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Increasingly diverse parcel streams and persistent labor shortages have created operational challenges for courier, express, and parcel or CEP operators, with growing parcel volumes placing even greater pressure on existing processes. BEUMER Group said its BEUMER autopick system can automate of bulk parcel handling with the right parcel mix and operating conditions.
“Parcel operations are becoming more demanding every year,” stated Mathias Höwer, global sales and systems director at BEUMER Group. “It’s not simply a question of processing more parcels. Operators must also manage far greater variation in parcel sizes, shapes, and packaging, while dealing with ongoing shortages of skilled labor.”
“BEUMER robotpick has been developed specifically to meet these challenges,” he added. “It brings autonomous picking and singulation to one of the most labor-intensive parts of the parcel-handling process, helping operators build more resilient, adaptable operations while allowing skilled employees to focus on higher-value tasks. As a fully integrated BEUMER solution, it also gives customers the confidence of working with a single partner throughout the entire system lifecycle.”
Beckum, Germany-based BEUMER Group is a global manufacturer of material handling systems. As a third-generation family-owned business, the company said that it offers comprehensive customer support and that it is a “partner of choice” for the mining, cement, building materials, petrochemical, consumer goods, postal, e-commerce, fashion, and baggage-handling industries.
With about 6,000 employees worldwide, BEUMER reported an annual order intake of around €1.83 billion ($2.08 billion U.S.).
BEUMER robotpick provides steady parcel flow
BEUMER Group said it developed robotpick to help CEP operators overcome one of the key challenges in modern parcel hubs: dynamically transforming unpredictable bulk parcel streams into a continuous flow ready for automated sortation. By combining robotic picking, intelligent parcel singulation, and downstream induction, the new system can automate 99.9% of bulk parcel handling, it said.
The company asserted that this reduces reliance on manual labor and operating costs. BEUMER said it also enables operators to maintain efficient parcel flows despite changing parcel mixes and seasonal fluctuations.
BEUMER robotpick combines the company’s proprietary computer vision, intelligent robot control, parcel feeding, and adaptive vacuum gripping technology to identify, pick, and place a wide variety of items, including cardboard boxes, carton bags, polybags, and letters. Designed specifically for dynamic CEP operations, the system can continuously adapt its picking strategy to maintain a continuous parcel flow for downstream processing, the company claimed.
Each robot cell can process up to 1,600 parcels per hour, depending on the parcel mix, flow consistency, and operational configuration. Multiple cells working together can provide the flexibility to match capacity to operational requirements, said BEUMER.
Automation scales with demand, says BEUMER
“Unlike conventional automation systems with fixed capacities, BEUMER robotpick has been designed with scalability at its core,” said the company. “Its flexible system architecture enables integration into a wide variety of parcel hub layouts, supporting different conveyor configurations and destination belt arrangements without compromising operational performance.”
BEUMER said users can configure its modular system with one to four robot cells on a single bulk-feeding line. They can add more cells as demand grows. Each robotic cell operates independently, allowing maintenance, software updates, or servicing to be carried out without disrupting other cells, maximizing system availability, it said.
In addition, robotpick has been “engineered to handle the realities of modern parcel operations,” said BEUMER. Intelligent recirculation and automated handling of non-pickable items minimize operational interruptions and maintain continuous parcel flow, reducing the need for manual intervention, noted the company.
Dynamic robot movements automatically adapt to different parcels, helping to maintain consistent picking performance across mixed parcel streams, according to BEUMER. The company said it has integrated robotpick with its wider parcel automation portfolio, enabling customers to benefit from a single, fully supported solution encompassing hardware, software, and lifecycle services.
The system also integrates operational monitoring through BEUMER SCADA and data-driven maintenance insights via BG Insight, helping customers maximize performance while reducing scheduled maintenance requirements.
System proves performance in live CEP operations
BEUMER robotpick is already proven in a live customer environment, having processed more than 1.75 million parcels. It has demonstrated the ability to automate 99.9% of bulk parcel singulation processes in customer trials under representative operating conditions.
BEUMER said the product launch strengthens its ability to deliver integrated automation across the entire parcel-handling process, from bulk induction and robotic singulation through to high-performance sortation and final dispatch. Lifecycle services include data-driven performance analysis, system optimization, and predictive maintenance.
The company said it helps CEP operators maximize system availability, optimize operational performance, and reduce total cost of ownership throughout the lifecycle of their parcel-handling systems.