The machines are clicking. Packages fly over conveyor belts at the parcel center in Härkingen SO. Post Logistics boss Johannes Cramer (41) calls it “the calm before the storm.” Because next week is Black Friday. And the shopping spree can begin.
This marks the start of high season for the Swiss Post. By the end of the year, it will be delivering almost a million parcels a day!
“Every household gets an average of one packet every four days,” says Cramer. It is the most difficult time of the year for the employees of the yellow giant. “Everybody gets involved,” says Cramer.
500 additional digits
But it’s not just employees at home who have to think big. Swiss Post will employ an additional 500 temporary workers by mid-January. The last ones will be included this week.
However, Swiss Post is in a better position than last year. “We have about 230 more full-time logistics jobs than last fall,” Cramer says.
In this challenging process, the box sorting machines are working at full throttle 22 hours a day. Swiss Post needs two hours to service the machines. These usually work 16 to 18 hours a day.
Another 350 vehicles and 700 additional routes are other measures taken to deal with parcel flooding. And until the end of the year, the parcels will be delivered to your home on Saturdays.
Energy is known to be scarce. And the Swiss Post badly needs it. A total of 130 gigawatt hours per year – that’s the same as the city of Bern!
Swiss Post is now preparing for various scenarios if there is an actual power outage in winter. “The logistics network works like a timeline,” says Stefan Luginbühl (58), head of reception, transport and classification. In the worst case, there may be delays in package delivery.
Individual post offices may need to adjust their opening times. But only if partial power outages actually occur. The average room temperature of 19/20 degrees has already been reduced by two degrees. However, the temperatures in the branches and parcel centers vary according to the location.
The Swiss Post’s motto is: “Every kilowatt hour counts.” The yellow giant is urging its 47,000 employees to do the same. For example, you should only use one screen instead of two. And prefer to use the stairs instead of the elevator. “It’s even better for your health,” says Luginbühl.
Energy is known to be scarce. And the Swiss Post badly needs it. A total of 130 gigawatt hours per year – that’s the same as the city of Bern!
Swiss Post is now preparing for various scenarios if there is an actual power outage in winter. “The logistics network works like a timeline,” says Stefan Luginbühl (58), head of reception, transport and classification. In the worst case, there may be delays in package delivery.
Individual post offices may need to adjust their opening times. But only if partial power outages actually occur. The average room temperature of 19/20 degrees has already been reduced by two degrees. However, the temperatures in the branches and parcel centers vary according to the location.
The Swiss Post’s motto is: “Every kilowatt hour counts.” The yellow giant is urging its 47,000 employees to do the same. For example, you should only use one screen instead of two. And prefer to use the stairs instead of the elevator. “It’s even better for your health,” says Luginbühl.
No new record expected
Cramer does not expect a new Päckli record for 2022 as he did last year. This year, by the end of October, Swiss Post delivered 3.5 percent fewer packages than in 2021. Delivery bottlenecks are among the causes, but there’s also a fundamental effect: people are on the move again. And: “Consumer sentiment has also plummeted since the outbreak of war,” says Cramer. This is worse than lockdown times in 2020.
However, Swiss Post expects regrowth in the future. And that’s why I want to invest. By 2030, 1.5 billion will flow into infrastructure. By then, Swiss Post wants to operate 15 parcel centres. There are currently eleven locations. This should also create 1,500 additional jobs.