Print and mail specialist APS Group claims to have become the first organisation in the global production print and mail sector to implement a fully integrated, end-to-end RFID job tracking solution, the Bowe IQ Real-Time Location System (RTLS).

The company stated that this solution sets a new benchmark for automation, visibility and control across complex, high-volume operations. Steve Goodall, group operations director at APS Group, said: “This is a genuine game-changer, not just for APS and our clients, but for the production print and mail industry as a whole.”

Deployed at APS Group’s Preston Brook production facility, the Bowe IQ RTLS, enables every job to be digitally tracked and automatically monitored from the moment data is received, through production, and onto the mail vehicle and beyond. This, explained the company, removes reliance on manual intervention, reducing human error while providing real-time certainty for clients operating in highly regulated, time-critical environments.

Mr Goodall added: “For the first time, we have complete, automated visibility of every job from data receipt through to despatch. It fundamentally changes how risk is managed, how performance is measured and how confidence is delivered to clients. Preston Brook is now one of the most advanced print production facilities of its kind anywhere in the world, and this technology will continue to unlock new innovation across our operations.”

For APS clients, the benefits are immediate and tangible, said the company. Live job tracking ensures complete visibility of where every job is at any point in the production journey, improves dispatch accuracy by guaranteeing the correct job leaves on the correct vehicle at the correct time, and strengthens overall logistics planning and forecasting. This level of transparency and automation means greater confidence, speed and resilience across customer communications supply chains.

The system also enhances operational decision-making at APS, with real-time data identifying bottlenecks, enabling dynamic scheduling, improving capacity planning and optimising asset use. Phase one has deployed passive RFID antennas across the main production area and vertical portals at loading bays to verify despatch lanes and carriers. A second phase will extend the technology into APS’s smart factory environment, with further applications planned across logistics and operations.

Steve Basnett, senior account manager at Bowe Systec UK, commented: “Working closely with APS Group, we have delivered an industry-first solution that redefines job tracking within production print and mail. This deployment demonstrates how intelligent automation and real-time data can fundamentally transform operational control at scale.”

The project is the result of more than 12 months of collaborative design between APS Group and Bowe.