Ziegler, a multimodal logistics provider, has taken a major step forward in digitalising and streamlining its warehouse operations through the deployment of DexoryView from Dexory, a leading robotics and data intelligence company. Following a recent implementation, Ziegler has already seen improvements in stock accuracy, process enforcement and operational efficiency at one of its key UK sites that comprises a complex layout and over 55,000 pallet locations.

Faced with the challenge of high stock throughput and a vast storage area, Ziegler realised that it needed to improve the visibility and integrity of its warehouse data. Operating in an industry where even a minor scanning error can have a significant impact, Ziegler wanted to reduce time spent on manual cycle counting, ensure it was able to eliminate stock loss and improve real-time visibility on the state of its key UK warehouse. After exploring options including automated shuttle racking and drone-based solutions, the company turned to DexoryView. The solution combines state-of-the-art robotics technologies and AI-powered digital twin platform to provide real-time intelligence of the health and integrity of the entire warehouse.

“We recognised that even a 1% miss-scan rate could create major issues, from stock rotation delays to customer service impacts,” says Ignas Saknaitis, Divisional General Manager for Logistics at Ziegler. “Our big turning point came after a full stock take took four days and a full weekend of working, with stock anomalies requiring weeks of investigation. With DexoryView, we can now identify and resolve issues in real time before they escalate.”

Real-time data intelligence platform detects inefficiencies and enhances goods movement accuracy

Ziegler has seen a number of benefits in just a month since going live with the solution. It has been able to locate missing pallets, identify mispicks earlier and has been able to address operational pain points such as incorrectly labelled pallets and misplaced inventory, without costly warehouse shutdowns. One of the core benefits of DexoryView has been that Ziegler is now able to pinpoint recurring errors and target root causes of these issues, making the operations more efficient and seamless.

Due to these benefits, Ziegler is seeing a cultural shift in how it approaches inventory control, which the company sees leading to better operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Slash Downtime

“In busy warehouse environments there is no room for guesswork and outdated data can lead to deliveries being returned and ultimately impact customer satisfaction,” says Oana Jinga, Chief Commercial and Product Officer and Co-Founder at Dexory. “We are working together with Ziegler to replace guesswork with insight and are allowing the business to find root causes to issues that in turn will help their business become more efficient.”

Ziegler is already looking into the future with DexoryView. It is planning on using the new optimisation functionalities to optimise warehouse layouts based on movement trends. It is also aiming to provide its customers with live access to inventory data for additional peace of mind. There are also plans to expand the rollout of the technology to other Ziegler sites after ROI review from the first deployment.

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New Era of Warehouse Intelligence

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) eCommerce sales keep increasing. Good news for retailers, logistics and warehouse operators, but not necessarily if many items are sent back after receipt. David Priestman reports on how reverse logistics can be made less challenging.

“Amazon-style returns for D2C brands,” is what ReturnBear’s CEO, Sylvia Ng (pictured, below), told me her company can offer when we met at Manifest Las Vegas. International ecommerce returns management is the forte and niche of the Canadian company she leads. “Some buyers know they will return items when they buy them,” she states.

Returns rates in the D2C brand sector average a whopping 35%, with clothing and fashion being the largest sector for returns by far. “Electronics, home goods, and beauty products tend to have high return rates,” Ng adds. “Electronic goods often face issues with buyer’s remorse or compatibility concerns, while homeware goods like furniture can suffer from size mismatches.”

Sylvia Ng

Returns cause inevitable supply chain headaches, but how can they be ameliorated? As a 4PL (fourth party logistics operator) ReturnBear, based in Toronto, work with brands to lessen the costs and complications of returned, unwanted goods. In 2024, ReturnBear surpassed the 1 million returns milestone, processing over 1 million returns through its end-to-end system, which includes a returns portal and automation software.

“Merchants face high costs and returns take too long,” says Ng, adding that sustainability issues also press brands and retailers to lessen the, often, long load back. When a consumer wants to return one item or more and be refunded a retailer merchant first has to provide them with a shipping address label. Ideally, the consumer should get an instant refund but do the first mile of the return journey – namely to take the re-packaged parcel(s) to a returns centre.

Keeping it Local

If a brand merchant sells in multiple countries ReturnBear keeps the products local. The company has such a facility near us, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, that receives all British returned items and keeps them in the UK for re-despatching. When the item(s) are received back at the returns centre they can be checked, inspected and re-packaged or tagged ready for delivery to the next customer, without going all the way back to the retailer’s warehouse or factory, which is usually far from the consumer and often in a different country.

“Merchants can easily sell in a hundred countries overnight using global selling platforms,” Ng tells me, “but there is no easy way to get returns back. Our expansion into the UK market is part of our vision to be the first global end-to-end platform for single-day returns. The new MK facility is run in partnership with Reship and the expansion coincides with us extending our support to clients.” By entering the UK market, ReturnBear can now offer a suite of reverse logistics solutions to enable merchant retailers to provide good experiences without a direct local presence.

“Cross-border eCommerce continues to outpace domestic growth, driven by increasing consumer confidence in international shopping and the expansion of global fulfilment networks,” Ng says. “However, challenges like returns, duties, tariffs, and logistics complexities remain key pain points – ones that we help brands navigate.” There is a need to streamline returns processes and improve customer experience.

ReturnBear offer merchants package-free and label-free convenient return points as an alternative to returning items by post. The company claims that as much as half of return logistics costs can be saved by this method. There are over 1000 such return drop-off points in Canada, covering 80% of the population there. “While Canada is our primary operational base, we operate in the US, UK and Australia with dedicated returns warehouses that help merchants receive, verify, and process returns. Where applicable we forward fulfil the returned inventory to local customers, preventing the need for merchants to ship product back to centralized warehouses that are typically across borders or oceans. With this service we reduce the distance travelled by returns by 40% and therefore reduce emissions by the same amount. We’re seeing strong demand in the US, UK, and Australia for this service which is very aligned with our strategic expansion.”

Stopping Fraud

Cross border returns, with pre-clearance, commercial invoices and shipping manifests are provided. What about bulk shipments? “Our batch consolidation model allows brands to reduce the cost and environmental impact of returns by grouping multiple returned items together before they are shipped back to a warehouse or resale location. Instead of processing individual return shipments, items are collected at regional hubs and shipped in bulk – lowering logistics costs, reducing carbon footprint, and improving efficiency.”

“Fraud prevention is important, so we verify that the correct item has been returned if a refund has been actioned by the scanning of the returns shipping label,” Ng explains. “Merchants can easily sell in a hundred countries overnight using global selling platforms. But there is no easy way to get returns back. Our expansion into the UK market is part of our vision to be the first global end-to-end platform for single-day returns,” she added. “Consumers check for convenient returns before buying, and merchants must meet consumers’ expectations to grow in local markets. ReturnBear provides a simple way to do that.” And we all must keep the consumer happy, right?

Logistics Business magazine, together with the Information Factory, have produced a new 8 page digital magazine on logistics cost allocation: how to calculate and allocate costs in logistics operations. Editor Peter MacLeod talks to iFactory CEO Robert Jordan to understand how transport and distribution businesses can use a tool that accurately determines costs. Learn how to drive revenue and boost profits in logistics.

Read the free eBook here.

From Black Box to Industry-Leading Solution

A few years ago, The Information Factory produced a Cost Allocation Tool for DHL Express that today is deployed globally by the renowned logistics and courier company. It has now been developed into a tool suitable for the broader logistics sector: LogiCAT has the potential to offer users a true competitive advantage.

Operating in a commercial landscape with these wafer-thin margins means that understanding the true cost of operations has never been more critical. Yet, somehow, many organisations still seem to be operating with only limited visibility into their actual costs, relying on aggregated figures and educated guesswork that can often fail to inspire confidence among decision-makers, finance departments or those in customer-facing roles who need to know how much they have to play with when neck-deep in negotiations with a client.

Logistics Cost Allocation

Logistics Cost Allocation

This was precisely the challenge facing DHL Express several years ago, according to Robert Jordan, Founder and CEO of The Information Factory. “A few years ago, DHL reviewed its costing approach with a view to ‘turbocharging’ it, ” Jordan explains. “DHL, being extremely customer-focused, approached it from the customer end. They wanted to get customer profitability sorted, because they discovered many customers were engaging them for services that weren’t profitable.”

Read the full story now

The fundamental question was simple yet profound: How do you accurately determine profitability? Traditional costing methods based on the previously mentioned largely estimated calculations had led to the creation of an environment where stakeholders didn’t fully trust the cost data they were seeing. “Someone clever in finance insisted that the costing had to reconcile to the general ledger,” says Jordan. “They took the general ledger and said, ‘these are our costs because we know what they are.’ It has to absolutely reconcile to the general ledger.”

The result was a shift to Activity-Based Costing (ABC), initially implemented as what Jordan describes as a “black box” system, namely opaque, difficult to understand and hard to modify. The Information Factory’s mandate was to replace this with a transparent solution offering clear visibility into costing rules and their application, along with the ability to refine these rules over time.

read all our eBooks here.

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eBook: End to end Costing in Express Logistics

Intralogistics customers partnering with Beumer, a provider of warehouse automation technology, can expect step-change improvement in processes. The wins include space, time and cost efficiencies, with better tracking and security as a bonus. Paul Hamblin meets the team.

For Beumer Group, successful business relationships are about partnership. The company bills itself as the ‘Partner of Choice’, validated by the continuing success of the company’s proven technologies, and delivery on the promises made to its partners.

Gregor Baumeister, Director, Warehousing and Distribution Logistics Systems, tells me he was very happy with the company’s LogiMAT this year, describing “concrete project discussions with budgets and timelines” as part of an overall positive sentiment throughout the halls. This perhaps contrasts with ProMat a week later, where his American colleagues described a more cautious and uncertain atmosphere, no doubt due in no small part to the blizzard of tariff announcements and amendments from the Trump administration in the first part of 2025.

End-to-end Automation Provision

At LogiMAT 2024, Beumer focused on ‘Lights Out’ warehouse technology; this year the company highlighted its capabilities in the delivery of end-to-end automation in DCs.

For Gregor Baumeister (pictured below), the argument that automation represents a damaging replacement of human labour is bogus. “The world talks a lot about automation reducing labour opportunities, but I think it’s more accurate to say that our customers are unable to source that labour any longer simply because it is no longer available. So, in reality, the drive towards higher levels of automation is more accurately an enabler to stay in business. That’s the key difference. And with our systems you can create a fully automatic line of warehouse processes.”

Gregor Baumeister, Beumer

He outlines the Beumer product offering. “If you look at the processes in a DC, typically you’ve got goods receiving, then storage facilities, and retrieval via a shuttle or cube system basically bringing products to people,” he explains. “Beumer starts at the point of bringing those goods to people, then we go downstream from there, either in a pouch system or via a loop or line sortation system, including packaging and shipping to customers.”

The company demonstrated full automation of this process in Stuttgart. A significant advance is the automatic unloadable pouch, with which Beumer provides customers – should they choose to do so – with the facility to remove another layer of human interaction on a product’s journey to the end consumer. “Customer partners have the option of feeding a pouch system either via an operator placed at an ergonomic workstation or by using a robot. We will collaborate with customers to provide them with the most appropriate choice for their needs,” he reports. “The pouch system does its magic and the product can then be directly packaged by machine. If it needs special packaging – stretch-wrapping for high-value goods perhaps – this too is possible. All preferences are at the behest of the customer partner.”

Typically, pouch technology is tailored to smaller items in the 550mm x 420mm x 280mm dimensional category. “You can handle these items very effectively in a pouch,” he continues. “Our system handles items up to 7kg each, which is 40% more than other systems can do, and is particularly popular in fashion and general e-commerce settings. In those categories, 70-80% of parcels or bags are that size. Pouch technology is also developing a growing reputation in what we call ‘e-pharma’ handling.”

He points out further space-exploitation benefits of pouch technology. “By hanging the pouch system from the roof, we can use the third dimension in the warehouse. It is super space-efficient, with very high dynamic pick rates and order fulfilment rates. It’s very efficient overall in terms of space, labour, time, and also in tracking and traceability, because every pouch has a ‘licence plate’, making the whole process fully transparent.”

Stretch Hood Security Technology

Another eye-catching security innovation from the company this year is the Beumer stretch hood, which helps to secure pallets. Gregor Baumeister illustrates: “Consider a pallet delivery to shops and stores containing small, high-value goods: a good example might be razor blades. This is what the stretch hood is for – an enclosed hood made of film which can be pulled down and over the goods snugly. Anyone looking to pilfer goods from the pallet would need to tamper with the film to extract anything and this would be very evident in the breakage of the film. While it’s possible to reach inside an unprotected rack pallet to take out a product, it can’t be done with a stretch hood attached. A rack pallet you can always reach in, but with a stretch hood you cannot. In addition, it also provides protection from the elements.”

Learning from Data

Beumer’s advanced data analytics capabilities enable customers to further exploit the full capability of automation technology.

“Data analytics enables the recognition of patterns, thus facilitating predictive maintenance,” he explains. “But it also performs valuable service in steering operational processes, so that we can proactively advise customers of upcoming situations. In modern business, it’s important to see as far and as early as possible. Our customer diagnostic centres help monitor and manage facilities, offering operational advice if the customer wishes us to do so.”

Beumer’s tools enable the flexibility so essential to today’s logistics needs. “You don’t know what’s coming round the corner,” Baumeister cautions. “You need to avoid roadblocks if you want to stay in business.”

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Beumer supplies individual packaging solutions

Rugged devices and mobile computers can improve supply chain performance for transport operations, field workers, drivers and delivery teams, according to one manufacturer, Getac.

One of the key lessons learnt by the global supply chain industry over the last few years is the critical importance of having robust supply chain processes in place, particularly because customers today demand short lead times and fast delivery.

Developing resilient supply chains won’t come overnight, but having the right technology in place is fundamental to achieving it. In particular, the use of rugged devices and solutions is seeing significant growth throughout the transport and logistics (T&L) sector as whole. In fact, a recent study by IDC and Getac found that 65% of T&L organisations are now spending at least 10% of their IT budget on rugged devices, with 51% planning to increase their spending over the next 12-18 months.

Overcoming Industry Challenges

Rugged technology can help enhance efficiency and resolve many of the ongoing challenges that the T&L sector faces: whether that’s a need to improve transparency in the supply chain, eliminate inefficiencies in data gathering or meet health and safety, environmental and sustainability regulations.

Unexpected events from severe weather to ‘black swan’ events can impact T&L operations overnight, which is why the sector needs ready access to technology that can provide visibility and deliver valuable insights. Rugged technology does just that, enabling companies to better track key performance indicators, identify inefficiencies, and make data-driven decisions that optimise processes and reduce costs.

A growing number of T&L companies also now use IoT sensors on assets and goods, which give them real-time information on a range of parameters such as humidity and temperature while in transit. When integrated into supply chain management systems, these insights can help inform decisions on things like delivery schedules, with rugged devices serving as the platforms through which drivers/managers access and receive this information.

At the same time, real-time GPS tracking can help keep workers safe in adverse weather conditions, while dispatchers can use it in combination with real-time traffic data to route drivers via the most eco-friendly routes possible, helping to reduce their carbon footprint.

The operational visibility that rugged technologies offer also helps track energy consumption and optimise productivity. IDC’s study found a growing number of T&L organisations were looking to integrate rugged devices into warehouse management, customer relationship, and supply chain management systems, all in a bid to improve efficiencies in the supply chain and boost worker performance.

The Business Case

The business case for rugged devices extends far beyond durability alone. The combination of powerful specification, extensive connectivity and reliability makes them ideally suited to T&L environments, where a single device can travel hundreds of miles a day and be used in a wide range of locations, temperatures, and weather conditions. Most rugged device fleets can also be scaled up easily, using centrally managed security protocols that make it easier for IT teams to protect sensitive data, regardless of where the device physically is.

While upfront capital investment in a rugged device stack might be a little higher than consumer-oriented equivalents, the total cost of ownership (TCO) shakes out in favour of rugged devices. Digital transformation in all sectors, including in T&L, depends on reliable, always-available, accurate data, which can also help automate supply chain processes. The ability to deliver this data when needed means rugged devices can unlock a range of efficiencies across the entire supply chain.

Whether companies are looking to improve their customer service metrics, boost sustainability initiatives, comply with regulations, cut down on waste in last-mile logistics, or improve worker productivity, rugged devices are essential in helping meet these goals.

Implementing Rugged Devices

Rugged devices might be a must-have for T&L operations but making a wise investment decision means considering the following factors in TCO calculations:

Ease of integration with in-house supply chain software systems: For rugged devices to do their job, which is to facilitate access to data, they need to integrate with software systems for that information. Companies need to ensure that rugged devices will work with existing supply chain and warehouse management systems. Integrating rugged devices with inventory management systems such as ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID is crucial to optimise inventory processes and improve efficiency.

One of the key concerns that many companies have is that rugged devices expand the company’s data systems to the edge. Trusted rugged device vendors have robust security protocols in place to keep data secure. Likewise, organizations must evaluate the range of operating conditions that their fleet of rugged devices will need to withstand and pick the right devices accordingly, using the device vendor’s industry experience to guide their decision-making.

The best practises for integrating rugged devices into T&L operations extend beyond the ones listed here. Companies should conduct a comprehensive TCO assessment and ensure a ramp-up period to iron out any potential issues that might surface. Most importantly, the C-suite needs to ensure workforce buy-in, so team members see the devices as aids that help them do their job better while improving efficiency.

No one can predict when the next supply chain shock will occur but being able to access data in real time keeps T&L companies agile and able to withstand ups and downs. Now is the time to invest in rugged devices to make T&L operations function smoothly and ready to take on any challenge.

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Emerging Applications of Rugged Devices

There is a $367B ‘Second Hand’ opportunity hiding for parcel locker networks, argues Francesco Tribuni (pictured below), Sales Manager and Industry Expert for Bloq.it

One of the joys of being part of the parcel industry is that innovation is continuously in the background: there’s no day, week or year without radical changes. Those changes are more often exogenous, therefore always enabling new opportunities in the first and last mile.

The most promising one I see nowadays is coming from circular economy: second hand, peer to peer, resale, repair services (…) call it whatever you’d like. It is a growing market, with global second-hand apparel market likely to reach $367B by 2029.

Francesco Tribuni

So, what makes this so appealing?

It is not the ‘resale’ in itself as we’re all accustomed to it, but rather the fact that we can upgrade from a neighbourhood market level, which takes place once per week and with limited local reach, to online platforms connected with hundreds of millions of users. At this moment in time, we can now buy and sell online to a worldwide audience in a few clicks, buying a shipping label for a few €/$/£/¥, and also building a private business that could escalate to a 6 figure level.

How can Logistics support it and add value?

From a customer perspective, and especially for private users, online sales/purchases will start from the usual checkout, where logistics is perceived as an integral and not separate part of the process. Amazon has accustomed us to feel the shipping process as an easy thing, consumers like EASY processes. Also, don’t forget that +90% of private sales will have an average order value lower than the original price, due to this shipping cost must be cheaper, to be cheaper it must be self-service and with fewer steps.

Parcel businesses have the potential to support and add value through C2C services where the standard ‘A to B flow’ (A = Pickup Address, and B = Delivery Address) is radically different. Let me list some below:

– Instead of ‘addresses’, A and B are Parcel shops & Parcel Lockers.
– Shippers will buy labels on demand, no account needed.
– Labelless and boxless shipments: Parcel shops or Drivers will label and box products to be shipped.
– Parcel Lockers can be a temporary storage space.
– A to B is valid for both outbound deliveries & returns.
– Shipment will be prepaid, and Shipping Costs will tend to be cheaper.
– One Delivery Driver can potentially handle 500 to 1K parcels per Day.
– Cross Border is the New Normal, consumers are more open to buy abroad if the product is made available at an affordable price and transit time.

The forecast is quite clear: parcel and postal business can ‘extend’ its portfolio and revenue stream by accessing the mass of citizens (consumers) that are willing to resell their preloved things gathering dust in their homes. The potential market of C2C is enormous. And how should we logistics operators ‘deliver’ this change?

I see 2 ways:
– First – develop as fast as possible what’s above with a reliable and updated tech stack (people value convenience) together with an extended OOH Network where Parcel Lockers can play a crucial role.
– Second – ‘transform’ the Logistic Arm of a Second Hand Marketplace. This is what Amazon, Alibaba and most recently Vinted have done in recent years, after using Couriers as suppliers for years.

Lastly, a final thought about parcel lockers. It’s easy to call them ‘machines of bent metal’, but the real truth is that a smart parcel locker is the tech and logistics upgrade of a delivery driver (that won’t end nor replace their job):
– More deliveries per day.
– Little to no failed attempts.
– Customized UX while picking/returning a Parcel.
– Savings on Shipping Costs.
– Modularity can enable additional parcel capacity for peak periods

I’m biased on this topic, I know. But it’s safe to say that the future of every online order is already here.

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High Density Parcel Locker Network

What exactly does Extended Producer Responsibility entail, and how should logistics businesses respond? Carrie Tallett (pictured below), Senior Product Manager of Forterro’s Orderwise, unpacks some of the practical realities of EPR and explains why ERP solutions will be key to addressing EPR.

Acronyms in business and technology can be hugely confusing. This is even truer when two acronyms are anagrams of each other, and when one is the solution to the other. That’s what has happened as the UK government’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations come into force. Logistics, warehousing, and supply chain professionals face a fresh compliance challenge that extends far beyond recycling and packaging, and to which the answer could well be the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools.

EPR aims to shift the financial and environmental burden of packaging waste away from local authorities and onto the businesses that produce, import or supply packaging. It’s a principle that’s been long established in the EU and elsewhere, but for UK businesses, it represents a major shift in accountability, reporting and operational processes.

Lowdown on EPR

EPR is essentially about environmental stewardship. It encourages businesses to consider the full lifecycle of the packaging they use, not just how it’s disposed of, but how it’s sourced, distributed and recycled or reused.

Carrie Tallett, Forterro

The environmental impact of packaging, especially plastics and cardboard, has become too significant to bury one’s head in the sand and hope the issue goes away. EPR is about corporate social responsibility, traceability, and being able to account for packaging throughout the supply chain. It forces organisations to take ownership of the packaging they introduce into the economy.
This means understanding not just what packaging is used, but how much, where it comes from, and whether it meets sustainability criteria. For many businesses, especially those dealing with complex or high-volume logistics, that demands a new level of data granularity and reporting discipline that hadn’t previously been required.

The Midmarket Challenge

Large enterprises often have the technology and expertise to manage regulatory changes, but for SMEs and midmarket firms, EPR is a different proposition. Many of those smaller businesses simply don’t have the systems in place to track this kind of data. Manual spreadsheets and paper-based records are both still commonplace and the idea of mapping packaging use across an entire supply chain is overwhelming for them.

While micro-businesses are currently out of scope, small and medium enterprises must register with the appropriate compliance schemes and submit packaging data. For SMEs without ERP systems or established tracking mechanisms, this means either investing in new software or attempting to cobble together reports from disparate sources, such as delivery notes, purchase orders or invoices. This is time-consuming and simply not practical.

This is where the cost really starts to bite. EPR compliance isn’t just about paying registration fees – around £200 for small organisations, up to £1,500 for large ones – rather, it’s about dedicating time, resources, and sometimes consultants to set up entirely new reporting functions. It’s not just the purely financial cost, it’s the operational burden. And there hasn’t been nearly enough government guidance for smaller organisations, who are the companies that would most benefit from that guidance.

ERP – a Compliance Enabler

For organisations that do have ERP software in place, EPR doesn’t have to be nearly so demanding. The ideal is an ERP solution that’s transactional in nature, so an item can be tracked from the moment it enters the organisation, when it was booked in, who booked it, the supplier, batch and serial numbers, and packaging details – every piece of required information is there. This kind of traceability is essential for EPR compliance. It enables businesses to map packaging data accurately, submit required reports, and track their environmental impact over time.

Even more critically, ERP platforms allow companies to maintain data integrity at scale. Businesses can perform a ‘data health check’ to identify any gaps, then use import and edit tools to quickly bulk update product or supplier records. It’s really about mapping current data to the government’s reporting templates. If there’s a column in the EPR file that you don’t currently capture, you can easily edit that data, import it, and be compliant without needing an overhaul.

Cost Tracking and Price Adjustments

Another strength of ERP software in the context of EPR is cost visibility. As EPR becomes embedded, packaging suppliers will be looking to pass on their own compliance costs. ERP enables you to distribute those costs across your order lines and get a clear view of how it’s impacting your margins. That granular view matters. It allows businesses to make informed decisions about product pricing, rather than blanket price increases. If one product line sees only a 1% rise in packaging costs, but another sees a 5% jump, those adjustments can be made strategically, ensuring competitiveness while protecting margins. It’s about building resilience as much as compliance. If you can’t see how costs are changing at a transactional level, you can’t adapt quickly or confidently, and ERP gives you the insight to make such decisions.

EPR, DPP, and what’s next?

EPR also ties into broader trends in traceability and sustainability, in particular the emergence of digital product passports (DPPs), which are expected to become mandatory for certain products under upcoming EU regulations. EPR and DPP share a reliance on smart, effective traceability and you’re effectively tracking the same journey. The item that needs a digital passport will come in a box that’s EPR-applicable. It’s two sides of the same traceability story.

Looking ahead, it’s likely that EPR will likely extend further. While micro-businesses are currently exempt, that may not last. Similarly, suppliers who aren’t currently certified or EPR-compliant may face mounting pressure to adapt. It makes sense for businesses to partner with compliant suppliers now. It’s all about reducing risk and ensuring that compliance starts before packaging even enters the warehouse.

Lessons from PPT

EPR isn’t the UK’s first packaging-related legislation. The Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), introduced in 2022, served as something of a warm up to EPR. It encouraged the use of recycled and sustainable materials, and many businesses shifted accordingly. While there’s not a direct link between PPT and EPR, the government saw the success of PPT in driving behavioural change and EPR feels like a natural continuation. And with sustainability front of mind for regulators, consumers and investors alike, there’s little doubt that more regulations are coming. Those who prepare early will not only avoid penalties but they may also gain a competitive edge.

For logistics and supply chain professionals, EPR is another reminder that data is king. Whether it’s compliance, cost management or customer satisfaction, having the right systems in place is no longer optional, it’s essential. EPR is just the latest example of how digital infrastructure underpins business resilience. Logistics businesses should see this not just as a regulatory hurdle, but as an opportunity to streamline processes, improve supplier relationships, and position themselves for a greener, more transparent future. ERP supports economic shifts like these for organisations all around the world. That’s why we need to think of ERP not as Enterprise Resource Planning, but Everyone’s Resource Planning.

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New packaging regs require greater efficiency

At the Last Mile Leaders Europe event last week FarEye revealed its latest industry, containing some very interesting findings, including that 98% of respondents cited rising delivery costs as their top operational challenge, and that AI and automation have become the most prioritised area for investment (43%), overtaking sustainability (20%).

Eye on the Last Mile 4.0, the fourth edition of FarEye’s industry report, was unveiled live at the recent Last Mile Leaders Europe 2025 event in Amsterdam, where Europe’s last-mile logistics leaders gathered for a pivotal moment in the evolution of delivery. The sharp shift in investment priorities was at the heart of the conversation. According to the Eye on the Last Mile 4.0 report, logistics executives across Europe are now investing more in AI than in sustainability, a sign of the intense cost and operational pressure reshaping the sector.

Hosted by FarEye, Last Mile Leaders Europe 2025 convened over 80 global voices from logistics, retail, and supply chain, including leaders from DHL, Dyson, DPD, IKEA, Beko, JB Hi-Fi, Electrolux, Heineken, Philips, PostNord, Slovenia Post, Wayfair, and more. Together, they examined the forces shaping the future of delivery, from AI adoption and rising expectations to infrastructure and sustainability gaps. The leaders closed with a call for collaboration across the ecosystem, from building shared locker networks to co-developing AI use cases and designing joint sustainability roadmaps.

“From AI-led orchestration to predictive fleet planning, innovation is moving from the sidelines to the centre,” said Kushal Nahata, CEO & Co-founder, FarEye. “What used to be aspirational – like sustainable delivery or hyper-personalised logistics – is now being balanced against hard costs, shrinking margins, and rising customer demands. Europe’s last mile is entering a decisive phase.”

Last Mile at a Crossroads

The event’s opening keynote, delivered by Nahata, framed Europe’s logistics landscape as being at a critical inflection point – caught between cost efficiency, customer delight, and sustainability. Drawing from the Eye on the Last Mile 4.0 report and FarEye’s operational data, the keynote highlighted:

• Cost is king: 98% of leaders ranked delivery cost as the top concern shaping 2025 decisions
• AI is no longer experimental: Almost 1 in 2 businesses are now prioritising AI, not just for orchestration and routing, but also for customer support and exception management, achieving up to 30% cost savings in dense delivery zones.
• Consumers want more than speed: 54% of shoppers are willing to pay for faster deliveries, but also demand specific and reliable delivery promises, not just faster ones.
• Support costs are dropping with AI: AI-driven customer service agents can resolve up to 80% of delivery-related queries, cutting support costs by 40%.
• Sustainability lags adoption: Although 83% of respondents believe in offering green delivery, only 16.7% do, thus revealing a wide execution gap.
• Regional cost spikes: Switzerland and the UK reported the highest cost increases (up to 38%), while countries like the Netherlands and Greece showed more cost stability.

Spotlight on Logistics Startups

Europe is now home to more than 200 last-mile logistics startups tackling everything from urban congestion to carbon emissions using AI, automation, and electrified delivery infrastructure. The European startup ecosystem has become a key innovation driver, attracting over $4.5 billion in funding in just the first half of 2024. At the Last Mile Nexus, three high-impact startups were shortlisted and took the stage to pitch live to a judging panel of industry experts.

Ultimately, ClearQuote was named the winner (see picture, above) for its AI-powered platform that transforms fleet damage assessment and maintenance, helping enterprises cut downtime and cost. Its co-founder, Venkat Sreeram, collected a cheque for €10,000 to go towards the growth and rollout of its AI-powered vehicle damage reporting tool.

Deep Dives and Real Conversations

Breakout panels explored the shift from AI hype to execution, strategies to scale locker networks across Europe, and post-purchase innovations that drive loyalty. New this year was The Last Mile Suite, a curated connection space where attendees met over selected drinks and shared conversations designed to spark collaboration. Europe is clearly investing in the future. But the tension between efficiency, customer delight, and sustainability remains unresolved. As infrastructure lags and AI accelerates, forums like Last Mile Leaders offer not just insight but direction. What began in Asia and Africa has now landed in Europe with scale. Last Mile Leaders is no longer a series of events, it has become a growing platform where research, startups, and strategy converge to define the next era of logistics.

Logistics Business was proud to be the exclusive media partner for Last Mile Leaders Europe 2025, with editor Peter MacLeod moderating a panel alongside experts from Accenture, Microsoft and FarEye on the part AI plays – and will play – in the last mile.

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