The Postal Service recently completed deployment of its Mobile Delivery Devices (MDDs), new equipment that is playing a crucial role in boosting the package delivery business.
MDDs are used to scan packages when they’re received at Post Offices and when they’re delivered to customers. This up-to-the-minute information is fed to the My USPS.com application, allowing customers to track individual packages as they move through the postal network.
About 263,000 MDDs have been deployed to more than 19,000 facilities. Deployment occurred in two phases, beginning in 2014.
“These devices were deployed quicker than anticipated thanks to the collaboration of our dedicated employees and suppliers,” said Engineering Systems VP Michael Amato. “The MDDs will reduce the time from delivery scan to customer notification and will improve our real-time scanning capabilities.”
The new devices offer real-time scanning and GPS data, so carriers no longer need to carry both scanners and cell phones. The on-screen signature capability frees carriers from the task of filling out paper delivery receipts, improving efficiency.
MDDs also are part of the Postal Service’s broader effort to provide employees with tools to help them perform their jobs more effectively.