ups tests \'smart lock\' technology in new york apartment buildings
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)-
United Parcel ServicesUPS. N)
On Tuesday, the company said it was testing \"smart lock\" technology that allowed its delivery drivers to open the door and drop multiple packages at a safe location in the apartment building around New York City.
Tests include \"hundreds of non-doorman” multi-
Home buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn have Latch\'s \"Smart Access system\" installed \".
UPS is working to make this project the \"last project\"mile” e-
By reducing the need for parcel theft and repeated delivery by drivers, it is more convenient and economical for commercial delivery to families.
\"It\'s hard to deliver packages in high securitydensity, multi-
Family city homes, especially when people are not at home, \"says Jerome Roberts, vice president of product innovation worldwide at UPS.
The partnership and lock
New York-
Startups that have raised $26 million in private money
Enables the UPS driver to open the entrance door using a handheld device that has different access credentials for each building on the road.
Latch creates traceable records whenever a driver enters a building.
Derek Banta, director of global product innovation concepts at UPS, said the package delivery company will evaluate the costs that could be saved by \"completing more deliveries for the first time.
UPS, the world\'s largest parcel delivery company, and FedEx, a competitor (FDX. N)
They have invested billions to upgrade their network in response to the surge in demand for e-commerce
Business delivery.
Residential delivery usually costs more than commercial delivery, as drivers drop more packages at each stop in the office than at home.
FedEx told Reuters it began testing smart lock technology in specific markets before the winter vacation shipping season last year.
FedEx declined to disclose the testing market or its Smart Access Technology Partners.
A year ago, Latch worked with Wal-Mart (WMT. N)Jet. com e-
Commercial sites that test the technology on 1,000 residential buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Wal-Mart also made waves when it started putting packages in the family in September --
Or groceries in the fridge.
As part of the Silicon Valley home smart lock customer test in August. Amazon. com (AMZN. O)
A security measure was announced late last year.
The lock-in service called Amazon Key enables Amazon logistics delivery personnel to briefly open the customer\'s door and throw the package in.
