Packstation
Encyclopedia
Packstation is a service run by DHL Parcel Germany, a business unit of Deutsche Post
's Mail division, in Germany
. It provides automated booths for self-service collection of parcels and oversize letters as well as self-service dispatch of parcels 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Packstation started as a pilot project in 2001 and was quickly expanded. By 2007 there were 900 Packstation machines in Germany. Only ordinary parcels and letters delivered by Deutsche Post can be delivered to Packstations. Moreover, Deutsche Post allows its subsidiary DHL Express
Germany to insert a limited number of express parcels
.
A major market for Packstation is the increasing number of single people, especially students and time-poor professionals, who purchase products online but are not normally at home at daytime to accept deliveries, or who do not have the time to deposit parcels at the post office
during normal opening hours.
There are currently 800,000 registered Packstation customers in Germany, and according to Deutsche Post their number is growing by 200,000 every year.
Deutsche Post is planning to set up a total of 2,400 Packstations in Germany by 2009. Its aim is that eventually no customer should need to travel more than 10 minutes to reach a Packstation.
The manufacturer of the Packstation is the Austrian company KEBA
.
("Goldcard") and PIN
that can be used to identify the customer at Packstation machines and post offices. Previously, it was possible to use the Packstation by entering the customer number and the PIN. This was changed in 2011 in order to increase security as said by DHL, usage of the Goldcard is mandatory now.
Max Mustermann
12345678
Packstation 123
12345 Berlin
where "12345678" is the customer number, "123" is the machine number and "12345" is the traditional postal code
for the location of the Packstation. The customer number is permanently assigned to a recipient. Number and location of a Packstation can be looked up online prior to receiving a delivery.
A customer is not tied to a particular Packstation, but is free to choose a different one for each delivery.
As soon as the parcel arrives at the Packstation, the customer is notified by SMS
and/or email
. He or she then has seven business days to collect the package. The customer logs in with their Goldcard and PIN, and retrieves the parcel.
The Packstation also accepts Maestro debit cards
for collect-on-delivery mail.
at a post office, online or directly at a Packstation booth.
The client in with his/her Goldcard and PIN and scans the bar code on the package stamp. After the parcel size is specified, a compartment opens where the parcel can be placed. The maximum size for parcels is 60 × 35 × 35 cm.
has offered in-house Packstations for large businesses (with more than 3000 employees). This service is especially attractive for businesses whose employees frequently receive private parcels at their work address. The Packstation can be a compromise solution that still allows employees to receive parcels without straining the company's resources. The first business to set up a Packstation in-house was SAP
in Walldorf (number 801 and 803). Unlike public Packstations, the location of in-house Packstations is not published on the internet. BASF
, Siemens
, T-Mobile
, and T-Online have also set up Packstations on their premises.
Wheelchair users have trouble using the Packstations because some of the compartments are too high for wheelchair access.
n postal company, introduced a virtually identical service called Post.24-Station in November 2006. The booths are manufactured by the same company that makes the Packstations, Keba AG. Currently the service is only available in Vienna
, where Stations have been erected in supermarkets, petrol stations, and post offices that can easily be reached by public transport.
An Estonian company Smartpost
runs a network of 35 self-service parcel terminals covering the country, called Delivery Point Solution. The terminals are located in shopping centres, they enable clients to send and receive parcels and pay for them at the collection point. There is a terminal for every Estonian in a range of a 15-minute drive. The parcel terminals and the software running the system are manufactured in Estonia by SmartPOST.
Also Latvian company PostService runs a network of 39 self-service parcel terminals in Latvia, called Mana pasta stacija (My Post Station). Terminals are located in 27 largest cities and towns of Latvia. The terminals are constructed and manufactured in Latvia by company Post Service itself.
Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL, is the world's largest logistics group. With its headquarters in Bonn, the corporation has 467,088 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and generated revenue of € 51.48 billion in 2010...
's Mail division, in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It provides automated booths for self-service collection of parcels and oversize letters as well as self-service dispatch of parcels 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Packstation started as a pilot project in 2001 and was quickly expanded. By 2007 there were 900 Packstation machines in Germany. Only ordinary parcels and letters delivered by Deutsche Post can be delivered to Packstations. Moreover, Deutsche Post allows its subsidiary DHL Express
DHL Express
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
Germany to insert a limited number of express parcels
Express mail
In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal administration...
.
A major market for Packstation is the increasing number of single people, especially students and time-poor professionals, who purchase products online but are not normally at home at daytime to accept deliveries, or who do not have the time to deposit parcels at the post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
during normal opening hours.
There are currently 800,000 registered Packstation customers in Germany, and according to Deutsche Post their number is growing by 200,000 every year.
Deutsche Post is planning to set up a total of 2,400 Packstations in Germany by 2009. Its aim is that eventually no customer should need to travel more than 10 minutes to reach a Packstation.
The manufacturer of the Packstation is the Austrian company KEBA
KEBA
Keba AG is an Austrian company with its headquarters in Linz, that develops and produces industrial, bank, and service industrial products.In the area there are two main fields:...
.
Registration
Using Packstations is free of charge both for private and business customers, however prior registration is required. Each customer obtains a magnetic stripe cardMagnetic stripe card
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card...
("Goldcard") and PIN
Personal identification number
A personal identification number is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system. Typically, the user is required to provide a non-confidential user identifier or token and a confidential PIN to gain access to the system...
that can be used to identify the customer at Packstation machines and post offices. Previously, it was possible to use the Packstation by entering the customer number and the PIN. This was changed in 2011 in order to increase security as said by DHL, usage of the Goldcard is mandatory now.
Addressing
The addressing system used for Packstations is slightly different from standard mail. A customer who wishes to pick up a delivery at a Packstation must specify its address according to the following scheme:Max Mustermann
12345678
Packstation 123
12345 Berlin
where "12345678" is the customer number, "123" is the machine number and "12345" is the traditional postal code
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
for the location of the Packstation. The customer number is permanently assigned to a recipient. Number and location of a Packstation can be looked up online prior to receiving a delivery.
A customer is not tied to a particular Packstation, but is free to choose a different one for each delivery.
Delivery and Collection
If a parcel or letter is addressed to a Packstation, it is delivered directly to the specified booth. If the destination is full, the parcel is diverted to the nearest booth with free compartments or to the nearest post office. It is also diverted to the post office if it is too large to fit into the compartments.As soon as the parcel arrives at the Packstation, the customer is notified by SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
and/or email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
. He or she then has seven business days to collect the package. The customer logs in with their Goldcard and PIN, and retrieves the parcel.
The Packstation also accepts Maestro debit cards
Maestro (debit card)
Maestro is a multi-national debit card service owned by MasterCard, and was founded in 1990. Maestro cards are obtained from associate banks and can be linked to the card holder's current account, or they can be prepaid cards...
for collect-on-delivery mail.
Customers without Packstation cards
Parcels addressed to a house number (instead of a customer number) are diverted to a Packstation if the recipient is not available to sign for the delivery. In those instances, the recipient receives a green card with a bar code and address of the Packstation. The recipient then goes to the Packstation at his convenience, holds the bar code under the scanner, and follows the simple instructions on the screen. The locker with the parcel then opens automatically and the recipient retrieves the parcel. Delivery in this manner does not require advance registration.Despatch
To send a parcel from a Packstation, the customer must first buy a package stampPostage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
at a post office, online or directly at a Packstation booth.
The client in with his/her Goldcard and PIN and scans the bar code on the package stamp. After the parcel size is specified, a compartment opens where the parcel can be placed. The maximum size for parcels is 60 × 35 × 35 cm.
Packstation Inhouse
Since January 2004, DHLDHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
has offered in-house Packstations for large businesses (with more than 3000 employees). This service is especially attractive for businesses whose employees frequently receive private parcels at their work address. The Packstation can be a compromise solution that still allows employees to receive parcels without straining the company's resources. The first business to set up a Packstation in-house was SAP
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
in Walldorf (number 801 and 803). Unlike public Packstations, the location of in-house Packstations is not published on the internet. BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
, Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, and T-Online have also set up Packstations on their premises.
Packstation for Technicians
Public Packstations are often used by businesses to deliver spare parts to service technicians working in the field, or on the way to the customer.Controversies and legal issues
The user of a Packstation must agree to give up his/her right to decline acceptance of a delivery, when registering for the service. A traditional parcel delivery to a home address or for collection at a post office can be rejected by the customer if visible damage has occurred to the packaging, or if it is an unwanted delivery. However, customers have the option of filing a complaint with the nearest post office.Wheelchair users have trouble using the Packstations because some of the compartments are too high for wheelchair access.
Similar systems
Österreichische Post, an AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n postal company, introduced a virtually identical service called Post.24-Station in November 2006. The booths are manufactured by the same company that makes the Packstations, Keba AG. Currently the service is only available in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where Stations have been erected in supermarkets, petrol stations, and post offices that can easily be reached by public transport.
An Estonian company Smartpost
SmartPost
SmartPOST is an Estonian logistics company which specializes in delivery of goods and self-servicing post offices. Founded in 2008, SmartPOST currently operates 46 self-servicing post offices over Estonia through a solution called Delivery Point Solution .Currently, the DPS system is used by online...
runs a network of 35 self-service parcel terminals covering the country, called Delivery Point Solution. The terminals are located in shopping centres, they enable clients to send and receive parcels and pay for them at the collection point. There is a terminal for every Estonian in a range of a 15-minute drive. The parcel terminals and the software running the system are manufactured in Estonia by SmartPOST.
Also Latvian company PostService runs a network of 39 self-service parcel terminals in Latvia, called Mana pasta stacija (My Post Station). Terminals are located in 27 largest cities and towns of Latvia. The terminals are constructed and manufactured in Latvia by company Post Service itself.