Nightline upgrades IT network to cope with rising volumes

Growth-hungry Irish parcel carrier Nightline is investing EUR 900,000 to upgrade its IT network with the latest state-of-the-art mobile terminals, to help cope with its increasing parcel volumes. The company, which currently claims to carry one in four parcels transported on Irish roads, is equipping drivers and warehousing staff with Motorola MC9500 series handheld devices.

It is working with European mobility and data capture specialist Zetes on the deployment, which will allow staff to handle stock control and deliveries much more quickly than before.

The investment will include installation of a more comprehensive wireless network across all of Nightline’s seven depots, helping make its operations more efficient.

The investment brings Nightline’s spending on technological improvements to more than EUR 1.1m in less than 12 months.

John Tuohy, the Nightline CEO, said his company had grown its parcel volumes from around 1,000 transactions each week when it started up in 1992 to around 130,000 transactions each day, and that as a result capable IT was “a must”.

He said: “Given the sort of volumes which we’re looking at, there is a necessity to make sure that our drivers and those individuals processing parcels at our network of depots right across Ireland are able to do their jobs as efficiently as they can to deliver the service clients and their customers deserve.”

Nightline, which recently unveiled plans to establish a network of self-service parcel terminals across Ireland from this summer, has been working with Zetes for around half its operational history.

Belgian company Zetes has its Irish offices in Dublin and Limerick.

Robert van Vliet, the managing director of Zetes Ireland, said: “As an early adopter of proof-of-delivery technology, Nightline has secured a reputation for service excellence and become a very successful player in a highly competitive market.”