Sept/Oct 2004

DHL is equipping 700 drivers in its Express Sameday operation with wireless handheld terminals in a bid to achieve more efficient job allocation, real-time tracking and reporting, and to reduce paperwork.

The company has chosen Siemens Communications to supply the GPRS-enabled PDAs. Initially forty units are being supplied in a pilot exercise at DHL's Heathrow and Preston depots, and the full roll-our should be completed early next year.

According to Simon Croft, managing director of the Sameday operation and "sponsor" of the project: "It's crucial that we continually invest in systems, processes and technologies that make us more efficient, effective and competitive."

He adds that the Siemens solution "will deliver real strategic value to our business." He says the ability to capture critical data "will be invaluable in the re-engineering of our business processes."