OCA tracking

Private postal service in Argentina since 1957

OCA Argentina (Organización Coordinadora Argentina) is a major private postal and logistics company in Argentina. Founded in 1957 in the province of Córdoba by Tomás Kallos and Antonio Savid, it was originally an internal mail management service for the automobile factory Industrias Kaiser Argentina. From these modest beginnings, OCA has grown to become one of the country's leading postal operators, competing with the official postal service.

In 1960, OCA's headquarters were moved to Buenos Aires, marking the beginning of a national expansion. The company then invested in a fleet of vehicles and also used rail transport to ensure reliable delivery of mail and parcels over long distances. OCA quickly gained scale thanks to the quality of its services, and gradually expanded its network throughout the country.

The 1970s brought structural changes: in 1973, a new postal law in Argentina led to the temporary nationalization of private mail services, forcing OCA to cede part of its traditional postal activities to the public sector. Nevertheless, the company managed to maintain its operations in the parcel and specialized services sector. With the liberalization of the postal market in the 1990s, OCA returned to growth. In 1996, the company merged with OCASA (Organización Courier Argentino S.A.), a corporate courier provider, which expanded its service offering and professional clientele.

The late 1990s were marked by changes in ownership. In 1997, OCA was acquired by the investment group Exxel for $605 million. At that time, OCA was part of the empire of businessman Alfredo Yabrán, an influential figure in the private postal sector. After the financial crisis of the early 2000s, OCA came under the control of its creditor banks in 2002, before being sold in 2004 to the investment company Advent International. In 2013, the Argentine group RHUO acquired OCA, thus consolidating the company's status in the market.

Despite recurring financial difficulties (including a bankruptcy declaration in 2019 due to significant debt), OCA has managed to continue its activities through successive restructurings. Today, OCA Argentina remains the leading private postal operator in the country. With several decades of experience, the company has established a leading position thanks to its extensive network, the diversification of its services, and its ability to innovate to adapt to the changing needs of logistics and commerce.

Main services of OCA Argentina

OCA offers a wide range of mail and logistics services, covering both the transport of letters and parcels across Argentina and complex logistics solutions for businesses. Its main services are divided into several specialized categories, described in detail below.

OCA Argentina - Messaging and postal services in Argentina

Historically, OCA started in the postal field and continues to offer comprehensive national messaging services. This includes the delivery of letters, documents, and small parcels throughout the Argentine territory. OCA ensures the collection, sorting, and distribution of mail with reliable procedures. It notably offers standard mail services for ordinary shipments as well as certified communication options (equivalent registered mail, such as Carta Documento or telegram), guaranteeing legal proof of distribution. Thanks to its dedicated postal network, OCA allows individuals and businesses to send their correspondence with enhanced tracking and security.

OCA express deliveries

To meet urgent needs, OCA offers express delivery services nationwide. This accelerated service is designed to ship parcels with high priority, significantly reducing transit times compared to standard shipping. OCA's express shipments are prioritized throughout the logistics chain: immediate pickup, direct routing, and fast delivery. Although without a specific timeframe mentioned, this type of service is particularly suitable for important documents and goods that need to be delivered as quickly as possible. OCA's professional clients, in particular, frequently use express deliveries to meet their own speed requirements for their recipients.

E-commerce logistics and solutions for online stores

Aware of the rise of e-commerce, OCA has developed logistics solutions specifically adapted to online sales sites and e-commerce businesses. Under its OCA ePak brand, the company integrates its shipping systems with online platforms to simplify order management for sellers. This service includes the collection of parcels from sellers (or their drop-off at an agency), routing to distribution sorting centers, and final delivery to customers across the country. OCA offers e-merchants online tools to calculate shipping costs, print labels, and track each shipped parcel in real-time. These e-commerce solutions are accompanied by additional services such as reverse logistics (management of returns and exchanges of goods), thus ensuring a complete experience for both the merchant and the recipient customer.

OCA freight transport and cargo

OCA Argentina also provides transportation of heavy freight and large cargo. This service for palletized goods and large parcels is aimed at industries and shippers with large or bulk shipments. Thanks to its large fleet of trucks and robust utility vehicles, OCA can handle pallets, containers of goods, or heavy equipment. The freight service includes tailored logistics planning: optimization of routes for national road transport, secure handling of loads, and tracking of large shipments throughout their journey. Companies using OCA for freight benefit from efficient and flexible solutions to supply their points of sale, transfer stocks, or deliver exceptional orders across the country.

OCA's specialized logistics solutions

In addition to messaging and parcel transport, OCA offers customized logistics services to meet specific needs of certain economic sectors. For example, OCA manages dedicated logistics for the healthcare sector: distribution of medicines and pharmaceutical products under strict control, with the approval of the health authority ANMAT. The company also offers specialized distribution services for projects requiring a particular logistics scheme, as well as logistics outsourcing options where OCA takes over part or all of a client's supply chain. With these solutions, OCA can ensure the storage, packaging, inventory management, and final delivery of products on behalf of a client company. This range of logistics services makes OCA a versatile partner capable of supporting companies in their expansion by providing infrastructure and expertise to efficiently deliver their goods.

OCA's national network and international operations

OCA Argentina relies on a vast national network to deliver shipments to all regions of the country. The company has more than 155 branches (agencies) spread across the 23 Argentine provinces and the capital Buenos Aires, ensuring a presence even in remote areas. In addition to these offices, OCA provides more than 1000 "OCA Points" (contact points or partner relay points) where customers can drop off or pick up parcels. This extensive infrastructure allows OCA to effectively cover the entire Argentine territory, offering individuals and businesses proximity solutions for their shipments and merchandise pickups.

OCA's operations also extend beyond national borders. Through its OCA Internacional (OCA Courier) service, the company offers the shipment of parcels, documents, and samples from Argentina to a wide selection of countries around the world. Specifically, a client can entrust OCA with an international shipment that will be handled locally and then routed to the foreign destination through logistics agreements or correspondents abroad. OCA offers online tracking for these international shipments, allowing the parcel to be traced, as well as dedicated customer support to answer questions related to shipping formalities outside the country. Although delivery times vary depending on the destination, this service ensures reliable international delivery while maintaining parcel visibility throughout its journey. Thanks to its transport network and partnerships, OCA connects Argentina to global trade by facilitating the exchange of goods beyond its domestic market.

OCA tracking numbers: format and characteristics

Each shipment handled by OCA is assigned a unique tracking number, also called a guide number or tracking code, which allows tracking its progress step by step. The format of this OCA tracking number is specific and recognizable. Currently, most OCA shipments are identified by a purely numeric code consisting of 19 digits. For example, a parcel shipped via the OCA online platform will generally be assigned a 19-digit consecutive tracking number, without letters. This long numeric identifier, once entered on the OCA tracking site, provides real-time status and location of the parcel.

In some cases, particularly for individuals dropping off shipments directly at an agency, OCA may provide a shortened alphanumeric tracking code appearing on the shipping receipt. This shortened code typically consists of a few letters followed by numbers (for example, a format like AAA1234567). It internally corresponds to the full shipment number. To perform online tracking, the sender or recipient usually needs to convert or use the associated 19-digit full number. Thus, whether the tracking number provided is entirely numeric or alphanumeric, the OCA tracking system will recognize it and display the corresponding delivery information. It is important to enter the code correctly (without spaces or special characters) on the official OCA portal to obtain the up-to-date status of the parcel.

Thanks to these standardized tracking numbers, OCA guarantees its customers complete traceability of shipments. At any time, the sender or recipient can check where the parcel is and what the next step in the delivery is. This transparency via the tracking number is a key element of the reliability of OCA's services, reinforcing users' confidence in the delivery of their parcels.

Types of deliveries offered by OCA

OCA Argentina offers several delivery modes to adapt to its clients' preferences and logistical constraints. Without addressing specific timeframes or rates, the following types of deliveries can be distinguished, which combine the starting point and the destination point of the shipment:

• Door-to-door: OCA picks up the parcel directly from the sender (home or site pickup) and delivers it to the recipient's home. This complete mode ensures pickup and delivery without the sender or recipient having to travel.
• Door-to-agency: OCA collects the parcel from the sender and then transports it to the OCA agency chosen by the recipient. The latter can pick up their shipment at the indicated pickup point (branch). This option offers more flexibility to the recipient, who can collect their parcel at a convenient time.
• Agency-to-door: The sender drops off the parcel at an OCA agency of their choice. The parcel is then routed and delivered directly to the recipient's address. Many individual senders opt for this service by handing their package over at the OCA counter, and then OCA takes care of the final delivery to the required home.
• Agency-to-agency: The sender brings their parcel to an OCA agency, and the recipient picks up the parcel at an OCA agency in their area. This "relay point" mode allows sending parcels from one OCA office to another, without home delivery. The recipient can then present themselves at the agency to collect their package with an ID and the tracking number.

Thanks to these different modalities, OCA can manage shipments with great flexibility. For example, an online merchant can ship a parcel from their warehouse (pickup by OCA or drop-off at an agency) and offer their final customer the choice between home delivery or pickup at a local OCA agency. Similarly, in case of the recipient's absence during a home delivery, OCA often redirects the parcel to the nearest agency where it can be picked up. All these types of deliveries come with detailed tracking and OCA notifications, ensuring that both the sender and recipient are informed of the parcel's journey.

OCA Argentina tracking statuses

When tracking a shipment on the OCA site, several delivery statuses may appear to inform about the parcel's progress. Here is a list of the main known OCA shipping statuses, translated into English, each accompanied by a clear description of its meaning: