Federal Express wanted to expand its operations to provide service into the Caribbean Islands, through the purchase of Island Couriers, Inc.

However, Federal Express had worked hard to distinguish itself in the package delivery world through its ability to provide computerized package tracking and proofs of delivery (POD's). At that time, though, the Caribbean islands (for the most part) lacked high-quality phone lines necessary for conventional networking to the Federal Express mainframe computer systems.

An inventive solution was needed, which would provide mainland customers the POD service as promised by the company.

Stonegate worked with Island Couriers to provide the island offices with client computers linked through low baud rate phone lines to an IBM System 36 modem server in Miami. Stonegate worked with a top designer to develop a tracking program simple enough to use by islanders who had never seen computers.

In Miami, personal computers were configured with the all software installed. One by one, couriers returned to their islands with their plug'n'play systems. And one by one, the systems began connecting with the modem server in Miami.

Uploaded proofs of delivery, from there, were copied into the Federal Express mainframe (named Cosmos, located in Colorado Springs). Agents were able to provide POD's to customers with no drop in level of service.

Federal Express was then able to seamlessly proceed with the purchase of Island Couriers without sacrificing quality of service throughout the Caribbean.