The aCon ATM issues in Norway

2007. The pilot trial of the new aCon - PostSelv postal self-service machines

Following the example of Post Danmark in 2006 (read article), the Norwegian postal administration decided to evaluate the latest generation of Post Selv postal kiosks, from the Danish company aCon.

The pilot scheme began on November 23rd 2007 with the installation of 4 self-service postal kiosks in the post offices of Stovner (right photo), Lillestrøm and Tønsberg, as well as a machine in the Coop supermarket in Vinterbro.

The new Post Selv kiosks are practically identical to those installed in Denmark, both in the design and postal options offered to customers, although they are customized with the logo and the corporate colours of Posten Norge AS.

For more information about the Postselv postal kiosks, you can read the article dedicated to the pilot in Denmark >>>

Using a touch screen, the customer can select either Norwegian or English, and choose the required postal service.
1 Send a letter.
2 Send a parcel.
3 Buy stamps.
4 Buy a parcel box by means of the scanner or
5 Receive information about a shipment (Track & Trace).

In the first 3 options, the postal kiosk issues variable value stamps of similar characteristics to the aCon issues in Denmark. The third option on the screen allows the user to buy stamps (ATMs) of the desired face value, starting from a minimum value of 0.50 NOK, and these are issued in strips of up to 5 stamps, with a maximum of 100 stamps per operation.
Once the desired product has been selected, payment can be made but only with a domestic debit card integrated into the BankAxept system, which is issued by Norwegian banks to their customers. This was a requirement of Posten Norge because it is a card already accepted for payment in post offices, and in the future they will evaluate and trial the use of international debit and credit cards as well.

After the purchase has been made, the postal kiosk issues the stamp or stamps, and the slips and receipts, all printed on thermal paper.

In the images, receipts issued by the postal kiosk installed in the Stovner post office on the first day in service, November 23rd 2007.
They include a heading with the information about the post office, machine number, date and time of issue, the list of products sold (first one corresponds to the issue of a stamp for a shipment, and the second one for the direct purchase of a stamp), the total, and the payment details by means of a debit card.

On various visits during the first 3 weeks of the trial to one of the post offices fitted with the new postal kiosks, it is fair to say that despite all the advertising, and the easy-to-use interface, few users dared to try them out, and preferred to wait their turn at the counters.

		During this period only some isolated operational problems were recorded. Cutting errors in the issue of the stamps occurred, as can be seen on the ATMs in the lower picture. Problems in the issue of receipts, and displacements of the impression, mainly in the printing of the strips of ATMs (left image). Another problem found was that when the equipment was not
		able to complete the issue of the required stamps because, for example, the roll of labels had run out, it failed to issue any type of receipt for the paid-but-not-issued value(s), which made any refund claims difficult.

All of these problems have now been solved and are typical for this type of pilot, in its early stages. In fact this is precisely the reason why pilots are trialled before any large scale introduction, so as to test the correct running and implementation of the self-service machines in the day to day running of post offices. They also check the degree of acceptance by the users in different locations, such as supermarkets or post offices.
We are sure that it will be just as successful in Norway as it was in Denmark.

In addition to the 4 postal kiosks, the Norwegian philatelic service has acquired a table-top printer, also by aCon, which is used for philatelic orders.

This equipment is connected to a computer, and through some simple software it can print stamps of any face value, although on the date of issue, the philatelic service only supplied ATMs with the 3 basic franking values for priority mail: 7.00, 9.00 & 11.00 NOK. Other values can be obtained in the postal kiosks.

ACon stamp printer at the philatelic exhibition Filos 2007

Unlike the current equipment used in Denmark, differences do not exist in the printings made by the postal kiosks and the table-top stamp printer.

2007. Butterflies

The PostSelv postal kiosks use rolls of 2,300 self-adhesive labels on thermal paper, sized 55 x 24.50 mm, affixed onto a waxed backing paper of 60 mm. The space between labels is 4 mm, separated by a horizontal serration.
The labels have a vertical perforation of 11 ¾ which resembles traditional stamps issues.
The first series shows 3 attractive images of butterflies, which appear in a continuous sequence on the rolls. They are designs of Enzo Finger, the designer of earlier magnificent ATM issues in this country.
Like the Denmark aCon issues, the manufacturer of the rolls for this first series is the Danish company Ganket A/S.

Both the postal kiosk and the table-top stamp printers print the face value thermally, along with an 11-digit control number (a combination of letters and numbers, unique to each stamp), in the lower right hand corner of the label.

Summary of the article published on www.ateeme.net in December 2007.

More information in the web site and the quarterly publication specializing in ATMs and variable value stamps - VARIABLE nr. 7 (January 2008).