As part of its 2015 development plans, PHS Teacrate is introducing handheld personal digital assistants (PDA’s), to provide real-time information for its office removals operation.

The company, which sells and delivers around 25 million packing and other crates each year, will offer paperless delivery scanning from January 2015.

The new system will enable removal companies, major rental hirers and facilities managers to have delivery information that will allow the tracking of crates during delivery and collection or when in transit between internal departments or offices. The investment should reduce stock losses, highlight potential bottlenecks and overcome some of the perceived anonymity of unmarked crates. 

The paperless system provides vital delivery and collection information which can either be automatically emailed directly to the customer or accessed via a login portal. The driver’s handheld PDA immediately alerts PHS Teacrate in the unlikely event of any delivery or transcript errors allowing the firm to take immediate action. 

The PDA devices are part one of a three-phased technology investment programme, which will eventually allow large organisations to handle their own internal moves by giving facilities managers access to optional barcoded delivery crates. The final phase of the programme will provide access to various additional reports including unallocated crates, stock flow, daily summary reports and even extended rental alerts. 

While everyone involved can profit from the new crate tracking, the company envisages rental customers will enjoy the most benefits from this new service due to the often high volume of crates involved.

Managing Director, Gordon Philip, who is pioneering the project said, “Providing our customers with real-time information is a no brainer because the technology is easy to understand and use and also acts as a reminder that we take crate tracking very seriously. We will also be introducing optional barcode tracking because it is now relatively low cost and will provide some of our customers with much needed extra information.”

Picture: PHS Teacrate PDA