Zetes teams up with TNT

Zetes, a European provider of solutions for the automatic identification of goods and people, has completed the implementation of a major project with TNT Post Pakketservice. The assignment is part of TNT’s master project ‘Driver goes Digital’, which concerns the tracking and tracing of all postal packages during the delivery process from all 37 distribution units in Holland, from loading into the vehicle to delivery at the door, including the digital proof of delivery.

Implementation took place between November 2008 and July 2009; the new solution is being operated in all 37 distribution units. All the 2,500 delivery drivers at TNT use Motorola MC70 hand terminals for delivering and registering packages with businesses and consumers. Every day, 400,000 packages are processed for delivery and, thanks to the introduction of the hand terminal, delivery is recorded digitally and in real-time.

Medea Logistics Execution, Zetes’ logistics software, constitutes the basis of the solution. It has a Web application for the central delivery scheduling of packages on all routes in Holland. The drivers use the hand terminal (PDA) for recording all possible delivery activities, such as collecting signatures, Cash on Delivery (COD) deliveries and handing packages to neighbours if the addressee is absent. All drivers have real-time contact with the central administration of TNT via GPRS communications. Medea makes it possible for data collected locally to be recorded centrally and passed on to the background ICT applications.

“TNT’s delivery employees are very happy with the hand terminal. The driver scans the package during each step of the delivery process. The software helps him to remember it, so that he cannot overlook any step accidentally. The device simplifies the work of the drivers and does away with piles of paperwork,” says Albert Rodenboog, operations manager of TNT Post Pakketservice. “The Web application and the PDA’s also enable us to check the logistical chain better and faster. This is more cost-efficient and improves quality.”

“TNT Post Pakketservice is a fantastic reference project for Zetes on the Dutch market,” says Carlo D’Agnolo, senior vice-president Central Europe. “Automatic, real-time recording of parcel delivery is very important in an age when e-commerce has become commonplace. Both senders and recipients want to track and trace their packages, wherever they happen to be. For businesses, this brings with it changes in their distribution logistics. With the implementation of this system, TNT is providing exactly the right response to those changes in the market.”

Alain Wirtz, CEO of Zetes, comments: “Nowadays, it is becoming ever more important to have real-time information and thus be in constant contact with the staff on the road. This project also illustrates the value of our Medea logistical technology in a complex environment and on a very large scale.”