Last Mile - Whitepaper - Technology

Man and woman in blue uniforms, loading a delivery truck with boxes

Right package... Wrong vehicle...

Why misloads cost millions

Download Whitepaper

How are the world’s leading package carriers using technology in their last mile facilities to reduce misloads?

Pie chart that says OVER 60%

Intelligent packages are producing significant efficiency improvements

Intelligent labeling is reducing misloads by over 60%, protecting the customer experience, the operational efficiency, and the environmental performance of the business.

What is the cost of every misload?

There are several factors that influence misload costs

These include the scale of the carrier - whether it is an integrator operating on the global level or a smaller regional carrier - as well as network design principles and transportation methods employed. The specific type of misload, the stage at which it is identified and the efficiency of the recovery process all play a significant role in determining the overall cost. Parcels with guaranteed delivery, international consignments, misloads at peak season may further complicate and drive up the costs of correcting the error.

Download Whitepaper

Images of boxes and envelopes on a conveyor belt, with motion blur
Man scanning package in front of a workstation

How misloads are happening

Many last mile facility vehicles are loaded early in the morning

Staff manually scan the barcode on each package before placing it in the correct zone for the assigned delivery vehicle. Depending on the volume of packages, staff may need to scan thousands of packages per hour. Some carriers try to prevent mistakes using supervisors to perform random checks in outbound zones, scanning a selection of packages to catch misloads before they enter the vehicle.

Download Whitepaper

One in every two delivery vehicles has a misload parcel

What if a package could inform staff it is in the right, or wrong vehicle, without needing to be individually scanned?

Carriers are now applying intelligent labels to packages that can be read by sensors

Using RFID technology, this enables precise and efficient verification and locationing. Once an RFID portal is installed, or a reader is built in the van, any package entering the wrong vehicle is immediately flagged as a misload. Supervisors can now quickly locate the misload and place it in the correct vehicle.

Man scanning package in front of a workstation

Case Study: The Intelligent Last Mile

Cover page of Avery Dennison's Case Study on the Intelligent Last Mile

Interested in learning more?

Yes I want the full case study on Last Mile innovations including:

  • Real last mile pain points
  • Solutions used by leaders
  • Where technology maximizes impact
  • Efficiency gains short and long term

By submitting this form, I agree to the privacy policy and terms & conditions.