News from UPS. Very interesting Video

At Yahoo
A test for UPS: One day, 34 million packages
UPS Reducing Training Time

"That automated system—known as its “Next Generation Sort Aisle”—is now operating at three hubs around the country. The new technology scans packages and quickly flashes instructions to workers so they can process 15% more packages a day, or as many as 47,000 parcels an hour, as measured at one of the hubs."

"Chris Aluka Berry for The Wall Street Journal Sorters at the UPS hub in Atlanta, where new technology scans packages and quickly flashes instructions to workers so they can process as many as 15% more packages a day."

PicoP Modules delivered to UPS

MicroVision Delivers Custom PicoP® Display Modules on Schedule to Logistics Company

Third quarter delivery achieved for real time package sorting system REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2014-- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display technology, today announced that in the third quarter it delivered customized PicoP® display modules to its customer, a worldwide leader in logistics, transportation, package delivery and freight forwarding. As previously announced in March, MicroVision’s customized PicoP® display modules are part of a new package guidance application aimed at increasing processing efficiency in real-time package sorting and routing that its customer is deploying in a facility in the United States. PicoP® display technology was selected for this application due to its ability to operate in industrial environments and its distinguishing performance characteristics including brightness, infinite focus, and variable field of view. The projection module will be paired with the customer’s scanning systems to improve package sorting processes. The custom display modules designed and delivered by MicroVision, project information directly onto packages. Because the sizes of packages coming through the sorting process vary greatly, the infinite focus and variable field of view projection of PicoP display technology make it well-suited for this application. The overall brightness of the laser-based projector module provides easy visibility for the package handlers. Release @ Microvision Apparently non-disclosure requires they not use the name of UPS. I will see if I can find out about this.

UPS Worldport

From the National Geographic Channel, on HULU

This is several years old (2011). This is obviously a huge operation.

Microvision will be able to assist with a significant improvement in efficiency, and provide significant value to this customer.

Things to Follow at UPS

I've started exploring a UPS employee bulletin board, and they have mixed reviews about technology upgrades. They seem to have a particularly interesting corporate culture.

I got one email response that seemed very enthusiastic about combining PicoP with the DIAD.. which is the little gizmo drivers carry around -- seen below.

"Can you imagine pointing a DIAD toward an address and having it project the address on the windshield or having a fixed overhead camera display a sort position rather than requiring a paper label?" 

Yes we can. I suspect UPS could save square miles of sticky label material. I think you could get cool things as well, such as scanning a package label and having the picture of the person who is supposed to receive the package projected onto it.

So far the only indications are that this will project some kind of image onto boxes as they are sorted. The future potential of PicoP at UPS has a lot more potential than that!

Or here..

"UPS revolutionized the package delivery business in 1991 when it developed and deployed the first Delivery Information Acquisition Device, known as the DIAD. Two decades later, UPS continues its pioneering development efforts with the fifth generation of the DIAD - the DIAD V."

DIAD V – 2010

• First device in industry to switch on-the-fly between cellular carriers independent of cellular technology.
• Faster WiFi support (600 mbps) enables larger and richer content downloads such as training videos
• A state-of-the-art color display and microprocessor with expanded memory to support driver training and future applications including navigation
• About half the size (3.5”) and weight (1.3 pounds) of DIAD IV.
• A color, auto-focus, flash camera could be used to enhance proof-of-delivery and to help resolve customer claims.
• An aggressive multi-dimensional imager to decode many symbologies, including UPS linear barcodes, without requiring the driver to rotate the DIAD to capture the barcode. 

DIAD

UPS press release....

I have been looking through UPS news to find mention of Microvision.... This seems like it might be related. There is a link to a UPS employee bulletin board on the "Further Digging" page... if any readers can find more mentions of MVIS in there and let me know what you find, that would be great.

Contact through the contact FORM is private to me. Comments on posts can be public and are set that way by default. (Without an email address left, I have no way to get back to you.) There are a couple of you I would like to be able to contact!

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PRESS RELEASE

June 25, 2014, 9:06 a.m. EDT

UPS Expands Memphis Facility

Expanded facility will increase package processing capacity by more than 80 percent

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jun 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --

Construction recently began to expand by one-third the UPS® UPS +0.38% package distribution facility on Swinnea Road in Memphis.  The project will add approximately 140,000 square feet of building space bringing the total to more than 430,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $70 million. The facility will improve processing rates through increased capacity and expanded use of UPS's next generation sorting technology when completed in early 2016.

UPS expects to add 350 new jobs over a three-year period to meet volume growth at this site. These jobs include tractor trailer and delivery drivers, package handlers, management, maintenance and support staff. According to the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County (EDGE), the project will create nearly $9.8 million in new tax revenue for the metro area.

The larger facility footprint and new sorting technology will handle increasing UPS volume in the mid-South driven largely from double-digit e-commerce volume growth.  The facility's automated conveyors will sort packages more efficiently than conventional conveyor systems and six-sided scanning cameras will capture package data and sort packages automatically. 

"Facility upgrades will help give us the latest technology and additional capacity to process both ground and air express volume growing from e-commerce business shippers located here, and consumer demand that is driving online retail sales," said Ken Harms, UPS president of the Mid-South District.

The Memphis UPS hub is a centerpiece for the efficient movement of package volume between Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The site currently employs more than 1,300 employees locally. 

Situated on 83 acres of land adjacent to Memphis International Airport, the facility integrates processing both for the UPS air gateway and ground hub, as well as dispatch for local pickup and delivery operations in the area. The company is leasing an additional 27 acres from the Airport Authority which will support an 80 percent increase in package processing. 

Another project component is expansion of the surface yard for tractor trailers to provide a larger staging ground for packages coming into and out of the building.

Some preliminary improvements will be in place by November when UPS increases its capacity for the peak holiday season which is expected to grow from both e-commerce and retail omni-channel distribution patterns.

UPS also recently installed a new UPS Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueling station on the Memphis property. As a part of UPS's "rolling laboratory" approach to alternative fuel technologies, 59 new LNG tractor trailers have been placed in Memphis and join other new LNG big rigs fueling at new stations built in Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss.

About UPS

UPS UPS +0.38% is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com . To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS .

PicoP being manufactured NOW

Tokman on UPS -- last two conference calls.

First Quarter Conference Call:

"UPS We announced in march we will be supplying custom picop display modules to outfit distribution facility in us...expect to deliver in third quarter"

Second Quarter Conference Call:

Next topic is UPS, we are currently on track to deliver custom PicoP display modules in the third quarter to UPS which is another Fortune Global 500 customer. The modules are part of a new package guidance  application targeted at increasing processing efficiency in real time package sorting and routing. UPS has informed us that it plans to deploy the system in a facility in the United States.

 Question: As far as the UPS system is concerned, the deployment that you discussed, is that going to be in this calendar year?

Tokman: We’re delivering our modules this quarter and they will deploy it in the US. We cannot specify the timing, because it’s something they are sensitive about, but -you do your own math.

Question: Originally you said this was pilot development, is it still in the pilot stage? Or will this be beyond that at this point?

Tokman: It’s a real implementation in one of their flagship sites. The goal – remember what the goal is, the goal for UPS is to quantify the potential performance improvements of their processes in terms of increase of throughput and reduction of error rate. So they need to quantify this information and they selected the site to implement this.

---

If they are delivering the PicoP engines this quarter... they MUST be making them now.

UPS Numbers -- Gem of the Message Boards

pierrev55 from Yahoo Message Board

The numbers on UPS.

When asked about the backlog, they said that most of it was UPS.
According to the 10Q, $230K is for the collaborative development with F100.

The other part of the backlog is $722K, mostly for UPS.

The infrastructures of UPS are extensive and include 2,400 distribution centers, 93,000 vehicles and 268 airplanes going to 391 airports in the USA and 219 abroad.

UPS has been known to implement their changes across all their centers. The finger scanner has been a huge success.

Assuming only 1000 of their centers were to implement the PicoP solution and each center spent only $100K, that's already $100M.

It's easy to see that if this goes ahead, there will be a nice stream of revenues from that deal.

Do the math!

---

I see a great job looking at the numbers, trimming them to a very reasonable "conservative" number.

$722,000 reduced to a conservative number of $100,000.
2400 centers reduced to 1000 centers.

Result: $100,000,000 to MVIS.

Being Optimistic:

$722,000 reduced to $500,000
2400 centers reduced to 2000 centers

Result: $1,000,000,000  to Microvision.

---

For fun someday, when the UPS driver gets to your home or business, ask the driver this: "How would you like it if your handheld scanner could project a picture of the person who is supposed to receive the package? You scan the package and right there is a picture of the person who should get it?" -- I've asked several, and they're VERY enthusiastic about that idea.

Stickers are expensive. Using small barcode stickers with scanners that project could save UPS a huge amount of money and acres of stickers.

---

To acknowledge a caution posted on another board:  yes, this is an assumption that this money is for implementation, and that other installations will have similar revenue attached to them. 

Thanks for the words of caution. You're right HAB.

Comment at InvestorVillage

UPS -- New Facility -- New Sorting Technology

UPS Laser Projecting Patent

What Can UPS Do with PicoP?



PRESS RELEASE

June 25, 2014, 9:06 a.m. EDT

UPS Expands Memphis Facility

Expanded facility will increase package processing capacity by more than 80 percent

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jun 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --

Construction recently began to expand by one-third the UPS® UPS +0.22% package distribution facility on Swinnea Road in Memphis.  The project will add approximately 140,000 square feet of building space bringing the total to more than 430,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $70 million. The facility will improve processing rates through increased capacity and expanded use of UPS's next generation sorting technology when completed in early 2016.

UPS expects to add 350 new jobs over a three-year period to meet volume growth at this site. These jobs include tractor trailer and delivery drivers, package handlers, management, maintenance and support staff. According to the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County (EDGE), the project will create nearly $9.8 million in new tax revenue for the metro area.

The larger facility footprint and new sorting technology will handle increasing UPS volume in the mid-South driven largely from double-digit e-commerce volume growth.  The facility's automated conveyors will sort packages more efficiently than conventional conveyor systems and six-sided scanning cameras will capture package data and sort packages automatically. 

"Facility upgrades will help give us the latest technology and additional capacity to process both ground and air express volume growing from e-commerce business shippers located here, and consumer demand that is driving online retail sales," said Ken Harms, UPS president of the Mid-South District.

The Memphis UPS hub is a centerpiece for the efficient movement of package volume between Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The site currently employs more than 1,300 employees locally. 

Situated on 83 acres of land adjacent to Memphis International Airport, the facility integrates processing both for the UPS air gateway and ground hub, as well as dispatch for local pickup and delivery operations in the area. The company is leasing an additional 27 acres from the Airport Authority which will support an 80 percent increase in package processing. 

Another project component is expansion of the surface yard for tractor trailers to provide a larger staging ground for packages coming into and out of the building.

Some preliminary improvements will be in place by November when UPS increases its capacity for the peak holiday season which is expected to grow from both e-commerce and retail omni-channel distribution patterns.

UPS also recently installed a new UPS Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueling station on the Memphis property. As a part of UPS's "rolling laboratory" approach to alternative fuel technologies, 59 new LNG tractor trailers have been placed in Memphis and join other new LNG big rigs fueling at new stations built in Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., and Jackson, Miss.

About UPS

UPS UPS +0.22% is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com . To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS .

The UPS Plan from UPS Patent.

Thanks to PicoPros for digging this up.




The Patent

At PicoPros Source

What can UPS do with PicoP? [Related to Panasonic?] -- updated

This doesn't come out of the clear blue...

And someone wonders if it's related to the tough-pad? That's an Excellent Question!!

Look at the Toughpad   HERE







REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2014-- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display technology, today announced that it has agreed to supply customized PicoP(R) display modules to UPS, a global leader in logistics, transportation, package delivery and freight forwarding.

UPS handles millions of packages in more than 200 countries and territories every day. MicroVision's technology is part of a new package guidance application aimed at increasing processing efficiency in real-time package sorting and routing that UPS is deploying in a facility in the United States.

PicoP(R) display technology was selected for this application due to its ability to operate in industrial environments and its distinguishing performance characteristics including brightness, infinite focus, and variable field of view. The projection module will be paired with UPS scanning systems to improve package sorting processes.

"We are very pleased to be supplying custom PicoP display modules to UPS for its package routing application," Alexander Tokman, MicroVision president and CEO, said. "As the leader in logistics handling high volumes of packages every day, UPS is the ideal company to deploy advanced projection capabilities to improve package handling processes. We are confident that MicroVision's PicoP display technology will aid in accuracy and increased efficiency."

 MicroVision has designed a custom display module for UPS that projects information directly onto packages. Because the size of packages coming through the sorting process vary greatly, the infinite focus and variable field of view projection of PicoP display technology make it well-suited for this application. The overall brightness of the laser-based projector module provides easy visibility for the package handlers. 

About MicroVision:  MicroVision is the creator of PicoP(R) display technology, an ultra-miniature laser projection solution for mobile consumer electronics, automotive head-up displays and other applications. MicroVision's patented display technology helps OEMs break down display boundaries and offer enhanced visibility to mobile experiences. Nearly two decades of research has led MicroVision to become an independently recognized leader in the development of intellectual property.

MicroVision's IP portfolio has been recognized by the Patent Board as a top 50 IP portfolio among global industrial companies and is also included in the Ocean Tomo 300 Patent Index.

The company is based in Redmond, Wash.

WEBSITE: www.microvision.com

Facebook at www.facebook.com/MicroVisionInc

Twitter at @MicroVision

MicroVision and PicoP are trademarks of MicroVision, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this release, including those relating to sales and product benefits, and those containing words such as "will" and "confident" are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: our ability to raise additional capital when needed; products incorporating our PicoP display engine may not achieve market acceptance, commercial partners may not perform under agreements as anticipated, we may be unsuccessful in identifying parties interested in paying any amounts or amounts we deem desirable for the purchase or license of IP assets, our or our customers failure to perform under open purchase orders; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays in product development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market our products; potential product liability claims; and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Except as expressly required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in circumstances or any other reason.