The US company is providing a licence for Abana to make use of its RiposteEssential software in automating postal counters, and will also be providing service and maintenance on a phased basis.

RiposteEssential is a retail management system that can support a range of postal retail transactions, from postage assessment and weighing to financial services and bill payments.

The first phase of the project in Saudi Arabia will see the licensing of workstations and organisation of the project, with subsequent phases set to include customisation of the software to the needs of Saudi Post, maintenance and training activities.

Liam Church, Escher’s chief executive officer, said winning the Saudi contract highlighted his company’s ambitions to roll its products out to post offices across the Middle East.

He said: “Escher’s experience in a number of critical transformation projects, combined with Abana’s local knowledge and capabilities, will provide a strong operational model for Saudi Arabia.”

Escher, which has its corporate headquarters in Boston, has provided its technology to posts around the world including Deutsche Post, Australia Post, An Post, Singapore Post and USPS.

Last year the company won contracts with Botswana Post and Armenia’s Haypost.

Abdullah M Bin Jebreen, Abana’s president, said the partnership with Escher would mean working at the forefront of technological advancement in a “significant” project for Saudi Post.

He said:”Our partnership with Escher attests to our commitment to partner with world-class, leading technology providers that can provide value-added solutions to our clients. Our in-depth and diverse experience in project implementation, together with our specialization in technical services, will definitely pave the way for delivering winning results.”

Source: Post&Parcel/Escher Group

Tags: Abana Enterprises Group, Escher Group, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Post