United Parcel Services (UPS) started out in 1907 by two friends with $100 and a bicycle and by 2013, the company was worth over $50 billion and delivering 3.8 billion packages annually. (Hiskey) UPS has always been at the forefront of technology, from their early adoption of autos to the well-established trend of being an innovator in electronic tracking systems. (Hiskey) One of the many innovations brought to the parcel industry by UPS involved the evolution and the movement of the computer out of the office and into the hands of the delivery staff. ("The Evolution of the UPS Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD)")
UPS changed the parcel delivery industry in 1991 with their innovation and implantation of Delivery Information Acquisition …show more content…
("How UPS Smart Labels Work: HowStuffWorks") The delivery person will scan the packages barcodes using DIAD. As mentioned before the DIAD is a handheld computer that is linked wirelessly to UPS main computer systems via wireless internet connections, cellular phone services, and even radio waves. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V", 2012) Instantly the UPS computer system knows that the specific package has been picked up from the customers’ home or office or one of UPS’s many stores. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V", 2012) Labeled and scanned and now loaded on a “big brown truck”, which can actually be any variety of vehicle depending on your location around the world, the package is now on its’ way to its’ destination. ("How UPS Smart Labels Work: …show more content…
("5 things that happen to your package in transit") The location of the package at any given moment is known to UPS, who in turn not only uses the information for their internal needs, but also shares it with their customers. ("5 things that happen to your package in transit") UPS customers both shippers and receivers can use a tracking number, that is unique to their package and hidden in the smart labels barcodes, along with services provided on the UPS website to see where their parcel is and its’ expected arrival time. ("Smart Label") Not only can you look up your package’s location with its’ tracking number, if you choose to UPS will send you updates via email or text, just another way technology is used by UPS to service its’ customers. ("Smart Label") Again, all this information is collected using the hand held computer, the DIAD, which reads the Smart Labels, and defines the current location of the package via GPS and manual entries of the delivery staff. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V",
UPS changed the parcel delivery industry in 1991 with their innovation and implantation of Delivery Information Acquisition …show more content…
("How UPS Smart Labels Work: HowStuffWorks") The delivery person will scan the packages barcodes using DIAD. As mentioned before the DIAD is a handheld computer that is linked wirelessly to UPS main computer systems via wireless internet connections, cellular phone services, and even radio waves. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V", 2012) Instantly the UPS computer system knows that the specific package has been picked up from the customers’ home or office or one of UPS’s many stores. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V", 2012) Labeled and scanned and now loaded on a “big brown truck”, which can actually be any variety of vehicle depending on your location around the world, the package is now on its’ way to its’ destination. ("How UPS Smart Labels Work: …show more content…
("5 things that happen to your package in transit") The location of the package at any given moment is known to UPS, who in turn not only uses the information for their internal needs, but also shares it with their customers. ("5 things that happen to your package in transit") UPS customers both shippers and receivers can use a tracking number, that is unique to their package and hidden in the smart labels barcodes, along with services provided on the UPS website to see where their parcel is and its’ expected arrival time. ("Smart Label") Not only can you look up your package’s location with its’ tracking number, if you choose to UPS will send you updates via email or text, just another way technology is used by UPS to service its’ customers. ("Smart Label") Again, all this information is collected using the hand held computer, the DIAD, which reads the Smart Labels, and defines the current location of the package via GPS and manual entries of the delivery staff. (UPS, "Introducing the DIAD V",