IN Brief:
- PostNL is rolling out around 14,000 Datalogic Memor 35 handheld terminals.
- The devices will replace legacy parcel scanning hardware across operations in the Netherlands and Belgium.
- The upgrade is designed to improve scanning speed, availability, navigation, charging, and maintenance performance.
PostNL is rolling out around 14,000 Datalogic Memor 35 handheld terminals across its parcel operations in the Netherlands and Belgium, replacing legacy devices used by drivers and parcel teams.
The rugged Android terminals will support parcel scanning, driver workflows, navigation, and delivery visibility across a high-volume network. For an operator handling hundreds of thousands of parcels each day, handheld devices form a core part of the delivery process rather than a peripheral technology layer.
The rollout followed a market inquiry in April 2024 and pilot activity involving more than 80 routes and 25 users across the Netherlands and Belgium. PostNL is now moving from evaluation to large-scale replacement, with the new devices intended to improve availability, usability, and maintenance performance.
Datalogic’s Memor 35 has been designed for demanding logistics environments, with wireless charging, extended battery performance, fast scanning, and ruggedisation against drops, dust, and water exposure. Those features are central to parcel delivery, where devices are moved constantly between depots, vans, doorsteps, lockers, collection points, and sorting areas.
Scanning reliability affects every stage of parcel visibility. A missed scan can disrupt customer notifications, proof of delivery, claims handling, exception management, and operational reporting. In high-volume parcel networks, small improvements in scan speed and device uptime can produce measurable gains across millions of parcel movements.
The deployment also reflects a wider move towards real-time logistics execution. Warehouses, parcel hubs, and fulfilment operations are reducing their dependence on periodic checks and manual reconciliation, instead building visibility into the physical flow of goods. Romark’s deployment of DexoryView for real-time inventory visibility shows the same underlying shift inside warehouse operations.
Parcel networks face a sharper version of that challenge because the work happens across thousands of moving points. Drivers, hubs, lockers, customer addresses, returns locations, and partner sites all generate events that need to be captured accurately. The handheld terminal is often the point where physical movement becomes operational data.
Android-based rugged devices also give operators a more flexible platform for software development and workflow changes. Delivery apps, navigation tools, exception reporting, returns handling, customer communication, proof of delivery, and security updates can be managed on a modern enterprise mobility platform rather than through older, more constrained dedicated terminals.
That flexibility is becoming more valuable as parcel delivery grows more complex. Drivers may need to handle failed delivery instructions, age verification, lockers, pick-up and drop-off points, returns, address changes, and dynamic routing within the same shift. A device that supports those workflows reliably can reduce operational friction and driver frustration.
Maintenance is another important factor. Large device fleets can become a hidden operational burden when batteries degrade, screens fail, scanners slow down, or charging infrastructure becomes unreliable. Reducing downtime and repair requirements can help protect route productivity and avoid unnecessary spare-device overhead.
The PostNL rollout is a practical technology upgrade, but it strengthens a critical part of the parcel chain. Delivery visibility is only as dependable as the tools capturing events at the point of work, and handheld performance remains one of the foundations of modern parcel logistics.
