DPD Austria opts for Honeywell scanners to boost service

Parcel carrier DPD Austria says it has invested in new hand-held scanners for more than 1,000 of its drivers to improve delivery services. The company has invested in technology from supplier Honeywell, which offers new features and improved software.

The Honeywell 99EX offers upgraded processing power and new smartphone-like features, providing “numerous” benefits for daily delivery work, the firm said.

DPD Austria, part of the European network owned by La Poste Group’s GeoPost Group, said handheld scanners play a “vital” role in the safe and prompt delivery of all of the 157,000 parcels it handles per day.

The company runs a scanner over a barcode on a DPD packet every six seconds, it said.

Rainer Schwartz, the DPD Austria chief executive, said: “The hand-held scanner has become one of the most important tools for our drivers.”

Improved

DPD said the new Honeywell units will provide improved displays on which to flag up customer requirements during delivery, with integrated software now used in the handling of standard parcels and premium express deliveries.

The new technology is improving workflows and extending the capabilities of the DPD service, the firm said.

It should also prove important as the parcel carrier repositions itself to become more involved in the business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer market, along with its plans for expanding its network of parcel shops to 500 by the end of this year and 800 in the medium-term.

“With the upgrade, we can improve the work processes of our drivers and thus increase the quality of service for our customers,” said Schwartz.

“Fast, smooth processes mean we benefit particularly in deliveries to the consumer segment, where often only a single packet is delivered to an address.”

DPD Austria currently employs about 1,700 people overall, with a fleet of about 900 vehicles. The firm handled 39m packages in 2013.