At this week’s free-to-attend Parcel+Post Expo Innovation Forum, in Amsterdam, October 24-26, 2023, Arild Brudeli, head of innovation at Paxster, explored the power of data to create the most efficient and future-proofed fleet of last-mile delivery vehicles.
What is your presentation about?
My presentation is about the big changes that are happening in the industry now, but also in the coming years. I’ll be looking at the future for the last mile and highlighting the importance of focusing on the last mile to be able to meet the changes and the flexibility needed in the last-mile organizations the coming years. Relatedly, I’ll also cover the electrification urge and the measurement of footprint.
What will the audience learn?
The audience can expect to learn about future customers’ expectations and behavior, as well as what they’re excited about and what their mindset is. This will enable listeners to see some of the opportunities that lie in front of us. They’ll also be able to see a sneak peak into the vehicles of the future and learn about the need for good data, API and the power of using this technology.
In your opinion, what are the most influential trends in the parcel and postal delivery industry right now?
The most influential trend in the delivery industry right now is the footprint of the delivery, electrification and utilization of tools in fleet and making a sustainable last mile. It’s important we fully understand this while also not forgetting about the people working in the organization.
Another key trend is the rising importance of a flexible fleet and network for last-mile companies. Additionally, one thing all companies operating in this space could benefit from is the proper use of data collected live from all fleet vehicles. I recommend combining all of these data to optimize and plan deliveries.
How do you expect these trends to affect last-mile delivery in the future?
There will be an urgent need to electrify everything now. However, we need to understand that measurements like ISO14083, time and space used by last-mile operations probably will be more costly in cities. Vehicles in the fleet will need to be more adapted to the city, and there will be more varied fleets and tools. Data, suitable APIs and cloud-connected tools and vehicles will be in high demand, and last-mile companies need to own this data and utilize it.
What areas should posts be looking to invest in to best prepare for this future?
Posts should be looking to electrify the last-mile fleet. Everything will be fully electric in this segment. Invest only in connected vehicles that are adapted for an urban environment.
Invest in getting data on all assets in the network. Ensure to own the data and use the data to improve and measure the resources used in the last mile.
Can you give us an example of the challenges and opportunities Paxster has experienced?
At Paxster, we have discovered the power of having data back from our customers using our vehicles. We are now able to make more predictive service because we see trends in data that could tell issues before it becomes an issue to the users.
By using Data in new ways, we are also able to make software fixes to real-world issues that further improve uptime on our vehicles. This was not possible a few years ago but is a possibility now when our vehicles not only provide data like GPS, position and speed, but technical data like current flows in sensors, and internal data communication between drive train, battery and user interfaces.
What are Paxster’s plans for the future?
Paxster will continue to make efficient tools for last-mile delivery. Making connected vehicles able to provide live data back to the customers and provide good APIs so all tools we sell will be future-proof.
We will focus on continuously improving our portfolio of products and making workspaces for the people working in the last mile that are more efficient and create better working conditions. Paxster will make a better day, now and in the future.
Don’t miss Brudeli’s presentation, ‘Where is last-mile delivery heading? Navigating tomorrow's opportunities’, which is part of the ‘Parcel lockers and light electric vehicles - today's solutions and tomorrow's opportunities’ track, on Tuesday (Day 1), October 24.
See the full conference program here.
