Oct/Nov 2006

A massive roll-out of drivers' handheld computers is under way at global parcels carrier UPS. The company says it will be deploying more than 11,600 of its latest DIAD units this year in Europe alone, and more than 46,000 worldwide.

UPS claims to have been the first major player in its market to introduce handheld computers, which made their initial appearance back in 1991. The organisation coined the term DIAD, or Delivery Information Acquisition Device, for its own version.

The concept is now in its fourth incarnation. The current DIAD IV has been several years in development, and is already in service in some parts of the organisation. But the end of this year UPS expects to have almost doubled the number currently in use to 80,000.

DIAD IV has been developed in association with Symbol to reflect UPS's specific requirements. It is said to be smaller and lighter than its predecessors, and uses a battery that lasts an entire work day. It supports five wireless communications systems, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPRS data networking, plus CDMA for the US.

 

It runs under Windows CE .Net, and is powered by a 400MHz Intel XScale processor. It has a 45-key keypad for driver input, as well as a touch-sensitive screen for signature capture.

According to Walter van der Meiren, UPS Europe's IE manager, the latest version "is going to enable us to offer some nifty new services in the future." He has not spelled out precisely what this will mean for customer sin terms of consignment tracking, but does hint at future capabilities when he says the device "significantly expands the visibility" surrounding the 14.8 million deliveries UPS delivers every day.

European countries expected to see benefits from the current DIAD roll-out include Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Lynx as well as UPS operations will benefit in the UK.