Ireland (Éire). Wincor Nixdorf issues

The roll out of the Wincor Nixdorf self-service postal kiosks

After resolving the problems which arose during the early days of the pilot test -typical and not unexpected for these pilot trials-, An Post started the progressive rollout of the new ProPostal 2000 self-service postal kiosks throughout the country (see article above >, also published in VARIABLE 10).

With the exception of one machine, installed in the Dublin main post office, all postal self-service units are installed in large commercial areas and shopping centres in major cities, plus other public and private buildings such as the Dublin International Airport, St. James Hospital, business parks, and even the University of Cork. One of the postal kiosks is even installed in a small store in downtown Dublin - Centra in Temple Bar (see brochure below, and images and locations list at the end of the article). In short, locations are used which have large numbers of visitors and extended opening hours, and where users can buy stamps (ATMs) or arrange for the basic franking and mailing operations of letters and packages, in a relaxed way, and with no need to approach a post office.

Brochure of the Postal Service Centre installed in the Centra supermarket, in the Dublin Temple Bar area.

The basic unit of the self-service postal kiosk (called Postal Service Centre), is customized with the An Post colour and logo. It is made up of the ProPostal 2000 postal kiosk, a back panel with information on the process of postage and mailing, and a large mailbox on one side for franked postal items, which are collected once daily.

The operation of the Irish Propostal 2000 postal kiosks is very simple. Through a touch screen (see screen shot sequence below), the user can choose between three languages: English, Irish or ... Polish (!). (The last option might surprise you, but we must bear in mind that after Poland entered the European Union in 2004, thousands of Polish workers emigrated to Ireland, and currently Polish is the largest minority language in the country). Then, the user can choose between 'Weigh Item' or 'Buy Stamps'. With the first option, the customer places the letter or packet on the scale at the side and, after selecting the postal item type from the four options available, and the country of destination, the system indicates the required postage. With the option 'Buy Stamps', the postal kiosk offers four basic postal rates only. At the time of writing this article there are two for domestic mail, 0.55 and 0.95 EUR -the tariff for letters up to 100 g. and maximum sizes C4 and C5, respectively-, and two for international mail, 0.82 and 1.50 EUR, -weighing up to 100 g. and maximum size C4 and C5-. It is possible to buy different stamps in one operation. Payment (right picture) can be done with coins, banknotes and, if the total amount is above 5 EUR, with bank cards.

		Left picture, main screen, language selection. Right, the user can choose between the weighing the postal piece (Weigh Item) or the purchase of stamps (Buy Stamps).
		With the weighing option, the system requests the placement of the letter or packet on the side scale, and then displays the weight in grams.
		After weighing, the user selects the type of letter or packet, and also the country of destination.
		Left picture. At the end of the previous operations, the system indicates the correct postage. Right picture. Screen showing the four basic postage values when selecting the 'Buy Stamps' option.

Regarding the rolls of self-adhesive labels used by the postal kiosks for the ATMs imprint and issue, it is possible to recognize two main varieties of the first design - the series dedicated to the Irish inland waterways (see article above >, also published in VARIABLE 10): - In the first edition, self-adhesive labels feature a phosphorescent perimeter frame. These were used only during the first day (July 21st 2008) in test kiosk number 9801001 installed in the Dublin main post office, and also by the philatelic service for the preparation of the first-day philatelic material (ATMs dated A203 and machine number 0250001). - New rolls of labels were used in all postal kiosks from October 2008, with the same design and features, but the new labels only include three vertical phosphorescent strips, on both edges of the design and the right edge of the label. At least two editions have been manufactured with these characteristics, with small differences. There are ATMs of this variety with the first day date (A203) and the machine number 0250001, issued months later for the philatelic service when the material prepared initially was sold out (strips of 4 ATMs - 4 x 0.55 EUR, and first day covers as well).

1st. variety Phosphorescent edge frame	2nd. variety Three vertical phosphorescent strips

As explained in the previous article, the face value, the date of issue and the reference number are printed on the right of the labels.
- The special format of the date includes a letter for the year (A is the first year of issue for postal kiosks, 2008), and a figure indicating the number of days in that year (with January 1st as day 1). For example, the date of the four ATMs above -C140-, corresponds to the third year - 2010, and day 140 in that year - May 20th.
- The reference code includes a 4-digits block indicating the postal kiosk location (9823 in the picture above - the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin - see list at end of article) and three further numbers corresponding to the machine number group in that location (for the moment, all numbers are 001 because only a single kiosk is installed at each location).

After the sale, the ProPostal 2000 postal kiosk offers the option of a receipt, in English or Gaelic, printed on thermal paper.

The first image corresponds to a receipt in Irish for the purchase of the 4 ATM strip, above, issued by the 9823001 machine. The central picture is a receipt in English issued by postal kiosk 9801001, located in the Dublin main post office, for the purchase of four ATMs with the four values available, which make up the basic set. When the roll of labels has run out, or the machine cannot issue the required stamps, or return any change, it automatically issues an ERROR RECEIPT - right image. This special receipt shows the total to be returned and the postal address where the customer must send the receipt for a refund, by mail. (Payment is by cheque, and takes 3-4 weeks after being sent).
Test imprint on paper receipt automatically issued by the postal kiosk.

Some pictures of the Postal Service Centres in Ireland ...
9801001 - Dublin main post office	9802001 - Dublin Airport
9803001 - Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin	9804001 - Square Tallaght, Dublin
9805001 - Tesco Merrion, Dublin	9809001 - Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Dublin
9810001 - Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, Dublin	9814001 - Centra Temple Bar, Dublin
9816001 - St. James's Hospital, Dublin	9821001 - St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre, Dublin