Leading global provider of materials handling solutions, Interroll has launched its High Performance Conveyor Platform (HPP) to cater to the unique belt conveyor requirements of the courier-express-parcel (CEP) market.
The HPP includes an intelligent diverter module which means it can be used for preliminary sorting in conjunction with powerful sorting systems, or as an autonomous mini-sorter. Its clever design allows for the rapid yet gentle sortation of goods including cardboard boxes, small packages, padded envelopes, manila envelopes and polybags.
A robust steel profile with a wall thickness of three millimetres means that the HPP can handle loads of up to 50 kilograms per metre and operate at speeds of up to 2.5 metres per second. Depending on the dimensions of the goods being transported, it can handle a throughput of up to 10,000 units per hour.
Combining years of industry expertise with in-depth customer and market research, Interroll has designed the HPP to provide solutions for the daily challenges faced by end users. It is a versatile system that comprises a wide range of standardised line and curve modules, plus incline and decline modules which can be combined as needed to meet customer-specific requirements.
Using the High Performance Conveyor Platform, CEP providers can substantially increase the degree of automation and capacity of their distribution networks – even in smaller package centres.
Commenting on the innovation behind the development of the HPP, Hilton Campbell, managing director of Interrroll UK, said: “The growing popularity of online shopping is generating an ever-increasing quantity and variety of goods that need to be transported and sorted in the distribution networks of CEP service providers worldwide. The number of parcels processed by corresponding conveyor and sorting systems in the largest 13 countries is set to rise from 159 billion in 2021 to 256 billion in 2027.
“With a wider variety and higher frequency of parcels needing to be delivered with each coming year, we have engineered a platform that can handle a wide range of package shapes, sizes and weights to offer flexibility and versatility to end-users. The HPP is easy to handle, and its speed of implementation makes it a compelling solution for customer projects.”
At the heart of the High Performance Conveyor Platform (HPP) is the Interroll Multi Belt Switch (MBS), which revolutionises the way conveying and sorting functions are combined. The module allows goods to be diverted seamlessly onto additional conveyor lines at a constant speed, either straight ahead or on two sides. By overlaying straight-line and lateral movements, the MBS enables a more efficient and productive process for the transport of goods.
Along with offering superior sorting speeds for a wide range of goods, Interroll offers customers the flexibility to choose between gear or drum motors to power the conveyors of the HPP, resulting in a quiet and highly productive work environment with excellent throughput.
Simplicity of construction and maintenance has been a key factor in the development of the HPP, with standardised components used for both the left and right sides, and belt tensioning carried out from one side only.
Before developing the new High Performance Conveyor Platform, the company conducted numerous customer surveys in the international CEP sector to inform the design and functionality of the solution. The HPP was developed and tested at Interroll’s dedicated Innovation Projects and Development Center (IPDC) in Baal near Düsseldorf, Germany. Months of endurance and stress tests were carried out along with field tests with selected customers to perfect the platform.
Officially launching at the LogiMAT trade show in Stuttgart on 28 April 2023, the HPP received excellent feedback from the customer trials. Jens Karolyi, Senior Vice President Corporate Marketing & People Development of the Interroll Group, commented: “Before we make a product globally available, we run extensive tests and have customers assessing it. The High Performance Conveyor Platform has been praised for its unique functionality, modular platform design and space efficiency. End users are looking for throughput increases with uptime improvements and more accurate sortation – this is exactly what we offer. And nobody else has it.”
“We are excited to bring the HPP to the global market and are confident that it will help to revolutionise and streamline package sortation.”
Interroll sorters are suitable for installation as part of a new system or for retrofitting to existing systems. Due to their unique basic mechanics, modularity and extremely solid design, Interroll sorters ensure exceptionally high availability and operating times – with typical amortisation periods of under two years.
More than 500 solutions based on the Interroll Sorter Solution Platform have been deployed globally by industry leaders such as Amazon, DHL, FedEx, UPS, Hugo Boss, Inditex (ZARA) and Zalando as well as the Swiss, Austrian and Chinese postal services.
