Deutsche Post stops testing several new delivery technologies, says CEO Frank Appel in an interview in Tagesspiegel. In the foreseeable future, no drones will be used and no parcels will be delivered in the trunk of cars and behind the house door. Consumer interest is not big enough for profitable use of the new technology.
Also, the project with the companion robot named Postbot will stop. It’s works technically well, said Frank Appel, but these devices are still too expensive today. Even in 20 or 30 years, Deutsche Post will still employ people as parcel delivery staff. By contrast, the nationwide 3,500 Packstations are to be expanded in the near future.
The complexity of the last mile is quite high, so automation will first take place in areas where the entire system is under control, within its Deutsche Post/DHL’s sorting centers or warehouses. In delivery, however, it is still a very long way, according to Frank Appel.
Source: Tagesspiegel
Picture: Deutsche Post