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In this blog post, we have highlighted 8 key criteria that we use for parcel locker hardware evaluation. We hope that this article can act as a guideline for postal operators or carriers seeking a new hardware solution for their Out-of-Home network.
When evaluating a new supplier look beyond initial hardware pricing. Calculate 8-year costs including:
Key insight: Maintenance requirements can vary significantly – some vendors offer 1% spare parts free initially while others require 5% annual inventory planning.
Evaluate hardware specifications that impact longevity in your region:
Key insight: Metal thickness can range from 0.6mm to 4mm depending on component and vendor – representing significant variation in material specifications.
Assess how hardware adapts to changing business needs:
Key insight: Column addition times can range from 15 minutes to 2 hours – a significant difference for operational scaling.
Evaluate the core technology hardware included in each system:
Key insight: Some vendors offer all-in-one computer and screen solutions while others use separate components – affecting both upgrade flexibility and replacement costs.
Evaluate hardware vendor requirements for software integration:
Key insight: Some vendors provide detailed hardware specifications while others prefer maintaining proprietary software integration layers.
Hardware suppliers impact long-term business success:
Key insight: In our experience a quality hardware vendor is proactive, they anticipate problems and reach out first.
Hardware procurement timelines affect business deployment:
Key insight: Delivery times can range from 5 days (European suppliers) to 55 days (Asian suppliers) – a 10x difference in logistics speed.
Establish hardware performance tracking from deployment:
Key insight: Vendor monitoring capabilities vary from basic status reporting to comprehensive diagnostic data and remote management features.
For initial deployment: Start with pilot hardware from 2-3 vendors to validate business assumptions and gather real-world performance data.
Before scaling: Use weighted scoring across these criteria, prioritizing total cost of ownership and vendor stability.
To mitigate risks: Plan for 2-5% annual spare parts requirements with 10-year availability guarantees to protect business continuity.
We hope this article on how we do parcel locker hardware evaluation gave you good ideas and insights.
To learn more about our team and product, please don’t hesitate to reach out to contact us.
The complete ecosystem for
Out-of-Home delivery networks
This project is co-financed by the European Union. Sendus OÜ is developing two new software modules, Configuration Management and Issue Management for the CollabNet parcel locker platform to increase its export potential (project nr 2021-2027.1.01.26-1736).
Grant amount: 18 780 €
Project period: 22.04.2026 – 30.11.2026
