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The operating environment of Finland Post has three main development trends: efficiency improvement, globalization and digitization of business processes. Customers and other operators want more detailed and up-to-date supply chain information; Finland Post needs to develop business processes simultaneously to further improve efficiency.
An important opportunity to improve business efficiency while enhancing customer service and satisfaction appeared in an unusual quarter last year, that is-metal trolley. In order to ensure the timely and effective delivery of millions of letters, parcels and other materials, Finland Post has adopted more than 200,000 trolleys or roll cages. These devices are used to deliver mail between sites, are used in delivery trucks and other means of transportation, and can themselves be used to transport mail between distribution warehouses. Each roll cage is worth up to 300 Euros, and it must have enough durability to withstand the extreme harsh environment of minus 40°C in some parts of Finland. They are simply the backbone of the postal business.
Unfortunately, Finland Post cannot accurately monitor and manage these reusable assets. How many roll cages the company has in use at any point in time has always been a question that no one can answer. Not only that, but the roll cage continues to disappear-so much so that Finland Post needs to spend 1 million euros every year to replace the equipment. These missing roll cages were not stolen or damaged, but simply occupied by the customer for longer than the agreement period. This problem is particularly prominent during peak postal periods, such as Christmas, when the demand for roll cages will surge.
Technical route
By adopting a proven and robust method and relying on the trusted advisory partnership with BEA and Capgemini, the Finnish Post RFID project has progressed very smoothly from the initial understanding to the subsequent pilot deployment. In the first stage, a studio is responsible for determining the most appropriate RFID technology and solution architecture and business process reform strategy, both of which are essential elements for realizing RFID benefits.
Finland Post worked closely with Capgemini and BEA consultants, and subsequently carried out RFID solution design and laboratory testing. The entire concept test is based on BEA WebLogic RFID Edge Server. This standards-based, robust and flexible application server is designed to help organizations such as Finland Post track reusable assets and maximize supply chain efficiency.
The BEA RFID solution realizes a completely new business process automation that was impossible before the RFID technology revolution, and significantly accelerates the return on investment of RFID technology. By organically combining the built-in real-time event integration and business process automation functions of the BEA WebLogic Platform with Capgemini’s unique capabilities, the BEA RFID solution provides a scalable and flexible platform that can not only meet current RFID needs, but also can be easily expanded , In order to effectively support future RFID planning.
This standards-based, robust and flexible application server platform is designed for managing RFID tags and reader devices, as well as the massive data generated by RFID technology. BEA WebLogic RFID Edge Server provides highly flexible system performance for regional deployments (such as distributed warehouses). It can quickly filter the RFID data collected by the card reader, and quickly deal with the abnormal situation of the business process-that is, it can deal with problems such as misdelivery in time. By integrating with internal systems and external data warehouses, organizations can transform RFID events into valuable information and publish information through other technologies (such as portals), which can also be customized according to specific needs.
The solution uses two HP Proliant servers based on Intel Xeon processors. Salomaa believes that this combination of systems provides unparalleled availability and performance. “By using HP and Intel’s first-class standardized server platforms, we have proven that the entire system has a high degree of flexibility and scalability, and has the best performance. We will recommend this combination to all organizations considering the deployment of RFID.”
The pilot project lasted for 8 weeks and involved 30 customers and 200 roll cages. Operators and local transportation drivers use mobile data collection terminals to scan RFID tags and track the distribution and collection of the roll cage during operation. A long-distance card reader is also used in the project. When the RFID tag passes through a key point in the distribution center, the long-distance card reader can automatically scan the tag information.
A large amount of valuable data was also collected during the concept test phase, including driver, roll cage and customer identification, the date and time of roll cage delivery, and complete incident management (involving when and where the roll cage was acquired And delivery, when and where to load and unload, and whether it is full, etc.). These valuable data are then compiled into a series of reports that record the circulation of the roll cage, the number of incidents per customer or each route, the number of roll cages used by each customer per day, and the daily, weekly, and route And the overall needs of customers for roll cages.
Fruit
Salomaa and her team are completely satisfied with the results of the RFID pilot project. From an asset management perspective, the pilot project improved and optimized asset control, availability and maintenance costs, thereby significantly reducing Finland Post’s total cost of ownership (TCO) of assets. The pilot project has also improved the transparency of the company’s logistics operations, reduced asset inventories, and at the same time ensured “on-site, on-time, and on-quantity” postal delivery. In addition, the solution also provides accurate asset maintenance data and warranty statement management. It enables Finland Post to accurately charge customers for the use of roll cages. It also provides complete analysis information-including asset cycle cycles, inventory cycles, utilization rates and reduction points.
From the perspective of operational efficiency and execution point, when assets/vehicles flow in the supply network, the RFID concept test can realize automatic distribution management at this level, thereby reducing operating costs. It significantly speeds up product delivery and vehicle turnaround time, thereby reducing Finland Post’s transportation costs. In addition, it optimizes the use of human resources responsible for the management of the execution process while eliminating human error. The distribution link has also been unquestionably verified, which not only reduces disputes, but also effectively improves the quality of customer service.
This application is very simple to prove that the UHF RFID portal can be used for the automatic tracking of the roll cage. All the long-distance card readers tested and the tags specially designed for the Finland Post roll cage achieve 100% Acceptance rate. During the test, the average recognition rate of the card reader for 39 empty trolleys with standard tags in each roll cage-also known as anti-deformation mailboxes, was 93%. By modifying the label design, the read rate can be easily increased to 100%.
Salomaa believes that BEA’s application infrastructure has played a vital role in the success of the RFID project. “BEA WebLogic RFID Edge Server enables the rapid and cost-effective development and implementation of RFID laboratory “concept testing” solutions,” she said. “Through the organic combination with the Intel Xeon processor, it provides us with a solid and secure system foundation on which we can scale large-scale deployments to obtain the highest ROI. In the process of using BEA WebLogic Integration? , We experienced very smooth data integration between internal systems and external data warehouses. We were able to convert real-time data into valuable information, and then publish the information through BEA WebLogic Portal, which allowed us to provide customized information to the outside world shared.”
After the end of the pilot project, what is the future of RFID-based asset tracking in Finland Post? Salomaa concluded, “Our goal is to implement RFID throughout Finland Post-to every FP terminal and all containers. We also hope to deploy RFID on various postal products, including personal letters, parcels and magazines. One thing is certain. With its deep technical experience, BEA will become a long-term and extremely valuable Finnish Post RFID project. one’s business Patner.”
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