PostID system providing “digital glue” for Irish parcel terminals
UK-based software company Pinesoft is providing its PostID system to Irish parcel carrier Nightline to help with the operation of its new network of self-service parcel terminals. Dublin-based Nightline began rolling out its network in last month, with the aim of establishing 400 of the alternative parcel collection points around Ireland by 2014.
A key aspect of the network of so-called “Parcel Motels” is that other parcel carriers will also be able to deliver items to the parcel terminals if requested by online shoppers.
Pinesoft provided its PostID system to be a kind of “digital glue” bringing together the various players including retailers, Nightline itself and other parcel carriers to make use of the network of alternative delivery points.
PostID is a software toolkit that generates correctly-priced consignment information for parcels, allowing items to be quickly scanned, weighed and automatically labelled.
Pinesoft managing director Stephen Dakin said as ecommerce continues to see dramatic growth, companies can no longer resort to manual preparation of parcels.
He said the advent of parcel terminals as an option for consumers to receive parcels when they cannot be home to receive them during the working day can add an extra level of complexity to the handling of ecommerce parcels.
“Seamless”
Dr Dakin said: “What we have been able to come up with is a means of making that process simple and seamless while minimising the costs involved. It is a toolkit, a kind of ‘digital glue’ which incorporates existing products into a framework which is as individual as the needs of the client with which we’re working.
“That makes it far more flexible than something which is purely off-the-shelf and as well as being much less expensive and much quicker than something which is entirely bespoke. The response which we have already had at home and abroad to this has been nothing short of massive,” added the Pinesoft MD.
London-based Pinesoft has been trading since 1994, with 25 engineers and software designers that has worked with companies including Swiss Post, DHL and Secure Mail Services.
The company said with other industries using the PostID system like finance and subscriptions, along with the logistics sector, it has so far shown to speed up manual processes for measurement and data entry four-fold.
“To the logistics and retail sectors, having to deal with many millions of new items every single day during peak periods, the potential for reducing headaches as well as cost is immense,” said Dr Dakin.
