Autumn 2006

Could vehicle and consignment tracking be the hitherto neglected solution to failed home deliveries? That's the contention of CMS Global Technologies, a telematics and tracking systems specialist.

Managing director Jason Airey goes as far as to claim: "In the future, using our system it should be possible for companies to do away with delivery time windows."

Consignment tracking is of course well established in the home shopping market. Many suppliers provide customers with a tracking number, and direct them to the carrier's web site to chase up delivery progress. But up to now, such facilities have not been particularly detailed; it is not usually practical, for instance, for consumers to time their movements minutely over the course of a day to reflect the information they are given.

The difference in the CMS approach is in the frequency and accuracy of the tracking. The company is advocating a system in which customers can track the progress of deliveries online in real time, with position updates provided every few minutes.

CMS is not just offering a concept; it is talking about an actual product, based on a system it has implemented for Royal Mail's same-day delivery service (Fulfilment & e.logistics, last issue). Clearly to translate it into a wholly consumer-facing system may involve some integration, but CMS's Airey maintains: "Once carriers see a demonstration of the system, they will soon want to rethink the way they go about delivering goods to customers."