FedEx Corp. has introduced an AI-powered sorting robot at its air cargo terminal in Cologne, Germany, to enhance the accuracy of conveyor systems that move and route packages. This robot is the first of its kind in FedEx’s European network and underscores the company’s commitment to leveraging technology to automate logistics functions, as announced in a news release on Friday.
Cologne Bonn Airport, the largest of seven FedEx (NYSE: FDX) air stations in Germany, employs over 900 people.
The robotic arm, manufactured by Hellebrekers B.V., is housed within a protective cage on a small package sortation line where incoming parcels are fed. Its primary function is to sort documents and smaller parcels weighing up to 8.8 pounds. The machine can process up to 1,000 pieces per hour and route them to approximately 90 destinations. Notably, the sort system in Cologne is equipped with only a top-read camera for scanning labels, so the robotic system incorporates two cameras—one top and one bottom—and a flipper mechanism to detect and accurately orient each item before placing it on the conveyor. This ensures that every label is readable by the downstream scanner.
Boris Stoffer, FedEx’s managing director network operations Germany, emphasized the significance of AI-supported technologies like this in managing shipments more effectively, enhancing the customer experience, and bolstering the company’s competitive edge in the rapidly growing e-commerce market. Additionally, these technologies support employees by reducing physical strain by taking over repetitive, high-volume tasks.
Automation has become a rapidly growing feature of modern warehouses due to its productivity in picking, packing, and sorting shipments. Statista projects that the global warehouse robotics market will surpass $51 billion by 2030.
FedEx installed four robotic arms at its global package hub in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2020 to assist in the sorting of small packages. In 2022, the express carrier expanded its robotic sorting capabilities by deploying more sorting robots at its South China e-commerce sorting center in Guangzhou, China, and its Singapore hub. Additionally, FedEx utilizes robotic sortation and identification systems at 17 U.S. distribution facilities.
