We Are Tomodachi Japan and Russia Edition 2018

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9Delivering mail, packets and parcels swiftly and reliably via automated processing systems(7) Cooperation on cutting-edge technologiesRussian Post’s Vnukovo Logistics Center is an enormous facility equivalent to about six gymnasiums in scale. Using conveyor belts to reduce the burden on the facility’s staff was one of the approaches used by Toshiba.Yuichiro Ishibashi, Head of the Logistics & Postal Systems Business Unit of the Security & Automation Systems Division of Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation, says, “We will continue to provide increasingly better options and deliver postal items to Russian citizens as fast as possible.”through this training.The greenhouse farming installation “Sayuri,” based on Japanese technology, was established in September 2016 in Yakutsk. In October, tomato seedlings were planted for the first time, and harvesting began in December.“People in Yakutsk couldn’t believe that we actually harvested tomatoes in the winter. From now on people will be able to have fresh vegetables even in the winter season. Yakutsk’s food culture might change significantly,” says Temma.Sayuri began as an experimental area of 0.1 hectares (about 0.25 acres), but is scheduled to be expanded to 1 hectare (about 2.5 acres) in the fall of 2018 and to 3.2 hectares (about 7.9 acres) in 2020. More varieties of vegetables are also planned to be added accordingly. With these efforts, the food environment in this cold part of Russia is changing through Japanese technology and the enthusiasm of growers in Yakutsk.Since about 2012, due to a boom in online shopping in Russia the number of imported packets and parcels has risen drastically. In the Christmas season when the volume is especially high because of gifts being sent, in recent years some gifts were unable to be delivered on schedule. At Russian Post’s Vnukovo Logistics Center located in western Moscow, where customs inspection and sorting processes are performed, it therefore became necessary to improve the speed and efficiency of packet and parcel processing. Russian Post implemented postal automation systems from Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba) as a solution. These systems swiftly read addresses and barcodes of mail, packets and parcels, enabling improvements in sorting capabilities which increase the processing capacity to about 1.32 million pieces of mail and about 700,000 packets and parcels per day. The introduction of this system has allowed the Vnukovo Logistics Center’s amount of mail, packets and parcels processed per hour to increase tenfold. “This system consists of a customs system and various sorter systems, installed in adjacent buildings, which are connected with conveyors and allow major processes to be automated. I think that this has also been effective in reducing the workload for operators at the Logistics Center, who used to transport mail, packets and parcels manually between buildings,” says Yuichiro Ishibashi of Toshiba’s Security & Automation Systems Division. Russia is continuing the automation of its international logistics center and Toshiba will work even harder toward automation of the processing of postal items. In December 2016, a micro packet sorter was installed at the Novosibirsk Logistics Center by Toshiba. Also, in November 2017, a Toshiba customs system started operation at the Kazan Logistics Center.“When we implemented these systems, we listened to opinions from staff on-site and made every effort to fulfill the Russian side’s needs,” explains Ishibashi. The amount of postal items handled by Russian Post is expected to increase even more, and Japanese technology will continue providing support through acceleration and automation to ensure that they will be delivered swiftly and reliably to the people of Russia.