British mail tracked with 25,000 Intermec units

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Intermec will supply over 25,000 rugged handheld mobile computers to Royal Mail in Britian in one of the largest contracts the technology giant has signed.

The CN3 mobile unit will be rolled out as part of Royal Mail's investment in new technology which it says will modernise the business, improve efficiency and customer service while cutting operational costs.

Intermec President and CEO Pat Byrne says the investment will improve supply chain visibility.

"As the global supply chain continues to evolve, in-transit visibility will have a significant impact on improving customer service and revenue generation," he says.

Robin Dargue, Chief Information Officer at Royal Mail Group, explains the company embarked on a series of trials across the United Kingdom last year to test the benefits of a postal digital assistant for customers and staff.

"The feedback from both groups was extremely positive, especially when it came to ease of use of the CN3," he says.

"I am confident that our choice of Intermec, with its innovative technology and expert team, will help Royal Mail continue to meet the needs of its customers and improve its competitive edge in a market where competition is increasing."

Royal Mail delivers 80 million items a day to 28 million addresses across the UK.

The Intermec CN3 mobile computer will enable Royal Mail to improve on its current paper-based system for collecting signatures for the majority of its tracked products, including Special Delivery and Recorded Signed For services.

A signature will be collected on the handheld device which is then sent via GPRS wireless technology to enable sending customers to confirm delivery, and view the signature, within 15 minutes.

The CN3 mobile computers will be rolled out to postmen and women who deliver guaranteed delivery items by van starting later this year.

The CN3 handheld also runs Windows Mobile(R), Intermec says, which supports direct push wireless email giving the Royal Mail users real-time connectivity with the corporate network.