Royal Mail has announced it has hit a milestone in its modernisation strategy, reaching its target of 90% automation across its parcel operations. It described the achievement as ‘a major step forward in efficiency and improved service’.
This milestone was hit after Royal Mail invested in: the opening of two ‘state-of-the-art’, automated parcel hubs in Warrington and Daventry which can reportedly process up to 1.5 million parcels a day combined, the addition of 10 specially-designed large parcel conveyors at mail centres across the country, to manage bigger parcels; and three new high-speed parcel sortation machines added to mail centres in Leeds, Plymouth and Exeter, each one increasing processing by 21,000 parcels per hour.
Royal Mail claimed that these investments have ‘boosted the quick handling of deliveries, especially during the Christmas and peak periods, meeting the growing demand for items to arrive the next day’.
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Furthermore, in March 2025, Royal Mail updated its app, making it possible for customers to request proof of postage when they drop-off smaller parcels and packets with a barcode at one of the 115,000 Royal Mail postboxes in the UK.
Other recent innovations include adding digital tracking to its containers used for transporting letters and parcels, and adding digital barcodes to postage stamps to ‘improve tracking and dramatically reduce counterfeits’.
Royal Mail COO Alistair Cochrane said: “Reaching 90% automation is a key milestone in our mission to deliver a modern, more efficient Royal Mail.
“We will continue to explore new technologies to enhance our performance and meet the evolving needs of our customers, while also supporting our workforce with cutting-edge technology.”
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