RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s national postal company is preparing to launch the region’s largest super sorting center by early next year as part of its transformation strategy. Anef Abanomai, president of Saudi Post, shared details about the new center with Arab News during the inaugural Global Logistics Forum in Riyadh. The official said the facility is expected to significantly enhance supply chain capabilities, reduce delivery times, and support the Kingdom’s growing role as a global logistics hub. “We have a plan. We’re hoping to be launching our design phase for our super sorting center toward the end of this year, early next year, as soon as we’re done with some permits and logistics challenges there,” Abanomai said. The president emphasized that the launch of the upgraded sorting center, the largest in the region, will significantly boost productivity and services while also reducing costs and improving delivery times. Abanomai noted that the organization is transitioning from traditional manual sorting methods to an automated, robotics-based system as part of its digital transformation strategy. Previously, sorting was performed by staff who manually categorized and redirected items, making the process labor-intensive and susceptible to human error. “That’s not the most efficient way to do it. It’s very challenging in terms of scalability and introduces a lot of risk for inconsistency, and mistakes happen that increase the cost,” Abanomai said. He added: “Part of our digital transformation and automation roadmap was the introduction of robotics as a solution to improve our sorting, operation and process, which has been successful in deployment. Now, we’ll begin to gauge the impact on our efficiency cost to serve the resiliency of the service.” According to Abanomai, Saudi Post is undergoing a significant transformation from a traditional postal operator, focused primarily on letters and stamps, to a comprehensive logistics provider. This shift aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, leveraging the Kingdom’s strategic geographical position to connect three continents and enhance trade across various sectors. Abanomai emphasized the necessity to expand and invest in various capabilities, particularly in logistics. “When we talk about ports—seaports, airports, and land ports—there is a need to enhance and develop these areas to facilitate a more efficient and effective movement of goods and people, ultimately improving connectivity,” he stated. He continued: “That will have a positive impact on many different industries, whether it’s trade, industrial manufacturing, mining, any industry, you can think of potentially will have an impact, through these capabilities that are being brought and invested in the country.” Another key catalyst for SPL’s transformation was the pandemic, which accelerated the organization’s shift and prompted the development of healthcare logistics solutions. Abanomai explained that during COVID-19, government hospitals faced challenges in providing medications to patients due to restrictions on visits. In response, SPL implemented a rapid solution to deliver medications directly from hospital pharmacies to patients’ homes. Beyond healthcare, SPL has also expanded into innovative logistics operations. “Over the past year, we’ve moved not just letters, electronics, and medications but also horses for the Saudi Cup, the world’s most prestigious horse race,” Abanomai said. He added: “This is just one example of how our logistics arm is helping position SPL as a leader in multiple sectors.” The transformation involves leveraging existing capabilities and new investments to offer a broader range of services beyond what is typically expected from a postal operator. One key example that he provided is SPL’s involvement in e-commerce logistics. The organization supports merchants by improving their access to customers, particularly through enhanced last-mile delivery solutions and sorting capabilities. One of the biggest challenges facing the postal and logistics industry today is meeting evolving customer expectations, according to Abanomai. “There’s always demand for faster, bigger, and less expensive services,” he said. Customers are also seeking more control, customization, and flexibility in the services they receive, which adds significant pressure on logistics providers. Balancing these demands with the operational realities is also complicated. “The way logistics operations work is really through economies of scale,” Abanomai said. To remain efficient, companies must invest in large-scale solutions and standardized processes, which can create tension as customers increasingly expect tailored and flexible services. A significant challenge for SPL and other logistics providers is the need to adapt swiftly to these changing expectations while maintaining operational efficiency. “How do we create these solutions that are customizable, more efficient, and allow the control, at least the perception of control, for our clients and give them that ability to customize to their needs, without disrupting these standardized processes that the logistics providers have,” Abanomai said.