Danish postal solutions provider Lyngsoe Systems and what3words have developed an address-reading system that can scan three-word addresses.
The solution has been integrated into Lyngsoe Systems’s Manual Image Capturing Stations (MICS), and was demonstrated for the first time at POST-EXPO 2017.
what3words’s global addressing system divides the world into 57 trillion 3x3m squares, each with a unique address made of three dictionary words. The three-word addresses follow a consistent format and are optimized for optical character recognition (OCR) scanning.
Chris Sheldrick, CEO, what3words, said, “The impact of three-word addresses on last-mile deliveries is clear, and we believe they can increase efficiency in other, less visible parts of the process, like mail-sorting.
“Manually sorting mail is expensive and resource-intensive for postal services. With what3words and Lyngsoe, this process can be optimized to save time and money, meet customers’ expectations, and improve the quality of their service.”
Sheldrick added that three-word addresses provide a standardized addressing format for every country in the world, removing the risk of error and allowing postal services, and entire countries, to take full advantage of the international boom in e-commerce.
Lyngsoe Systems’s MICS camera can now scan three-word addresses printed on envelopes or parcels and assign them to the correct bin. The sorting bins are predefined by each postal operator, allowing for a completely tailored solution. Lyngsoe said that the MICS camera is cost efficient, quick to implement, and requires limited training of staff.
September 28, 2017