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Logistics services
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A new tracking device for US postal services
An American company based
in California has recently
developed a tracking device
which may help post offices to
improve their services. It can
be used to find out more about
hold-ups and delays in postal
operations.
The small tracker, called the
Letter Logger, uses the Global
Positioning System (GPS) to
store information about an
item’s position in transit. Similar
devices have been used in the past to track expensive consumer goods like cars, but until now none
of these systems was small enough to travel in an envelope.
Now that’s all changed. As well as fitting into a US standard-size business letter, the GPS Letter Logger
also meets other postal requirements: it is bendable and able to withstand rough handling. This is
particularly important as the envelopes are thrown into sacks, then transported by van to automatic
sorting locations where they run through high-speed shuffling systems.
The tracker itself does not transmit its position during transit, but stores the journey log on a memory
card which can be read by a laptop computer. The GPS device offers several programming options
ranging from checking its position every few minutes to checking only when on the move.
The Letter Logger does not help, however, if the envelope carrying it does not arrive at its destination
within about seven days, as the battery runs flat after about a week.
over
to
you
1 Have you ever experienced delays in postal services when sending or receiving letters?
2 Do you think this device should be used in your home country’s postal service?
3 Do you know any other useful electronic devices in logistics and transport?
OUTPUT