Post and parcel services are indispensable for today’s society. The pandemic has highlighted their importance. Consequently, consumers and businesses alike have become more dependent on postal operators in the wake of more and more people shopping from home. However, purchases do not only include non-essential items but also vital supplies and groceries. Online shopping comes with several challenges for the post and parcel industry. Yet there are also opportunities to drive, adapt and accelerate their digital transformation.
Sorting bulky goods is paramount for post and parcel operators
Sorting is a – if not “the” – major task at post and parcel services. Operators commonly rely on sorting machines to address the job. Despite automation being able to handle most of the packages easily, some still represent an insurmountable obstacle: bulky goods like ironing boards, TV sets or a new batch of pet food mark the limits for these robots. These bulky goods still require a manual sorting and call for the human workforce.
The booming e-commerce business leads to a steep increase in an already fluctuating overall shipment volume. However, post and parcel suppliers like DHL need to address this increase while working with the same size areas in their parcel centers. But they came up with a comprehensive solution: “Thanks to the Bulky Goods 2.0 and ProGlove initiatives, we are no longer tied to stationary processing stations but can process bulky goods anywhere in the hall,” says Werner Kunert, Deputy Head of Warehouse at DHL. (Read the full DHL customer story at https://www2.proglove.com/en-dhl-case-study)
DPD showcases the life of a parcel at Smart Factory Lab
But these are not the only issues post and parcel suppliers need to resolve: “Moving a parcel from A to B is very easy. You just need to be on time, cost-efficient and do it a couple millions of times a year. But if just one parcel is late, you are in trouble,” stresses Ville Heimgartner, Smart Urban Logistics Consultant at DPD. Therefore, DPD designed a long-term strategy to make shipments seamless, on-time and remove the unnecessary hassle.
ProGlove has been instrumental for DPD in managing these requirements. The post and parcel operator was one of first organizations to use MARK Display, a wearable barcode scanner with an integrated e-ink display. But DPD’s Swiss branch went beyond that. They deployed the latest MARK Family of products and combined it with our advanced analytics and visualization platform ProGlove Insight. This enables them to track critical KPIs such as the number of scans, but they can also localize devices, check battery levels, compare performance and much more. That way, DPD can best support their workers while securing maximum efficiency.
Would you like to learn more about that? Join us for the March 23rd edition of Smart Factory Lab on Air to find out more about “The Life of a Digital Parcel at DPD”.
