Deutsche Post DHL has launched an innovative cross-border tracking service using RFID tags for low-value shipments from Germany to major markets.
For vendors who ship merchandise from Germany to other countries, Deutsche Post now offers a new and convenient additional service called ‘Ländernachweis’ (proof of country). It is already available for 16 destination countries (EU members Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, the UK, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and Hungary, as well as Switzerland and the USA) and other countries will follow shortly.
With this solution, Deutsche Post makes the cross-border tracking and tracing of merchandise items even more transparent. The company uses RFID tags on items to follow and register their cross-border transport and handover for delivery in the destination country. Both sender and recipient can view the shipping status of the item via Deutsche Post's track and trace portal. The RFID tags can either be placed on or inside items.
Deutsche Post's new service is designed specifically to cater to the needs of business customers and small-scale senders. While these customers can already use Einschreiben International (international registered items) to send higher-value goods, they often have other requirements when it comes to the international shipping of less expensive mid-sized to large items. The new product offers comprehensible and cost-effective "tracking events" that give senders and customers a clearer picture of the status of their items.
It is not necessary to record every single step in the shipping process and key locations suffice for identifying their whereabouts, the company explained. The letters are scanned at the international mail center – the transshipment hub for all letters leaving Germany – and then at the international parcel center of the destination country. Depending on the destination, the letter will be scanned once again at customs, as is the case in Switzerland and the USA.
The Ländernachweis RFID tags come in sets of 20 and 50 (€19.00 /€45.00 including VAT) and can only be purchased online from the Deutsche Post eFiliale, the company’s electronic retail outlet. For customers with higher shipping volumes, writable labels with integrated RFID tags are available. The labels can be integrated effortlessly into customer shipping processes and facilitate the straightforward addressing of items for dispatch.
