The winners of this year’s Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards have been announced during an awards ceremony at PARCEL+POST EXPO in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The ceremony, held on Tuesday, October 1, revealed who triumphed in each of the eight award categories.
Republic of Ireland’s postal operator, An Post, came out on top in the most prestigious category during the ceremony – Service Provider of the Year. In early 2019 the post revealed an increase in its revenue and operating profit following the launch of its business transformation strategy in 2018. The company announced that revenue reached €897m (US$981m) in 2018 – an increase of 7%. It attributed this to a 40% volume growth in parcels, achieved in the face of a global decline in mail due to online alternatives.
An Post also triumphed in the New Business Development of the Year category, with its Address Point Service, a free personal postal address and letter collection service for people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation. Address Point generates a personal address based on the person’s choice of local post office, which will be their mail collection point.
Meanwhile, in the Supplier of the Year category, automated parcel and mail sorting systems provider Solystic came out on top following a number of contract wins in 2018 and 2019. The company has recently secured contracts with Posti Group, CTT Correios, Deutsche Post DHL, Poste Italiane and La Poste, further cementing its position in the postal and parcel industry.
Elsewhere, in the Environmental Achievement of the Year category, Qatar Post triumphed thanks to its Sustainable Development Program 2018-2019, which focuses on reducing its environmental impact throughout the business. The post’s overall goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2030.
Bpost’s Future Lab and retailer Zalando came out on top in the Final Mile Innovation of the Year category. The two companies collaborated to create an in-home delivery and returns solution using smart home technology.
In the Sorting and Fulfilment Hub Technology of the Year award, Prime Vision won with its Chinese Address Reader, which has been specifically developed to overcome some of the major challenges associated with handling Chinese parcels. The address reader enables data to be read across multiple labels, including address labels, customs labels and recipient details.
In the Last Mile Delivery Innovation of the Year category, Estonian parcel locker manufacturer Cleveron triumphed with its self-driving delivery robot, designed to automate the last mile by depositing parcels in compatible lockers.
And finally, in the Retail/Customer Service Innovation of the Year category, Posti Finland won with its unmanned postal kiosk. The self-service kiosk enables customers to carry out all the tasks possible in a regular post office. It was developed to offer customers the convenience of a post office but with longer operating hours.
“This year’s awards attracted the largest number of nominations we have seen in its 11-year history,” said Helen Norman, judge and editor of Parcel and Postal Technology International magazine. “Nominations came from companies around the world and covered everything from robotic sorting, eco-friendly packaging and autonomous delivery to new government services, banking solutions for developing countries and new returns offerings. The winners and shortlisted companies showcase the very best work taking place in the parcel and postal sector.”
For full coverage of this year’s Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards, click here.
If you are interested in taking part in the 2020 awards program then please get in touch with Helen Norman, editor, Parcel and Postal Technology International magazine: helen.norman@ukimediaevents.com, +44 1306 743744.