Safe, Secure System Streamlines Parcel Delivery Process

In May 2019, Keith Braithwaite was just one of a growing cohort of apartment building managers faced with frustrating parcel logistics.

For the manager of Unison at Waterfront—a 290-apartment complex comprising two buildings—time wasted chasing up stolen or missing parcels, notifying tenants and dealing with unnecessary foot traffic in the foyer had become a major issue. 

“There were issues of theft, missing and damaged parcels which required extra time to investigate,” Braithwaite said.

“Unison staff would need to regularly check security video footage in order to identify the event or person responsible.”

Added to that, delivery couriers required Unison staff to sign for most parcels. 

“At the end of each day, Unison staff would need to send an email to residents via the building management system advising them that they had a parcel to collect,” he said. 

These parcels would then be left in an open corridor near the manager’s office for collection, becoming a security issue and detracting from the building’s overall aesthetic value. 

Braithwaite enlisted secure delivery specialists My Parcel Locker to help streamline the process of securely managing 340 monthly parcel deliveries.

It would require the installation of an automated locker system to eliminate parcel theft and the risk of missing or damaged parcels.

It was also important that the locker system was styled in a way that would retain the aesthetic feel of the complex.

As well as being accessible to couriers without intruding on the foyer space , the lockers would need to be centrally accessible to residents of Unison’s two towers.

A custom-built locker system meeting all these criteria was installed, initially featuring 27 compartments, securely accessible to tenants 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

“The parcel locker was installed in the visitors’ car park, making it simple for delivery drivers to park and deposit parcels.

“Its positioning—in a central location accessible to residents of the two towers—has negated the need to install two separate lockers,” Braithwaite said.

The locker installed at Unison is an Australian-made system designed to accommodate all sizes of parcel from small to extra large, and is equipped with a swipe tag reader, barcode reader, uninterruptible power supply, security cameras, industrial computer and kiosk interface.

Each compartment features an occupancy sensor to detect deliveries, so as soon as a parcel is deposited, a delivery notification with pickup instructions is automatically sent to the recipient.

“Residents are immediately notified as soon as their parcel has been placed in the locker, ready for collection at a time convenient to them,” Braithwaite said. 

The locker installed at Unison is the only system of its kind in Australia that can digitally sign for parcels, and all courier companies are accepted. 

Since the My Parcel Locker system is automated and touch-free from delivery to pickup, the locker at Unison was already Covid-ready when it was installed. 

The installation of an automated locker system feeds into the hassle-free ethos of sophisticated urban living, and contributes value to Unison in this sense. 

In practical terms, Braithwaite says uptake of the system has been rapid, with the locker being modified twice to meet demand from residents. 

The My Parcel Locker system is completely modular, allowing for the addition of extra locker compartments and refrigerated locker units. 

“Initially the locker was to start at 27 doors but was upgraded to 40 doors due to the number of parcels being delivered, with a further 13 doors being added in May 2020.”

Now that we’ve entered the Covid era, e-commerce and home delivery have truly kicked into overdrive. 

The volume of parcel deliveries to residential buildings has drastically increased as tenants navigate a “new normal” of social distancing and eschewing bricks and mortar storefronts. 

Braithwaite says residents are happy that they no longer need to come into contact with couriers and no longer need to sign for parcels

“The Parcel Locker has significantly reduced the number of people handling parcel deliveries, therefore reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmission and parcels being lost or stolen.”

With more Unison residents having grocery parcels delivered to the complex, Braithwaite said he is considering the addition of a refrigerated locker to the parcel locker system. 

Unison apartments quick statistics

• Number of apartments: 290

• Number of registered parcel locker users: 299

• Locker compartments: 53

• Parcels delivered to Unison lockers since May 2019: 8000-plus

• Monthly parcel deliveries May 2019: 320

• Monthly parcel deliveries May 2020: 555

• Monthly parcel deliveries August 2020: 933

Above all, installing a parcel locker from My Parcel Locker has addressed Unison apartments’ core requirement: eliminate parcel theft and reduce overheads.

“There have been no issues of stolen parcels from the locker, and the system has reduced the need for staff to accept, record and then notify residents that they have a parcel, saving at least 30 minutes per day,” Braithwaite said.

Contact My Parcel Locker for more information.