T-Systems joins DHL Innovation Initiative as Global Partner
Partnership aimed at developing information and communication solutions for efficient logistics processes. Contract signed for minimum of three years.
Read MoreTag: Motorola
UPS is testing a tool to keep track of truck data
United Parcel Service Inc. is testing a new ruggedized mobile computer in its trucks that can wirelessly log departure and arrival times and provide managers with data on vehicle speed and idle times.
Test versions of Motorola Inc.’s VC6096 Windows Mobile-based system, unveiled last week, have been installed inside long-haul UPS trailer trucks and large trucks that move packages among sorting facilities.
A spokeswoman wouldn’t say how many of the computers Atlanta-based UPS plans to buy, but she noted that it will be a “sizable” number by the time the company’s deployment is completed, which is expected in 2010.
The spokeswoman said UPS has used the system to measure and compile truck speed, RPM, braking and idle-time data. More functions will be tested later.
The 4.8-lb. computer includes a keyboard, a 6.5-in. touch display, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash memory. It supports Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth wireless specifications.
UPS said its 100,000-plus drivers will continue to use their fourth-generation proprietary handhelds jointly built by Motorola and Symbol Technologies Inc., which Motorola acquired last year.
Qatar post pilots Motorola's RFID solution to measure the quality of postal services
RFID technology was evaluated by Qatar Post as part of a wider initiative to measure the quality of postal services throughout the Middle East. Motorola radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and other technology suppliers, were part of the trial in a joint project with Emirates Post and Saudi Post.
Qatar Post, which is member of UPU Quality of Service Project Group Steering Committee, recently concluded a successful trial in the Arab region (22 Countries) during which it deployed and tested both passive and semi-active RFID systems. The project was initiated to evaluate various RFID technologies as a way to measure the postal quality across the three countries. This unique trial could pave the way for the use of cost-effective RFID technologies to track mail around the world.
Motorola XR480 fixed RFID readers were installed along with other antennas in mail processing centers across Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to track anonymous test envelopes containing RFID tags. This created a simulated environment of how mail moves through the postal system and help authorities better understand the time and route that mail takes on its journey from collection to delivery.
This trial will allow and help Qatar Post to make both short-term and long-term decisions about its future business. On a day-to-day basis, Qatar Post will be able to identify delays in the delivery process and make adjustments accordingly. On a long-term basis, it can evaluate the average route of a letter and assess whether it is following the most efficient course, altering routing accordingly. It also allows Qatar Post to see where any potential errors in its delivery processes might occur, so that these can be corrected before they impact customers or incur extra charges.
This unique trial also could ultimately lead to the adoption of RFID by postal companies around the world, providing them with a measurement matrix for international deliveries as post moves from one national carrier to another. This trial will not only be important for the Arab region but will help the remaining countries` members to prove the success of RFID as a method to monitor post, reduce costs and provide better services for customers.
Read MoreRFID is Poised for Change
The prosperous RFID business is on track to grow from about USD 5 billion in 2007 today to over USD 25 billion in 2017. Without collusion, most analysts agree to figures in that region and several of them see huge volumes of extremely low cost tags forming a part of the growth – even hundreds of billions in ten years from now. This seems to sit awkwardly with some press reporting that RFID retail initiatives have stalled. As one of those analysts, let IDTechEx explain.
Basic rules of marketing
Firstly, selling RFID to consumer goods companies mandated by major retailers usually breaks one of the fundamental rules of marketing “Never sell to someone who does not want to buy from you”. Most of the consumer goods companies in the USA see no payback from fitting the passive UHF labels mandated by retailers, indeed, they may have lost a mutual USD 100 million so far trying to do so, despite the RFID suppliers losing a similar sum selling tags and readers to them at a loss. The consumer goods companies are therefore quick to point out the technical problems and they use any other valid reason to delay. The contrast with the booming sectors of RFID (almost all other sectors) is stark.
Read MoreMotorola: Strategy for Seamless Postal Enterprises. Post-Expo 2007.
Motorola: Strategy for Seamless Postal Enterprises. Post-Expo 2007.
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