CTT Expresso IT investment to allow real-time parcel tracking

CTT Expresso, the courier and express delivery arm of the Portuguese national postal service, has invested EUR 680,000 in new mobile computers. The company said the investment in PDA 598 units would allow customers to track their deliveries in real time.

The deployment is part of a modernisation programme the company says includes a major investment in information technology to help maintain its position in the Portuguese express market.

The PDA 598 units are equipped with the Windows mobile operating system, with applications including a barcode reader that can read one- and two-dimensional barcodes, a digital camera, automated documentation capture, digital signature capture and high-speed data transmission.

The system links in with the GPS network to maintain data transmission while out in the field, allowing immediate transmission of data and instant archiving of relevant evidence from the sender.

The GPS uses special tags to locate packages on the route of delivery, allowing customers to know the exact location of their shipments from dispatch all the way to final destination, CTT said.

The system should also help the company improve the efficiency of its network, and optimise its routes, it added.

The company said: “In a highly competitive market, for CTT Expresso the provision of information online in real time is a differentiating factor for customers. The company CTT Group is renewing its focus on quality of service provided to customers and improving its management of information.”

CTT says information issued by German market research firm IMR issued last month suggests the Portuguese courier and express mail and parcels market was worth EUR 623.3m in 2011, a 3.1% decline on 2010.

Among the major players, CTT Expresso had a EUR 77.2m turnover, giving it a 21.7% market share, DHL EUR 43.3m (12.2% market share) and La Poste subsidiary Chronopost 33.5m (9.4% market share).