Reinvention is underway in the postal and parcel sector and automation is playing a significant role.
Labor shortages and rising costs have fast-tracked automation, with robotic sorting and autonomous deliveries becoming more appealing. But transformation also unlocks growth, efficiency, and competitive edge.
TMX Director of Supply Chain, Max Reynolds, says while customer experience and preference for choice and convenience grows, operators need to consider the technology required to facilitate that delivery.
While consumer expectations keep rising, we’re also seeing a greater willingness to pay for premium service. Giving customers the option to choose a delivery window, rather than simply pushing for speed, can help to avoid failed deliveries.
"But that flexibility relies on the ability to hold or buffer items until they’re ready to go.”
Automation, traditionally used in warehouses and distribution centers, is now being deployed in last-mile environments. This tech doesn’t just enable timed deliveries, it also improves delivery sequencing, so vans can be loaded in the exact order parcels need to be delivered.
“Automation comes in many forms and can be deployed at varying degrees. For example, bulk movements and point-to-point transfers of products can be fully automated using Automated Guided Vehicles, Autonomous Mobile Robots, monorails or simple conveyors, eliminating the need for low-value manual effort. Alternatively, deployment of supporting automation can help to better enable human operators and boost efficiency. Take put-to-light systems, where a location lights up to show where to place an item. This removes the need to read labels or handheld devices and can significantly cut down task cycle times.”
Automation has a broad scope. For example, workforce planning is also undergoing major transformation.
Traditional models are reactive and often inaccurate, but predictive analytics are rewriting that playbook. Workforce planning has long been a guessing game, hiring seasonal employees only to find you need twenty more or half as many the next week. But with real-time demand forecasting and predictive analytics, businesses can dynamically adjust staffing to match actual needs, eliminating waste.
In some cases, automation can provide opportunities to gain labor efficiencies of greater than fifty percent when implementing a well-considered and fit-for-purpose solution, while also reducing manual handling risk and increasing operational resilience.
