The winners of this year’s Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards have been announced during a live evening awards ceremony at PARCEL+POST EXPO in Vienna, Austria (12-14 Oct). The ceremony, held on Tuesday, October 12, revealed who triumphed in each of the eight award categories. Watch the video to discover the winners!
AND THE WINNERS ARE….
Sorting and Fulfilment Technology of the Year: Prime Vision – Customs Vision
Prime Vision’s Customs Vision Solution automates the processing of international packets and parcels bearing CN22 and CN23 labels, allowing the easy acquisition of all required customs data for postal items not pre-declared digitally.
Customs Vision employs state-of-the-art neural networks based on AI and Deep Learning techniques. By presenting thousands of previously incomprehensible addresses from individual countries to Customs Vision, its neural network forms connections and learns what is the normal format for each market.
Increased automation rates in automatic sorting, coupled with less manual sorting, a reduction in video coding costs and efficient customs declarations are the clear benefits. Customs Vision may be used as a stand-alone facility or integrated with established packets and parcel sorters.
Also shortlisted:
- Beumer Group – new data analytics dashboards
- Photoneo – automated sorting
- SEW-Eurodrive – process modules for networking logistics
- XPROMA – Data Capturing Desk and Data Capturing Conveyor
- SICK – automated packaging process with print and apply (PandA)
Last Mile Delivery Innovation of the Year: DPD NL – DPDrivR
Part of the DPD Group, DPD Netherlands’ objective is to become the international reference point for sustainable delivery and a leading enabler of the e-commerce boom.
The DPDrivR mobile app links gamification elements to the driver’s GPS data, scan data (MDU) and Kiyoh review data.
The gamification elements result in quality improvement through a reward and recognition system, engineered around pickup and delivery performance. The innovative ladder system is based on the drivers’ daily performance and long-term performance.
Points are received for their daily performance on certain KPI’s, with medals granted to drivers as a reward for their long-term performance. DPD aims to mitigate negatively perceived ‘timing / KPI stress levels’ by directly providing compliments and feedback for their hard work every day.
Also shortlisted:
- Rakuten Super Logistics – Xparcel Expedited
- Applicat (Israel) – Right First-Time Delivery Platform (SaaS)
- Paztir (Netherlands) – Paztir maintenance management for delivery bicycles
- Ride Vision
- Citkar – Loadster cargo bike
Final Mile Innovation of the Year: Nundi – low-cost delivery network for Ivory Coast
Nundi, a digital solution operating in the Ivory Coast, has developed a parcel delivery network without assets by recruiting pick-up points and independent runners and combining them with local express carriers and logistics players. Any parcel can be fully tracked all the way from the shipment departure point through to arrival with the recipient, even if the parcels pass through several different hands and companies.
There are three main points to Nundi’s product:
– Its technology has been adapted to work with poor internet connectivity and can even work offline.
– It is a sustainable solution with no investment in any new assets as clients and operators can use their own devices.
– Nundi is an inclusive operating model enabling all Ivorians to send and receive parcels at a fair price, even in remote areas, and to increase their income by conveying parcels on their daily route.
Also shortlisted:
- bpost – local pick-up service
- Parcel Pending by Quadient (formerly Neopost) – Campus Hub
- Cleveron 405 parcel robot made for PUDO
- Postlogi – digital lock and software for home deliveries
- SingPost – PostPal smart letterboxes
Retail/Customer Service Innovation of the Year: Stamp Free Limited – Stamp Free Digital Postage Solution
Stamp Free is all about making life as easy as possible for consumers and businesses who want to send parcels, letters and returns. The company also makes life easier for the postal companies and carriers who deliver them.
Stamp Free’s AI based digital postage products are designed to disrupt the global postal and carrier market. The customer-facing Digicode, Shipcode and Easycode products are all accessed by the mobile-based Digital Postage Solution.
Each product offers the customer the ability to send or return their mail items by simply using the app on their phone. No stamps or printed off postage labels are required. Handwritten 6-digit codes are scanned and validated at source, before the mail item is sent or returned. Customer and pre-advice information is attached to the code before despatch. Stamp Free has created industry-leading handwriting recognition speed and performance that makes AI an exciting proposition for the postal and carrier industry.
Also shortlisted:
- Croatian Post – postal banking for businesses
- Iagona – self-service postal kiosk
- LibanPost – 2020-2021: LibanPost’s heroes stand tall in the face of compounded crises
- Swiss Post – SmartButton home post office
- CaseMail – blockchain e-postage labels
New Business Development of the Year: Royal Mail – parcel pickup
In October 2020, Royal Mail launched its new Parcel Collect parcel pickup service across the UK. The post labelled it one of the biggest shake ups to the daily delivery service since the launch of the post box in 1852.
Online sellers and shoppers would no longer need to leave their homes to mail or return a pre-paid item by post.
To use the service, customers simply ensure that they have already paid the correct postage to send their item. If an item does not have pre-paid postage such as a return, customers are able to pay for their postage online or via the Royal Mail app.
Also shortlisted:
- Croatian Post – cryptocurrency exchange in post offices
- Lleida.net – Lleidanet digital postal services
- Whistl – Posthub brand (advertising mail)
- DHL Supply Chain UK – Supplier Direct Fulfillment service
- An Post – banking service deal with Bank of Ireland
Environmental Achievement of the Year: bpost
Belgian postal operator bpost launched the ‘ecozone project’ to increase sustainability and quality of life for residents in urban environments by delivering letters and parcels emission-free. Mechelen in Belgium was selected as the first city to receive the emission free service.
To carry out the project, the bpost replaced the fleet serving the area with electric vehicles, complemented by cargo bikes. Bpost also invested in a dense network of parcel lockers with 50 locations throughout the city.
Finally, a consolidated urban distribution center and the provision of the last mile by a single operator helped further reduce CO2 emissions.
The results are being independently monitored by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), which measures the impact on the overall quality of life in the city.
Also shortlisted:
- Scoobic Urban Mobility
- xpack green logistics – a brand of TyrePack
- DPD UK – Vision 25, Green Cities initiative
- Deutsche Post DHL Group – carbon reduction strategy
- FedEx Express, France – eco-conscious Colomiers facility
Supplier of the Year: Hurricane Commerce – Royal Mail partnership
Hurricane Commerce is a leader in the provision of data solutions that enable its customers to achieve seamless cross-border e-commerce performance.
The business has grown quickly during 2021 as major regulatory events including Brexit, the US STOP Act and the abolition of the VAT exemption on low value goods in the EU, UK and elsewhere take effect.
Hurricane’s solutions cover the critical cross-border areas of data enhancement, duty & tax calculation, prohibited & restricted goods screening and denied parties screening. Hurricane partners to date include Royal Mail, Emirates Post, An Post, Australia Post along with global carrier SEKO and Chinese logistics specialist 4PX.
Hurricane’s solutions are not only enabling their customers to meet the regulatory requirements, they are also playing a key role in helping posts, carriers, marketplaces and retailers save costs and increase their cross-border revenues.
Also shortlisted:
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- Lleida.net – Lleidanet digital postal services
- Doddle – PUDO and returns
- AiDock’s Bailey & Cody (software to handle customs documents)
- Prime Vision
- Cleveron – development of the Cleveron 701 semi-autonomous vehicle
Service Provider of the Year: LibanPost
At a time where the posts around the world were struggling to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic, LibanPost faced the additional challenges of the country’s economic collapse and the devastating effects of the Beirut Port blast – the third largest explosion in the world.
During these multiple crises, LibanPost stood hand-in-hand with its fellow citizens, delivering exceptional levels of customer service, corporate social responsibility, collaboration and genuine acts of human kindness without question.
LibanPost rose to the challenge and began to innovate by providing enlarged online services, mobile post office support, enhanced final mile servicing via a pickup and delivery platform, various payment modalities including cash on delivery, as well as an information servicing channel via a dedicated business WhatsApp. LibanPost and its employees were determined to do their best throughout this challenging time.
Also shortlisted:
- Croatian Post
- Australia Post
- Royal Mail
- JD Logistics
- DHL
The 2021 judging panel:
- Abdulla Mohammed Al Ashram, group CEO, Emirates Post Group
- Bernhard Bukovc, chairman, Postal Innovation Platform
- Cyril McGrane, director of international trade, An Post
- Derek Osborn, business coach, Whatnext4U
- Elena Fernández Rodríguez, international affairs and sustainability director, Correos
- Elmar Toime, director, E Toime Consulting
- Hamad Al Fahida, COO, Qatar Post
- Hazel King, editor, Parcel and Postal Technology International
- Ian Kerr, founder, Postal Hub podcast
- Joseph Gafa, CEO, MaltaPost
- Khalil Daoud, chairman and managing director, Liban Post
- Luka Škacan, business improvement director, Croatian Post
- Marek Różycki, managing partner, Last Mile Experts
- Mark Harrison, head of markets, IPC
- Michel Defloor, vice-president marketing, bpost
- Paul Donohoe, manager, digital economy and trade program, UPU
- Simona Tarabasanu, head of international mail department, Romanian Post
For more information on the Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards please contact: Dan Symonds, awards manager, dan.symonds@ukimediaevents.com