September 8, 1997

Post Office Taps Handhelds For Package Shipments Data-collection devices will track delivery information by end of next year By Bob Francis he U.S. Postal Service plans rapid deployment of more than 300,000 handheld data-collection devices to help provide package tracking and proof of delivery, following the lead of private-sector package-delivery firms United Parcel Service and Federal Express. The Postal Service plans to roll out the devices to nearly all the nation's more than 38,000 post offices by the end of next year, according to Julie Rios, manager of express and package services for the Postal Service. "We currently use handheld systems for our Express Mail service, but now we're expanding this to include Prio rity Mail, parcels, international shipments, and certified and registered mail," she says. The system will let business customers and consumers verify the delivery status of packages sent via those services by calling a post office phone number. Corporate customers will also be able to access the information over the Internet, Rios says. The Postal Service's Handheld Plans Business goal: Provide customers with tracking information, including proof of delivery for Priority Mail, parcels, and other services Key hardware: 12-ounce handheld scanners and data-collection devices from Symbol Technologies Inc., with 3x86 processor,16 Mbytes of RAM, and DOS operating system DATA: Informationweek Post office personnel will use the handheld devices, called mobile data collection devices, to scan bar-coded packages wh en they deliver the items. The time and date of delivery will then be stored in the scanner's memory and later downloaded to host systems located in most post office sites. The Postal Service awarded the six-year, $218 million contract for systems integration, application programming, and installation of the terminals to a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. in Oswego, N.Y. Under the terms of the agreement, Lockheed Martin will provide delivery-confirmation systems integration, including in-office hardware and application software, handheld scanners, installation, deployment, and system maintenance. Symbol Technologies Inc. of Holtsville, N.Y., will manufacture the scanners. They'll weigh 12 ounces and include 16 Mbytes of RAM, use a 3x86 microprocessor, a derivative of Intel's 386 chip, and a version of the DOS operating system. The order is one of the largest handheld system orders of the year. According to market research group Frost & Sullivan in Mountain View, Calif., only 400,000 handheld data termin als were sold in 1995. The new system is one of several Postal Service efforts this year to beef up its services to better compete with private-sector carriers. In April, it awarded a $1.7 billion contract to Emery Worldwide Airlines of Redwood City, Calif., for the first phase of a network for the exclusive handling of Priority Mail; it also increased insurance on expedited packages. Back to News in Review Send Us Your Feedback Top of the Page

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