The £1.8million “OptiSorter” was installed by Bowe Systec UK and is capable of sorting parcels up to 20kg.  

The sorter can handle all post formats, so long as they are below the weight limit. It can determine the volumes of parcels, scan barcodes and even recognise hand-written addresses.Its design allows it to separate parcels by size at a rate of up to 6,400 parcels an hour. 

“It really creates a lot more efficiency within our sort of end-to-end delivery network,” said Steve Sheridan, Finance Director of Guernsey Post. 

The Chief Executive of Guernsey Post, Boley Smilie, added: “The completion of this project is a significant milestone in the evolution of the Guernsey Post. This investment will put the company in the best possible position to achieve our commercial objectives and grow the business as efficiently as possible." 

Guernsey Post’s staff will benefit from the new sorter during their day-to-day tasks. 

The OptiSorter will allow Guernsey Post staff to sort parcels much more efficiently in the morning giving them more time on the road delivering parcels during the day.

“We’ve got a team of ten people, six people will be loading the machine and four people will be taking stock off at the other end; that then goes to sorted delivery rounds and the workers concentrate on getting their rounds ready while sorting in with mail, that’s where we’ve seen the big difference” said Paul Etasse, Health and Safety Manager. 

Guernsey Post’s current estimations predict that the new sorter should make back the £1.8million it cost over the course of three or four years' time.The sorter has been operating for the last couple of months and has reportedly made a smooth transition into the workplace.  

“It got up to speed a lot quicker than we expected, also feedback from the staff and operators that have been using the machine over the last few weeks has been nothing but positive,” added Mr Sheridan. 

The project had been in development for 18 months prior to the completion of the OptiSorters installation, as the project’s size called for a significant re-design of the Guernsey Post’s headquarters.  

“There’s been significant building works undertaken over the last 12 months to create space for what you see now. Bowe Systac have been an excellent choice of supplier, the project team at Guernsey Post are to be congratulated for their hard work and due diligence over the last 18 months,”said Mr Sheridan.