Jan/Feb 2004

Mobile devices come in all shapes and sizes and with a variety of operating systems, reflecting both the task they are designed to do and the age of the device or the application software. If you add an international dimension, the diversity goes further.

Is it really possible to apply a standard solution that can meet all those requirements? TNT Express, the global express delivery company, has decided it is; and it has therefore embarked on what looks a truly gargantuan task. Over the next three years it will deploy over 24,000 mobile units across a business that includes 21,000 road vehicles, 43 aircraft and over 1,000 sorting depots.

The mobile units will be used by various personnel including drivers and warehouse operatives, and will range from ruggedised warehouse data capture units to fixed in-vehicle devices and handhelds for delivery drivers, which will be capable of capturing electronic proof of delivery data.

The devices may vary in detail, and it is not yet clear how many manufacturers will actually supply them, although one company that is already involved is Symbol. But in one critical area they will be identical: all will run on the Windows Mobile operating system from Microsoft.

 

Unsurprisingly, that means TNT Express has become the largest European customer so far to commit to Windows Mobile for its next generation of mobile devices.

Its stated mission is to be the fastest and most reliable express delivery company in the world. "The company is always seeking technology improvements that will make us more efficient and deliver a competitive advantage," explains Jim Flood, manager of architecture and technical services for the company. "In recent years we have deployed several in-house solutions to improving communications between drivers and base."

But he says the technology has been driven by local needs in local markets. "The result is that we now have seven different devices across the company. Applications are specific to each of the devices, so when it is time to upgrade them, we are reliant on the hardware manufacturers to develop the relevant interfaces."

For Flood, one of the chief attractions of Windows Mobile is that it enables the company to become device-agnostic. "We are no longer tied into a particular application on a certain device. We will be able to have standard applications and processes across the group which will reduce our costs. We will also be able to deploy any new technology faster, because we will have just one application to roll out, not seven."

Windows Mobile delivers other advantages too,Flood points out, including greater communications flexibility. "We can select GSM, GPRS or 3G on a country-by-country basis. Although GPRS is the most efficient communications network, not all the countries we operate in have a 2.5G network, so we need the flexibility to use 2G GSM as well."

TNT Express operates a three-year replacement cycle for new devices, and Windows .Net will be rolled out as and when existing devices come up for replacement. The first 1,000 devices have already been rolled out across thirteen countries. Flood wants to focus on upgrading the existing mobile functions initially, and then add more functionality at a later date. "Eventually we hope to integrate fully with our warehousing operations."

• In future, TNT drivers will communicate with local offices using a software application designed by TNT Express itself using the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework. Initially, drivers will use the devices to receive new job allocations and send job completion notices. Eventually the company wants to obtain digital signatures as proof of receipt from customers.

The Windows .NET platform is designed to help developers build and deploy applications for mobile and small footprint devices. With it, TNT Express has been able to use its existing base of developers to build and deploy bespoke applications for its drivers to use, cutting the time for delivery of this innovative new solution - and critically, says Flood, cutting the total cost.

Apart from hardware independence, Windows Mobile platform gives TNT Express a straightforward upgrade path when utilising next generation technology.

For Microsoft, the commitment from TNT Express is proof that mobile devices have come of age. As Jason Langley, UK mobility manager for Microsoft, put its: "They are no longer toys, but powerful business tools. They deliver business information into the hands of people who need it wherever they are."

TNT Express employs 43,000 staff worldwide and claims to be the world's leading business-to-business express delivery company. The company is a division of TPG NV, the Dutch-based global provider of express, mail and logistics services, which also operates TNT Logistics and Royal TPG Post.

TNT Express delivers 3.6 million parcels, documents and pieces of freight a week to 222 countries, using its network of nearly 1,000 depots, hubs and sorting centres.

Air hub sees early benefits with wireless handhelds

One division of TNT Express has already found savings from handheld terminals on a very specific application.

In its express hub at Li�ge airport in Belgium, the company has chosen Psion Teklogix to supply hardware for a scheme called Mobiler, under which ground staff can communicate wirelessly with personnel in the control tower. For this application it is using the distinctive Netpad, with its landscape-format screen, along with portable printers.

The system allows staff to exchange information in real time on matters such as flight arrivals and departures, and where containers are positioned on aircraft. Already the system is reported have shown a 10 per cent reduction in aircraft loading time, and a six-minute improvement in flight arrival times. Since 70 per cent of TNT's international air express consignments are said to pass through Liege, these benefits are significant.

While it is not yet clear just which makers will supply hardware for the wider TNT Express roll-out, it has been said that up to 38 suppliers could offer suitable equipment. Such is the benefit of a standard operating system.