'The Hub of Parcel Logistics' Central Region IMC Opens... Processing 80,000 Items per Hour

Opening of the Central Region IMC by Korea Post Headquarters
The Hub of Domestic Parcel Logistics
Processing 80,000 Items per Hour

Inside the Central Region IMC of the Postal Service Headquarters, which opened on the 25th

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The Central Region Integrated Mail Logistics Center (Central Region IMC), which will become the hub of parcel logistics in South Korea, has officially opened. This facility can process 80,000 parcels per hour, and the nationwide logistics transportation network of the Korea Post will be reorganized around this center.

The Korea Post under the Ministry of Science and ICT held the opening ceremony of the Central Region IMC on the 25th at the Namdaejeon Comprehensive Logistics Complex in Dong-gu, Daejeon.

Processing 80,000 Parcels per Hour

Large-capacity automatic dispenser installed in the Central Region IMC

To respond to the rapid increase in parcel mail, the headquarters invested 103.3 billion KRW to build the Central Region IMC. Over the past five years, general mail has decreased by an average of 5.4% annually, while parcel mail has increased by 10.3%.

The Central Region IMC was constructed with a total floor area of 26,631㎡, consisting of one basement floor and three above-ground floors. The facility is equipped with six parcel sorters, 32 supply units, and 240 sorting chutes, enabling it to process up to 80,000 parcels per hour.

With the opening of the Central Region IMC, the headquarters expects logistics costs to be minimized by establishing a single-stage parcel sorting system. Previously, parcels were sorted twice: first at the dispatch sorting center in the receiving area, then at the arrival sorting center in the delivery area before being handed over to the delivery office. However, with the Central Region IMC in place, it will handle the volume between the metropolitan and provincial areas exclusively, while existing sorting centers will process only the volume within their respective regions, establishing a one-stage sorting system.

Additionally, the headquarters anticipates a significant increase in the efficiency of mail sorting operations through state-of-the-art automated logistics equipment such as high-capacity automatic feeders, parcel automatic sorting devices, multi-angle recognition cameras, and transfer devices between parcel sorters. In particular, the headquarters plans to pilot the country's first 'parcel unloading robot' within the year to reduce the workload of logistics workers.

Nationwide Logistics Transportation Network Also Reorganized

Parcel Sorting Period Transfer Device

Following the opening of the Central Region IMC, the nationwide logistics transportation network will also be reorganized around the Central Region IMC. Transportation routes for regional volume exchange will be reduced, and direct transportation sections between post offices and the Central Region IMC will be expanded. Through trial operations before the opening, the headquarters saved approximately 5.3 billion KRW in transportation costs compared to the previous year.

The functions and equipment of 17 postal sorting centers located in provincial areas will also be adjusted. A General Mail Integrated Center for sorting provincial general mail will be established at the Daejeon Postal Sorting Center, which has transferred parcel processing functions to the Central Region IMC, and the regionalization of parcel mail dispatch functions will be promoted.

Park Jong-seok, head of the Korea Post, stated, "With the opening of the Central Region IMC, we have been able to efficiently reorganize the post office logistics system and establish an advanced logistics system. We will provide high-quality customer-centered postal services and play a leading role in the development of ICT-based smart logistics."