New DHL report calls for logistics sector to make better use of "Big Data"

Worldwide courier and logistics company DHL has recently published a report calling for the logistics sector to make greater use of "big data" to improve business performance.

DHL defines "Big Data" as the huge amounts of information to which large logistics companies have access, including information on how and when people send goods, what they send and how this is affected by broader contexts ranging from the economy to the weather.

Large multinationals, such as Google, Amazon and eBay, have grown exponentially largely owing to their successful mining and analysis of information, claims the report, and it is time for the logistics companies to do the same in order to predict business trends and bring about better customer experiences.

Long-recognised for its investment in research and innovation, DHL outlines a variety of initiatives which illustrate the potential of "Big Data" and its vital importance to future business success. Examples include: DHL MyWays - an app enabling flexible parcel delivery through crowd-sourcing on which consignees can state where they want delivery and other app users in the area can build points by making ad hoc deliveries in their area - DHL SmartTruck - an optimised route planner which uses live shipment data and traffic information for the delivery area - and DHL Parcel Volume Prediction - an analytical tool which measures the influence on external factors on the expected volume of parcels and therefore improves operational capacity planning.

Martin Wegner, Vice President Research & Development, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation. explained that, "big data and logistics fit together perfectly. Logistics companies manage a huge flow of goods and thereby create massive volumes of data. Specific data about millions of deliveries, including destination, size, weight and information about contents, is recorded every day. That data offers huge potential for new business models, among other things. That allows logistics companies to become search engines for users from every conceivable field".