News and Updates

With Parcel Forum officially wrapped, tradeshow season for 2025 is in the books. As things settle down on our end and our customers dive into peak season, we’re taking a beat to reflect on everything we experienced. Here’s what we learned, from industry sessions and speaking engagement to booth chats and impromptu brainstorms, that logistics companies can carry into 2026.

Lessons from Industry Sessions

At PROMAT 2025, education was front and center. One highlight was the keynote “The Data Effect: The Price of Not Knowing” by Paul Zikopoulos. His message was clear: today’s competitive advantage in supply chains lives in data. The cost of not leveraging it is steep. He challenged the audience to recognize how often solvable problems get overlooked simply because decision-makers aren’t using the insights already at their fingertips.

This is a lesson that resonated with us. We see it every day when businesses wrestle with bottlenecks they could address if their operations were fully visible and connected. Zikopoulos showed how data and emerging technologies aren’t just technical tools; they’re drivers of disruption, innovation, and even how customers interact with vendors. That perspective validated our belief that automation isn’t just about moving parcels faster; it’s about empowering people with better information, in real time, so they can make smarter decisions.

We carried those lessons into our own sessions. At National Postal Forum, our presentation on Moving Your Sorting Operation into the Cloud highlighted how visibility and data are only as powerful as the systems that support them. Embracing new technology doesn’t mean abandoning what you already have. Legacy equipment still plays a vital role, and keeping it running while layering in cloud-based applications is how companies can move forward with confidence in the face of change.

At Parcel Forum, our session on Preparing Human Teams for the Next Wave of Automation looked at the scale of what’s to come. The industry is not slowing down—MHI reports that 45 % of supply chain leaders plan to purchase automation equipment (robotics, AS/RS, AGVs) in the next three years. The pace is not slowing down, but investment alone isn’t enough. By building strategies around data, transparency, and workforce alignment, companies of all sizes can maximize returns—using automation not to replace people, but to empower them. When teams are prepared, the technology delivers its full value.

And of course, one trend cut through nearly every session we attended: artificial intelligence. AI continues to be the hottest topic on the block, fueling everything from predictive analytics to warehouse robotics. It’s not hype anymore, and it shows no signs of slowing down in the logistics world anytime soon.

Connecting Across Teams at Trade Shows

Traveling for trade shows didn’t just strengthen our customer relationships. It brought our internal teams closer too. Customer support, sales, marketing, and engineering all had the chance to step away from screens and collaborate in person.

Some of our most creative moments this year happened off the show floor. Over breakfast. In hotel lobbies—if you see a group of us next time, stop by to say hello—and late-night brainstorming that started casually, then turned into real initiatives back at the office. That kind of energy is hard to capture in a conference room or Zoom call.

 The Most Asked Question We Didn’t Expect

We prepare to talk about automation. We prepare to address in-depth questions about specs, ROI, and implementation. So, it always makes us laugh when the most common question is:

“Where can I buy one of your shirts?”

People love our Saved-by-the-bell-esque booth attire, and we love that it gets folks talking. It makes us approachable and sets the tone for conversations that go beyond nostalgia. We’re here to solve problems, but we’re also real people who like to have fun and enjoy the moment. A balance we’re proud of.

Show AND Tell

A major lesson from this season: hands-on demos make a huge difference. Bringing a compact version of our Chameleon SLAM solution helped people visualize what automation can look like in their environment.

The moment someone sees it in action, the conversation changes. Questions get sharper. Use cases get clearer. It switches the overall direction of the interaction from talking about technology to talking about solutions.

Wrapping Up the Season

As we close the books on tradeshow season and look ahead to Q4, we’re energized and grateful. Grateful for the customers who shared their automation journey. Grateful for the new connections we made. And grateful for a team that shows up every time ready to listen, learn, and lead.

We know a thing or two about automation, but we’re also partners. When you grow, we grow. And we can’t wait to see what we can accomplish again next year.

Want to continue the conversation or see the tech for yourself? Get in touch with our team to schedule a 1:1 discovery call and see how our automation solutions can support your operations.