Royal Mail has installed a new parcel sorting machine in its Birmingham Mail Centre, capable of processing 157,000 parcels per day.

The postal service hopes that this new automated machine will help to meet the shift in customer demand for quick and next-day delivery of parcels.

Ricky McAulay, Operations Development Director at Royal Mail, said: “Customers want more parcels, delivered the next day – including Sundays. We are investing in the latest technology to ensure we can meet this demand as we modernise our business. Our new parcel sorting machine in Birmingham will help drive growth as we transform into an even more parcels-focused business.”

Automation is responsible for sorting over 22 million parcels per week across Royal Mail’s UK network. This process is key for the company, as it has adapted to post-pandemic demand for parcels and shifted its resources further towards facilitating parcel distribution. According to Royal Mail, parcel volumes are 30% higher than before the pandemic and parcel deliveries now account for almost 60% of its revenue.

The company hopes to have 70% of its parcel processing automated by 2023 and 90% by 2024.