Technology Workgroups

11:15 - Deployment and operation of an RFID system for roll cage management in Korea
Three years of feasibility and pilot testing of RFID for postal processes have been completed in Korea. The actual application programme began early in 2008 and is being installed in over 29 mail centres and logistics centres in Korea. The major objective is to track and trace the 40,000 roll cages. Several difficulties, such as field interferences, were overcome. The story of using passive RFID technology, its application middleware and operation software will be presented.

11:30 - How Royal Mail introduced 27,000 handhelds in just 12 weeks
When Royal Mail introduced online tracking to improve customer service levels, it configured 260,000 components into 27,000 handhelds in over 2,000 locations in just 12 weeks. Larry Klimczyk will provide Blackbay's insight into how Royal Mail has achieved visibility of all mail items, people and assets, enabling the business to maximise revenue and optimise operational performance.

11:45 - Seamless postal mobility
Motorola is a leading hardware manufacturer in mobile computing, advanced data capture & networking infrastructure and it works in partnership with independent software vendors and integrators. Daniel Dombach who heads up the manufacturing, transport and logistics offering for Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions will discuss new advanced technologies which will better enable Seamless Postal Mobility.

11:45 - @track - a mobile solution with multiple purposes
@track is an RFID unit, about the size of a cigarette box, which can easily be carried in a pocket and used for different tracking possibilities. Claus will describe how @track registers the exact time of mailbox emptying, how points of interest can be registered at the customer's collection or delivery site, and how registration points can be set up along the postmen's delivery routes as a checkpoint or be used for route optimisation.

12:00 - Streamlining mobile operations through mobile device management and SOTI MobiControl
SOTI will demonstrate how to effectively manage the real-world challenges of deploying mobility solutions, arming you with critical knowledge to reduce downtime and increase productivity. MobiControl is the leading, all-in-one and feature-rich solution that offers remote control, security, support and tracking functionality. Learn how to streamline your mobile operations, ensure that your mobile workforce is secure and why MobiControl is the low-cost, easy-to-use solution that will maximise your return on investment.

12:15 - Growing the express parcels business
Delivering integrated e-business solutions to drive growth of express parcels. Innovation in technology for postal operations, including RFID and mobile solutions. Ways to cut costs, risk and time to market.

16:00 - Decision criteria for implementing fixed- or dynamic-sequence routes for parcel delivery
Parcel delivery companies are facing the tough challenge of maintaining efficiency amid growing competition, fluctuating volumes and strict deadlines posed by express and high-priority business customers. As a result, delivery companies have begun investigating the benefits of a dynamic sequence over a fixed sequence for delivering parcels in a defined territory. GIRO will describe solutions for modelling fixed and dynamic routes and the key criteria for choosing the best type for your operations.

16:15 - Automatic planning and optimisation of mail delivery routes
Transvision Route Planner is a powerful vehicle route scheduling system, which can be used for what-if simulations, master route creation and for the daily optimisation of distribution routes and operations. Thorbjørn Schmidt-Jacobsen will describe how Route Planner makes it possible to obtain substantially improved service levels and striking cost savings at the same time.

16:30 - Trayed mail transit packaging: a necessary evil or source of competitive advantage?
Loadhog has been working closely with the UK postal industry for several years, especially on efficient handling of mail trays from client all the way to the final delivery office. Often, the focus is on machines, sorting, trays and lorries; how the trays themselves are handled is secondary and is an international problem. By introducing the Pally system, transport costs can be halved, automation enabled, security improved and handling time slashed. However, this will require nationwide collaboration.

16:45 - Air Partner – The benefit of using a broker in post logistics
This presentation will contrast the experience of organizing an express delivery with and without using a broker such as Air Partner. The presentation will focus on the services and market knowledge of the broker. The presentation will make the case for using brokers by demonstrating the effectiveness of the services they provide.

16:45 - Vacuum handling solutions for the logistics sector
Increase of throughput, process reliability and cost-effectiveness are objectives that have a significant impact on the handling processes in the logistics sector. It doesn't matter if goods are handled manually or automatically - the increased demands on vacuum gripping technology are the key factors for progress. This presentation gives information on manual handling and fully automated handling of parcels and various other workpieces based on the latest vacuum technology.

17:00 - Business process intelligence
Vanderlande Industries always aims to optimise customer processes and make good use of material handling systems. Our BPI tool has been developed to transform data into information for reporting purposes. This information is transformed into knowledge and intelligence for specific customer needs.

17:15 - Securing more revenue with automatic measuring of pallets
In the current economic climate companies need to focus on investments that will provide a quick Return on Investment. In his presentation, Olav will discuss how the CSN840 Pallet™ generates extra revenue for transport companies. The CSN840 Pallet™ is a complete dimensioning, weighing and identification solution and is used to ensure that carriers and freight forwarders are paid properly for the services they provide.

17:30 - Smart Truck: The greener and brighter way
In this presentation DHL will present its Smart Truck. Delegates will be introduced to its features such as dynamic tour planning, navigation technology and the the ability to consider current traffic conditions. The truck also features Motorola´s RFID technology which enables the simple recording of shipments and the availability of this data for dynamic route planning. The vehicle alsos features communication technology to facilitate precise notification of pick-up times for the customer.

14:00 - How to increase your sorting efficiency without purchasing new equipment
Increasing the efficiency of your sorting process will help you serve your customers more quickly and provide a better service. This is critical to surviving and prospering in the current climate, and for taking advantage of opportunities as the economic climate improves. But you don't need to replace your existing equipment. Stéphane Dorel of Synaxio will explain how to get more from your existing sorting equipment.

14:15 - Quality tool - transparency and monitoring for address recognition
If you are interested in your address recognition performance or using multiple OCRs or enrichment devices, you need to hear this presentation. Syslore Ltd, known for its mCorrection address recognition solution, will present its latest value-adding solution for postal operators. Quality Tool is a web-based analysis tool for postal operators. It provides an intuitive GUI for measuring and visualising key performance indicators for address recognition and mail sorting processes.

14:30 - Streamlining the sorting and delivery of domestic and international mail with universal addresses
Traditional addresses written in different characters and languages with differently ordered elements and different kinds of postcodes are not always well defined, and are often frequently duplicated, outdated or too new to be included in address databases. They make the sorting and delivery of domestic and international parcels increasingly difficult as globalisation continues. Universal addresses can streamline sorting and delivery, making these processes more economical, efficient and reliable.

14:45 - Evolved integrating processes and innovative technologies
This presentation focuses on the value of integrating different areas of letter mail production into a continuous process. The technology which enables systems integration will also be explored. Different integrating solutions will be described, with letter sequencing as a related topic and with a number of different applications in the field delegates will be presented with an extremely interesting case study.

15:00 - New robotic-based automated tray storage for mail processing and sorting centres
The system gives added value to the sorting process by, for example, acting as a buffer storage in mail processing. Mail trays processed in the sorting centre include trays for different destinations. The robot sorts these trays into stacks according to destinations. When all the trays of a particular destination have arrived at the storage facility, they are loaded automatically onto a transport unit for transfer to the delivery vehicle.

14:00 - Post & Go' - postal self service implementation at Post Office Limited
This presentation will explain the motivation of the UK Post Office to implement postal self service in their Crown Office network. The presentation will discuss experiences to-date since the roll out which commenced in October 2008.

14:00 - How postal operators can improve service, cut cost and increase profit by giving away EasyWeigh tools to private and SME customers
Let your SME and private households prepare their mail at home or at the office before the mail gets into your mail pipeline. Postal operators may cut cost at post offices, get back lost revenue and at the same time improve their service and marketing performance.

14:15 - ByBox: giving consumers a choice - the development of the automated post office
A post office has traditionally processed payment transactions, distributed parcels, sold stamps and handled reverse parcel logistics. ByBox has been developing technology that recreates all of this. The company will present its latest vending machine with volumising, weighing and stamp printing modules to demonstrate full post office functionality. ByBox will also present its locational analysis to demonstrate the most suitable locations for this type of equipment.

14:30 - How to increase last-mile efficiency with self-service solutions
This presentation offers a case study from Deutsche Post/DHL, where Packstation provides nationwide coverage with 1,700 sites. The case study looks at the advantages in cost and CO2 reduction, security and customer loyalty, as well as the lessons for implementation of Keba's KePol product.

14:45 - How to satisfy the customer of a postal retail network
The satisfaction of our customers is a key target of our strategy. Based on different measurements - waiting time, contact time and the perception of the customer measured through an external survey - we are identifying our strengths and weaknesses. These statements form the basis for discussion at each level of our network, from central departments right down to individual post offices. These discussions inform our actions to increase our services and image in order to be prepared for liberalisation. Luc Blondiau will outline the findings of the surveys and the actions taken in response.

15:00 - Many customer communication channels: one single management platform
The postal industry deals with a myriad of different customer channels whether; retail, web, kiosk, bulk mail, philately and foreign exchange on a day to day basis. In most cases, the information captured through all these channels is stored in different data silos making the leveraging and reconciliation of the information hugely inefficient and unnecessarily complex. The Swift Postal suite provides you with a product for virtually every department in your organization and a unified management platform for handling the subsequent data. Swift Postal – solutions for retail counter automation, kiosks, philately, foreign exchange, customer portals and PO Box management.

15:00 - Ticking the boxes: parcel delivery optimised, customer satisfied - with Kofax document capture and processing solutions
Where speed, reliability, flexibility and competitive pricing count more than in any other, business process efficiency and excellent customer service are the keys to success. With Kofax solutions you can optimise business processes along the entire delivery chain by collecting documents and forms, extracting and transforming them into accurate, retrievable digital information, and delivering them into your business applications and databases. Our solution improves the speed, cost, accuracy and efficiency of your business processes and transactions from the second an enquiry is made to the moment your customer holds shipment in his hands - no matter which document type or format or language.

15:15 - Be there! The retail network as a key factor for success
With growing competition and increasing customer expectations, it is becoming more and more relevant for a postal organisation to 'be there' for its customers. The first part of the strategy needs to take into consideration all distribution channels available with today's technology - whether it is the internet, self-service devices, mobile solutions or the classic branch outlet. However, different branch types with specific service portfolios and the offering of non-postal services (to improve the network's profitability) create challenges for the processes, the technical solution and usability. Learn how a stable and easy-to-use integrated solution ensures availability and allows for easy diversification into new types of branch.

15:30 - The future of OCR for online postal services
The postal market is rapidly changing. Its operators must act fast to adapt. Digitisation of mail is promising significant benefits to customers and posts. Empowered by intelligent character recognition to locate and read areas of interest on mailpieces (name, address, barcodes, labels, logos), the service sends subscribers text-based information online for easy access. Physical mail is stored at the post until the recipient decides on processing: open, forward to destination, trash, etc.

15:45 - The impact of the cross-channel consumer on the retail operating model
Deloitte undertook a major research activity to determine the impact of the cross-channel consumer on the retail operating model. As part of this research, Deloitte conducted interviews with senior executives at many of the largest global retailers. The interviews were centred on the impact of the changing consumer, and changing consumer behaviour and its implications on the organisations that serve them. The results detail the massive operational, technical and organisational changes that must occur to align the business model with the new manner in which consumers want to interact. This presentation will review the findings of this research.

16:00 - How to reduce costs and get better results with international address data
This presentation will consider the benefits of international address validation. AddressDoctor is the leading technology provider of international address verification and cleaning solutions. Sven Schreiber, managing director of AddressDoctor, will provide useful tips for what companies and postal operators need to think about when handling with international addresses in order to obtain good, valuable results and save unnecessary costs in uncertain times.

16:15 - Mail and parcels: improving access through electronic postal technology
The postal industry faces a slumping economy, aggressive competition and declining volumes. The good news is that cost-effective technology exists to help the industry gain customers and reduce declines in volumes by increasing the accessibility of postage online and leveraging the power of the internet. Come and learn how electronic postage mailing and shipping systems offer great opportunities for revenue growth, customer retention and brand building.

14:00 - New vertical belt sorter at Hermes Central HUB in Friedewald, Germany
The newly developed vertical belt sorter has now been installed in the Hermes Central Hub in Friedewald, Germany. Bigger items up to 3m long and weighing up to 60kg can be sorted using two or three trays. The tilt tray elements are mounted on a belt instead of a chain. This presentation will describe the development and installation of the system at the Central Hub.

14:15 - Saving more money through OCR and video coding
This presentation explains why OCR and video coding solutions are much more than ways to automate mail and parcels. It will give you a broader perspective of saving money including extended machine capacity and alternative ways of video coding. The case study provides good arguments to build a proper business case.

14:30 - Greener and more energy-efficient post and parcel sortation
Crisplant has developed a new sortation system that enables greater efficiency with lower energy consumption. High-speed post and parcel sortation systems can become greener as the amount of power used to drive the motors in the sortation systems is reduced. Based on several customer case studies featuring the technology, this presentation highlights the benefits of this energy-efficient system.

14:45 - Quick returns with innovative weighing solutions
Automated weighing systems allow companies in the postal and logistics sectors to increase their profits. Not only is the use of verified scales a legal requirement, it also increases the weighing precision substantially and therefore prevents incorrect billing of postage. Dynamic Scales provide the ideal solution for precise and quick weight detection for product weights from milligrams up to 60 kilograms. Kurt Arnold will demonstrate how to increase your profit with OCS’ innovative weighing solutions.

14:45 - A guide to cutting costs using camera-based identification technology
Camera-based identification technology offers solutions for improving the degree of automation and cutting costs. The easiest way to increase read rates is the replacement of laser scanners with cameras. Additional video coding can put read rates up to 100%. No-reads can be reduced significantly by archiving and analysing images, and with the help of certified volume measurement and tamper-proof data it is possible to automatically create invoices.

15:00 - How to sort your parcels more quickly, improving the quality of sorting and saving money
Postal organisations face a double challenge: to increase efficiency while maintaining processing quality. Lorenzo Moroni will explain how parcel sorting speed can be increased while maintaining quality and saving money.