Poczta Polska is testing radio-frequency identification technology for shipments in a project carried out with the ŁUKASIEWICZ Research Network – Institute of Logistics and Warehousing.
Currently, shipments in Poczta Polska’s sorting centers are identified by operators scanning barcodes. RFID technology will significantly speed up shipment sorting because it does not require operator involvement. RFID is based on radio identification, and data is sent to the system via chips placed on shipments, e.g., in the form of a sticker. Contactless identification is possible even from a distance of several meters.
Sorting centers in Pruszcz Gdański, Szczecin, and Zabrze have been selected for the Poczta Polska project. Work on the application of this technology will also be conducted in the laboratory of the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, which, together with Poczta Polska, forms a research and development consortium. After the initial testing phase, Poczta Polska facilities will join the project. Subsequently, the technology will be tested in real-world conditions on a large scale.
– Dynamic changes in the postal services industry require continuous innovation. Thanks to RFID technology, we have the chance to streamline the identification and registration of shipments, enable real-time shipment tracking, improve the security of letters and parcels, and reduce the labor intensity of scanning them. This solution may prove effective even with a significantly increasing number of parcels, without the need to increase existing resources – says Paweł Przychodzeń, Member of the Management Board of Poczta Polska for Logistics.
The “Automatic Shipment Identification” project was submitted to a competition organized by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), which selects the best innovative ideas. The total value of the project is PLN 9.1 million. The funding amount granted by the National Centre for Research and Development under the EU’s Smart Growth Operational Program is PLN 6.1 million. Its goal is to support innovation in enterprises through research and development activities and cooperation between business and the science sector. The project is planned for 2.5 years and will end in the third quarter of 2021. The results of the tests will significantly influence the decision on implementing RFID solutions in postal facilities and sorting centers.