DPD Ireland optimises delivery with solution from Zetes
Z
etes, expert in automatic identification solu-
tions and services for goods and people has
announces a new project win with DPD Ireland
to enhance DPD’s delivery processes through Proof
of Delivery. The contract will also provide further
advancements to DPD’s unrivalled ‘Predict’ service
which offers consignees a two-hour window in
which their parcels will be delivered.
DPD, part of the GeoPost Group, which is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of La Poste – is the sec-
ond largest parcel carrier in Europe and Ireland’s
leading parcel delivery company. The contract in-
volves supplying and implementing an electronic
Proof of Delivery solution (ePOD). It will equip DPD
delivery drivers with the latest technology solution
running on a Honeywell 99EX mobile device.
DPD engaged in a competitive tender process
which received responses from a number of POD
specialists from across Europe. Zetes was short-
listed and ultimately awarded the contract thanks
to its competitive edge which is having substantial
experience within the parcel delivery market in Ire-
land and across Europe over the last 30 years and
a unique Proof of Delivery solution and support of-
ferings. 800 delivery drivers in Ireland will be using
Zetes’s solution and being supported by the Zetes
Ireland helpdesk and service centres based in Dub-
lin and Limerick.
‘DPD Ireland has experienced phenomenal
growth in its business over the last five years with
2013 seeing volume increases in excess of 35 per-
cent over 2012. This project represents an invest-
ment of over EUR 1.3 million for DPD and underlines
our commitment to remaining at the forefront of the
parcel delivery sector in Ireland,’ said Colin Ken-
nedy, IT manager at DPD Ireland.
DPD’s dominance in the industry is driven by the
new and innovative solutions it brings to the mar-
ket and technology firmly underpins this drive. In
the short term, DPD expects to see benefits accru-
ing from the new functionalities being introduced
around ‘Predict’ and several other business to con-
sumer-specific initiatives. In the mid-term, this new
platform will provide a springboard to support its
strategy in the growing e-commerce and consumer
markets.
‘Our customers can expect to benefit from the
new functionality being introduced as these new
products and services will improve their customers
delivery experience and further enhance the over-
all consumer journey,’ added Kennedy. ‘Additional
benefits will also be realised through improved
work practices and efficiencies.’
Zetes has already begun rolling out the ePOD
solution. In order to obtain its key objectives the
system provided by Zetes will see enhanced func-
tionalities such as Route Management and optimi-
sation with delivery time service, Secure Delivery,
real time delivery updates and use the device as a
mobile phone. As well as numerous other function-
alities to increase efficiency and improve delivery
processes, the Zetes back office solution provides
website monitoring and GPS consoles.
‘In making this investment, DPD will begin to
benefit almost immediately in meeting and assist-
ing in their new strategies. We are delighted that
Zetes has been selected throughout the careful
tender process and this reaffirms our belief that
investing in new, up to date technology is vital in
enabling our customers to remain competitive and
obtain dominance within their respective indus-
tries. This project win also demonstrates Zetes
strength within the market place and how our new
Collaborative Supply Chain Solutions are aiding to
benefiting our customers to achieve and optimise
their supply chain processes,’ said Robert van Vliet,
country manager at Zetes Ireland.
Konica Minolta’s bizhub PRESS 1250 wins BLI PRO Award
T
he Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 1250 has
picked up yet another award, this time at the
Buyers Laboratory LLC’s (BLI) 2014 PRO Awards
where it scooped the prize for Outstanding Mono-
chrome Light- to Mid-Volume Production Device.
In the highly competitive and complex world of
production print, choosing the most suitable device
is a tough task for buyers. BLI is the world’s lead-
ing independent provider of analytical information
and services to the document imaging industry,
with unmatched expertise in evaluating devices
gained over the past 50 years. The PRO awards go
to the best performers in BLI’s production test suite,
which sheds light on how these devices perform in
the real world.
BLI’s field evaluations entail three full days of
intensive testing during which tens of thousands
of impressions are printed — from 30 000 to more
than 150 000 depending on the model. Devices are
tested for productivity with coated and uncoated
media in a wide range of weights and sizes and
using various finishing options to simulate a wide
variety of real-world job scenarios. BLI technicians
also evaluate image quality, including production
of halftones, text and fine lines, plus density lev-
els, variations in density and drift over the course
of a 1000-page print run. In addition, BLI assesses
media-handling capabilities in terms of the paper
sizes, weights and capacities supported, media
catalogue integration and inline finishing options
available. The test also includes an assessment of
ease of use for setting up, submitting and manag-
ing jobs; loading paper and toner; switching out
operator-replaceable components; and removing
misfeeds.
‘The bizhub PRESS 1250 is a true production
workhorse and its outstanding media handling, plus
the wealth of feedback it provides, ensure jobs will
not only get done quickly, but with minimal inter-
ruptions,’ said David Sweetnam, BLI’s head of Euro-
pean Research and Lab Services.
Highly productive, the bizhub PRESS 1250 is the
only model in its class to have earned BLI’s 5-star
rating for productivity, with throughput speeds that
were among the fastest tested to date on heavy-
grade stocks and better than those of competitors
with A3 and SRA3 media. ‘Mixed-media workflows
were handled well, and virtually no drop-off in rated
speed was experienced when running sub-set sta-
pling and perfect bindery jobs. Plus, a new tandem
print ability gives productivity a further boost by al-
lowing a job to be split across two devices,’ said
Sweetnam.
‘Today’s printer market is a neck-and-neck race,
so winning yet another international award for this
series is a major accomplishment. We are delighted
that our on-going efforts to add substantial value
to our customers’ businesses continue to be rec-
ognised,’ said Leon Minnie, product manager of
production systems at Konica Minolta South Af-
rica. ‘After having won the BLI PRO Award last
year for our bizhub PRESS C7000, the award for our
monochrome flagship bizhub PRESS 1250 is a great
achievement for us and proves Konica Minolta’s
leading position in the production printing industry
as well as the outstanding quality of our systems.
Printed on supplied by
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