Fit out of Royal Mail 'parcel super hub' at Omega begins

[SpacePhoenix]

Can they be fully automated though? I mean the last place I was at prior to going back in a MC via Angard spent millions on big parcel sorting machines but still needed an army of mostly agency staff to work on and around them, unloading trailers, loading belts, sorting missorts, dispatching, etc. As has been said it’s not a good, in terms of wages and stability, model to follow but they’ll still need humans - even Amazon still employs a load of people.

I think most of it could potentially be automated from the emptying of sleeves and yorks. Can't remember where I saw it but there's a system that brings the work to go onto a van/lorry right upto the van/lorry

[arnold cheshire]

Can they be fully automated though? I mean the last place I was at prior to going back in a MC via Angard spent millions on big parcel sorting machines but still needed an army of mostly agency staff to work on and around them, unloading trailers, loading belts, sorting missorts, dispatching, etc. As has been said it’s not a good, in terms of wages and stability, model to follow but they’ll still need humans - even Amazon still employs a load of people.

Who unloads vans who picks up York's who carries parcels?

[Celgar]

I think I saw photos showing York's with sleeves being upturned by machines or robots onto conveyor belts. They can probably cover the majority of the process without humans intervening until something breaks down. But as we all know most things purchased by Royal Mail have a tendency to break down or not work as intended.

[k979aaa]

I think I saw photos showing York's with sleeves being upturned by machines or robots onto conveyor belts. They can probably cover the majority of the process without humans intervening until something breaks down. But as we all know most things purchased by Royal Mail have a tendency to break down or not work as intended.

And that includes Management.

[26l34]

In my experience of working in warehouses for rival firms I’ve found automation just changes what work humans do, rather than abolishes the need for humans. Even really advanced warehouses are crawling with workers. Automation will probably eventually do away with a lot of roles but I definitely don’t think we’re anywhere near there yet.

Sadly I think what’ll happen is RM create more and more ‘hubs’ with lots of belts manned by agency staff, or staff employed by RM but on vastly different (ie worse) terms than your average MC worker. As said elsewhere it’s a race to the bottom, maybe it’s RM’s only option though it’s worth noting other firms aren’t exactly making a killing - Yodel for instance made a pre-tax loss of over £80m last year (and blamed it on Brexit, hilariously (Yodel’s owned by the Brexit supporting Barclay family, lol)).

[db]

Does anyone actually know what they will be doing there?
And what mail centres will be affected?

[Celgar]

Does anyone actually know what they will be doing there?
And what mail centres will be affected?

The purpose of the three superhubs is to sort at least ALL the Tracked items and ALL parcels above the size of a shoebox. From those three hubs the parcels will be transported to the LAT hubs. This is a large percentage of the mail currently delivered by DOs so there will be a lot more jobs created at the LAT hubs. Meanwhile there will be job losses at DOs or maybe options to transfer to new duties at the nearest LAT hubs. Moving so much business from DOs to LAT hubs will make many DOs 'inefficient' so there will be a lot more amalgamation especially of smaller offices into larger nearby sites.
There is a new film available on RMTV about the new hub currently being set up which may have been seen by posties in WTLL today. We watched the film on fire safety again which we have watched before instead so I don't know what the film on the new hub said.

[SpacePhoenix]

Does anyone actually know what they will be doing there?
And what mail centres will be affected?

I think it'll basically be any Tracked duties and duties that are large parcels that will go in MCs. Those duties which do either of them part time I'm guessing will either be made part time or during the time that staff would have done them, they'd just work in another section

[db]

Does anyone actually know what they will be doing there?
And what mail centres will be affected?

I think it'll basically be any Tracked duties and duties that are large parcels that will go in MCs. Those duties which do either of them part time I'm guessing will either be made part time or during the time that staff would have done them, they'd just work in another section

So your thinking just tracked and large parcels being removed, so hopefully leaving late shift collections and night shift inward and 2c?

[SpacePhoenix]

Does anyone actually know what they will be doing there?
And what mail centres will be affected?

I think it'll basically be any Tracked duties and duties that are large parcels that will go in MCs. Those duties which do either of them part time I'm guessing will either be made part time or during the time that staff would have done them, they'd just work in another section

So your thinking just tracked and large parcels being removed, so hopefully leaving late shift collections and night shift inward and 2c?

My gut feeling is that within 2 years any MC that doesn't have a packet sorting machine will lose all of their 2C (with the 2C items larger than a shoebox going to one of the new hubs)

[Celgar]

I think by the end of next year when RM get a chance to renegotiate the USO they are going to be looking to a phased removal of the letters side of the business. They will have a struggle to get this though so will probably settle for an every other day service for the letters & flats.

[SpacePhoenix]

They will have a struggle to get this though so will probably settle for an every other day service for the letters & flats.

That would probably result in any iLSM/IMP/FSM/CSS machine duties would probably become daytime jobs 09:00-17:00 perhaps