Research, simulation and development of new large-scale dispatching and distribution processes taking into account the practical use of passive radio frequency identification technologies in dense environment

Project title

Name of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries

Poczta Polska S.A.
Łukasiewicz Research Network - Poznan Institute of Technology

Name of programme

“Smart Growth” Operational Program

Competition

Application projects

Project value

PLN 9 115 713.10

Funding value

PLN 6 129 325.27

Project delivery period

From 25/01/2019 until 30/06/2022

Get to know our team

What problem does our project solve?

The objective of the project was to significantly improve the services offered by Poczta Polska S.A. thanks to the application of modern techniques of contactless passive radio identification in the conditions of realisation of large-scale dispatching and distribution processes within the extended distribution network of the company.

The project will result in new dispatch and distribution processes, taking into account the use the RFID techniques, allowing for a significant improvement and modernisation of the courier services of the company, in particular in the field of logistics of pallet and parcel shipments, which is of crucial importance for the company in a situation of dynamic growth of the e-commerce market.

The elaboration of the new processes was preceded by an AS-IS process analysis, modelling and the development and simulation of new logistics processes implemented for different levels of the packaging hierarchy.

The end result of the work is new and significantly improved dispatch and distribution processes, taking into account the application of the new RFID technological solutions. The result of the work is the consortium members' know-how in the selection and implementation of specific identification solutions applied to selected logistics units.

The outcome of the project is also a prototype of a distributed network using the selected RFID technical solutions, on which the achievements of the project were confirmed through multi-criteria tests of the operational efficiency, both of the technical components of the system and of the new operational processes.

Who will benefit from the outcomes of the project?

The outcomes of the project will benefit practically each customer of Poczta Polska S.A. through better handling of their shipments, total ‘visibility’ of the mail during its handling by Poczta Polska S.A. The outcomes will also benefit Poczta Polska S.A. through a reduction of operating costs of its operations, the possibility to offer new, improved products, as well as the employees of Poczta Polska S.A. due to easier handling of shipments (sorting, identification, detection of errors and elimination of delays).

What was the most challenging aspect of the implementation of the project for us?

The greatest challenge of the project was the unprecedented scale of operations of the designated operator - Poczta Polska S.A. The number of consignments handled by the operator and their density in the facilities of Poczta Polska S.A. required conducting a number of studies allowing for optimal selection of automatic identification techniques - from the passive RFID tags to active reader/programmer devices. Selected processes even required the development of new technical solutions (RFID scanning chamber) in order to be able to carry out selective tag readings in the dense environment in an automated manner.

Our advice to other Applicants

Based on our experience, it is essential that the project responds to the entrepreneur's real problems and challenges. Their solution should be the main objective of the project, and all activities carried out in the project should be subordinated to this objective. In this manner, the expenses incurred for the project and the co-financing obtained make it possible to gain a return in the future on the research carried out, on process changes and on the orientation of the project team.