INDIANAPOLIS — It is the busiest time of year for shipping companies, including FedEx, as they work to make sure gifts arrive by Christmas Day.
On a misty morning, a FedEx cargo plane touches down in Indianapolis after arriving from Anchorage, Alaska. The hub handles flights from across the country every day.
“Today we have 17 flights coming in and 14 going out,” said Heater Kerr, a senior manager.
Planes arrive from coast to coast, carrying shipments from places such as Newark and Los Angeles, all funneling into Indianapolis to be sorted.
Once packages arrive at the facility, they are unloaded and sent to input, where the sorting process begins.
From there, packages move through FedEx’s matrix, which routes shipments to their next destination.
"110,000, 111,000 pieces that we can fluctuate and send through the sort a day, it's very helpful," said Kerr.
FedEx uses advanced scanning technology to keep packages moving efficiently. Some systems scan five sides of a box, while others scan six.
“No matter what position the boxes are in, we can scan them and divert them to the outbound,” said Kerr.
After scanning, packages are loaded onto another plane or onto trucks for final delivery.
During the peak holiday season, about 4,500 people work at the Indianapolis facility.
"The 20th is our busiest day on day-side, and the 23rd is our busiest on night-side, so it just fluctuates day to day," said Kerrr.
Indianapolis is the second-largest FedEx hub in the country, making it a critical link in the company’s holiday delivery network.
For those still planning to ship presents, FedEx offers simple advice: Shop early and ship early.
