Lead CEP visionary says that this technology has ‘huge potential’ in 2025

Big data may no longer be considered a ‘brand new’ trend in the CEP industry, but the journey to explore the vast potential of data-driven technology has just begun.

In BEUMER Group’s Industry Report 2025 Outlook: The Parcel Box Paradox, which has just been released, you can learn everything you need to know about the state of big data in the CEP industry and which role big data will play in the industry in 2025.

One of the most significant developments in the past couple of years is the increased availability of AI (artificial intelligence). AI was previously a rather abstract concept, but now CEP operators have numerous AI tools and services at their disposal – just a click away.

These tools carry value in their own right, but the real potential may lie in combining AI with big data. That is one of the takeaways from the new report. The ability of AI to automate the usage of big data and detect patterns that aren’t visible to the human eye opens up an entirely new pathway for exploring the possibilities of large and complex data sets.

According to Christian Østergaard, lead visionary and senior group strategist of IT production/IoT/AI at PostNord, it is the use of big data together with AI and other technologies that could have a significant impact on the CEP industry in the coming years:

“Combining our own operational data with demographics, like behaviours in different areas, can give you an overall optimisation. The potential for improved processes thanks to interconnectivity and the automated use of data is huge. Internet of Postal Things (IoPT) has emphasised how data can yield many insights, while AI will also play an important role in improving processes – both business and operational.”

In BEUMER Group’s Industry Report 2025 Outlook: The Parcel Box Paradox, you can learn more about how some of the industry’s leading experts expect big data to be able to optimise deliveries in 2025.

A recent trend, which is also expected to gather steam in 2025, is the increased tendency of CEP operators to invest in technology that transforms data into a new primary function. These technologies automatically analyse and process hauls of data points and give them new value.

One case study is the ‘carbon calculators’ that some of the industry’s biggest companies have launched.

FedEx’ Sustainability Insights engine uses real-time data from the FedEx network to provide C02 emission projections and historical records for individual tracking numbers and customer accounts. As a result, customers can access emissions information and emissions data to make better decisions regarding the carbon footprint of their deliveries. Geopost has also developed a data based technology that automatically tracks carbon emissions while the parcels travel through their network.

Another example of how CEP operators leverage data is their use of digital twins. This technology takes data and turns it into visual representations of the sortation systems and sortation scenarios you want to simulate.

Through the use of AI, digital twins could become even more accurate and efficient going forward.

In BEUMER Group’s Industry Report 2025 Outlook: The Parcel Box Paradox, which has just been released, you can also read about a new type of partnership between CEP operators and technology suppliers.

Reaping the full benefits of big data and the industry’s digital transformation will require massive investments from CEP operators, which could be an incentive to form partnerships with the suppliers that already have the technology. An example of this trend was Australia Post’s that recent signing of a multi-year deal with Salesforce.

Overall, all signs point to 2025 being a big year in terms of new developments in the field of CEP and big data.