The technology and data used on our infrastructure at NZ Post is designed to create an intelligent delivery network across Aotearoa and ultimately, a better experience for everyone sending and delivering parcels. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Auckland Processing Centre, opening April, where the needs of Customs and the Ministry of Primary Industries have required new technology solutions and even closer integration.

Parcels are sorted using the latest technology which gives us a connected view of where parcels are in our network across the country – understanding more about the parcels we process, where they are at all times and how to move them through to delivery in the most efficient way.

With the Auckland Processing Centre about to go-live, there has never been a more important time to audit labelling, addressing and packaging standards, particularly for international items, which are moving from a largely manual system at the International Mail Centre to the almost fully automated APC.

Changing the data fields behind the barcodes on our parcel labels to align with industry and international standards will help to connect parcels back to us both locally and globally. Ultimately, improving and standardising data helps us to be consistent with parcels in our network and makes it easier for customers to work with us.

Our automated sortation uses optical character recognition technology that can recognise addresses and barcodes to sort items to the right chute for delivery. These changes will speed up processing - the faster we can get the parcels off the belt and into the right chute, the faster we can get them out for delivery.

In the future, after we’ve developed our Network Operations Centre, we’ll have access to real-time data to help us make faster decisions about running our network and forecast of expected volumes for the next few days. This will help us plan better and respond to events that disrupt our network, like flooding or road closures.

APC has been co-designed with our border agency partners, this new level of collaboration has required an even closer working relationship – on the technical requirements resulting from automation and the requirements of all parties.

Together with our border agency partners, we’ve adopted and co-created digital solutions using new machine learning models.

Sortation Business Design Lead Thomas Stewart says there are teams of people working on the technology. “What we’ve built previously has had to be extended significantly. We’ve needed to introduce specific apps to integrate with MPI and Customs, to support their requirements.

“The technology allows them to operate within the facility, so they can track and intercept items of interest and then manage the workflow associated with items that they need to process.”

The technology takes data and applies a series of business rules, diverting items of interest to screening machines and if it can’t be identified, it will go through to an operator. The real time tomography machine essentially uses machine learning to optimise decision making, as over time, the feedback loop optimises how the machine identifies items of interest.

“You might be familiar with CT (computed tomography) scanners. The Rapiscan screening devices use the same technology to produce a 3D image of every parcel processed. The Rapiscan ‘level 1’ algorithm is applied to automatically identify whether an item is of interest in less than one second before either rejecting the item or presenting the 3D images to a ‘level 2’ operator to visually assess,” says Thomas.

It’s a key difference from the International Mail Centre, where items passed through an x-ray machine and were mostly handled manually. Now, disruptions should be able to be anticipated and resolved because the technology can make rerouting decisions.

Detection technology is being developed for border agency partners, and will use specific algorithms. At APC, all x-ray screening will be carried out in a control room, away from moving belts and processing mail.

Artificial intelligence is possibly the next step towards the future, to help optimise decision making, including routes and delivery timeframes. In a competitive landscape, NZ Post is at the forefront of using data to inform decisions, creating efficiencies and setting the standard for customer experience.