Bpost, the leading postal and courier services provider in Belgium, has chosen Zetes to create an innovative system called CycloSafe. The system was launched 15 September 2014.
It tracks and finds lost bicycles thanks to an RFID chip built into a box installed on the frame of the bike. Whilst doing their rounds, letter carriers equipped with portable readers scan bikes. The information is then sent to the ZetesOlympus central database.
In view of the growing number of lost and stolen bikes in Belgium, bpost is creating an opportunity to solve this problem by developing the CycloSafe system in partnership with Zetes. This system is used to locate and retrieve lost or stolen bikes and return them to their owners.
Nico Cools, MD Business Customers & Solutions at bpost: “We wanted to extend our range of services to citizens. Then we had the idea of CycloSafe. Bicycle theft is a plague, and our team of letter carriers covers every street in the country on a daily basis. To implement a traceability system, we needed a partner with experience in projects of this magnitude. We chose Zetes, a well-known Belgian company. ”
Zetes managed the engineering and industrialisation of CycloSafe. The box, which is permanently secured to the bicycle frame, contains a chip with a unique identification number that is registered in the ZetesOlympus database. The device is activated the first time its user logs onto the dedicated bpost website.
Zetes has developed an application for portable data terminals, which communicates with an RFID reader via Bluetooth®. The device allows fast and continuous reading of data in areas of high bike concentration, such as stations, near schools, etc.
The data are then sent to the ZetesOlympus database in the cloud. Next, they are sent to the bpost application. If a lost or stolen bike has been detected, bpost contacts the local police force, which will take action to reunite the bike with its owner. The ZetesOlympus database communicates with the bpost system. The geolocation information, managed by Zetes, and the user’s personal data, managed by bpost, are stored separately for data protection purposes.
Alain Wirtz, CEO of the Zetes Group, says: “Zetes already has a strong presence in the postal sector in Europe, with its Proof of Delivery solution, ZetesChronos. But for this unique and innovative project in Belgium, bpost has given us the opportunity to use the central element of our suite of Collaborative Supply Chain solutions, ZetesOlympus, using RFID technology.”
