase, KLM and Lödige recently signed a contract to this effect. "KLM is investing in this innovative sorting system in order to further improve customer service. This will enable us to respond quickly to growth in the mail and express markets in particular. In choosing for Lödige Industries, we've chosen for a well-known company that specialises in infrastructural solutions in the airline industry," says Marcel de Nooijer, Executive Vice President KLM Cargo.
As a consequence of Schiphol building the new pier, one of KLM Cargo's three cargo warehouses will be partially demolished. This means that KLM Cargo will have to be smart about how it uses the limited amount of space available. Lödige will provide the answer by integrating KLM Cargo's existing processes for handing mail and express shipments into an automated solution in an innovative manner. The challenge here will be to house this in an area half the size of the existing space. In order to achieve this, Lödige Industries and Vanderlande Industries formed an exclusive cooperative relationship so that the KLM Cargo team could join forces with them in an open and constructive manner. "By actively sharing insights and ideas with KLM Cargo's operational departments, an excellent solution emerged within a short space of time," says Arthur van Brink, Managing Director Lödige Benelux.
In order to create space for the construction of a sorting system in cargo building 1, express handling operations is housed elsewhere as of June 12 for the time being. Temporary premises have been constructed for this purpose in the front area of KLM Cargo in order to safeguard customer service.
