Benefits of using RFID in the postal sector
RFID is a major technology enabler for improved quality of service as well as real-time tracking and monitoring of products and services in the postal business. Lyngsoe Systems has been developing and delivering RFID solutions to the postal industry since 1994 and has provided many great benefits for our customers.
RFID improves the quality of service level on letter mail services
The first implemented RFID solution for the post by Lyngsoe was in 1994 with the AMQM system in order to measure and improve Quality of Service on letters. The system is used for both international and domestic quality of service measurement and improvement purposes.
Realized benefits
The International Post Corporation (IPC) has used the AMQM system since 1994 as a key component in providing data and information in order to calculate terminal dues (the fees postal operators pay to each other for the delivery of cross-border mail), which the IPC handles for 24 of the national posts in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America.
The graph below shows the continuous improvement of international mail service levels that has been registered by the AMQM system.
» Read more about the use of RFID for quality monitoring here
RFID increases visibility in the value chain
RFID tags can be attached to almost anything today and registrations placed at strategic processing points can provide visibility throughout the logistics chain. RFID can be used to provide:
- Real-time information about when the trailer has left a hub and when it is scheduled to arrive at a sorting centre or the actual time of arrival
- Volume forecasts right down to each vehicle and precise feedback to transport planning systems. This can cut transport expenses and provides a total overview of the utilization of the transport systems
- Automatic stock control of load carriers loaded and unloaded at customer locations, automatically generating valuable PoC and PoD documentation.
- Automatic real-time tracking of large customer shipments for dedicated visibility and performance services to key customers, e.g. high-value items
- And much more…
RFID for documenting service quality to key customers
RFID is the perfect solution for all kinds of tracking and documentation, as it involves no manual handling and provides objective data with no risk of interference from anyone.
With this objective technology, you can test how the customer’s products, e.g. magazine bundles or parcels, flow through the postal logistics and if they are picked up and arrive on time. This can objectively reassure your customers of the quality of service you provide, or identify where mis-routing or other problems occur on the logistics route. This enables action to be taken to resolve the problem when it occurs so that service is upheld in accordance with the agreed performance targets.
Sweden Post uses RFID with great success towards new customers
Sweden Post uses RFID to monitor quality of service as part of their sales procedure towards large, new customers. The post offers to proactively prove its quality of service by installing a mobile test unit at the customer’s site so they cannot only follow their own products through the postal logistics, but also the entire end-to-end process from their own collection and delivery site.