Optimizing Last-Mile Logistics with Automation for A Canadian Delivery & Pickup Network
Our Clients
Engagement Overview
Our client is a last-mile delivery provider offering secure pickup and drop-off locations across Canada. After a rapid scale-up following its 2014 launch, parcel volume grew more than 15x, and the original MVP platform could not keep pace. Manual processes, limited reporting, and a semi-monolithic architecture made it hard to operate efficiently or integrate with new retail and courier partners.
TechBlocks was selected to reinvent their operations with a hybrid, automation-first platform. We designed and delivered a new ecosystem that combined a custom operational backbone with best-in-class off-the-shelf systems, modern digital experiences, and deep integration across partners. The result was a future-proof logistics platform that reduced last-mile costs, lowered carbon footprint, and unlocked sustainable growth.
Key Challenges
The business outgrew its minimally viable platform. Package volumes surged, but the underlying technology and processes remained manual, fragmented, and difficult to scale.
The organization needed an operational backbone, automation, and modern customer experiences that could support a national network of locations, retail partners, and couriers.
MVP Platform with Limited Intelligence & Scalability
The existing platform was an MVP that lacked built-in business intelligence. Even basic reporting required developer intervention. The semi-monolithic foundation made it difficult to scale with demand or adapt to new logistics workflows, partners, or products.
No Dedicated Mobile Experience for Customers
Customers did not have a dedicated mobile app. They relied on desktop workarounds to manage pickups, drop-offs, and notifications. This limited engagement, created friction in the customer journey, and did not match expectations for a digital-first logistics experience.
Manual Operational Processes across Teams
Inventory tracking, reconciliation, and courier operations were heavily manual. Staff across more than ten operational groups followed spreadsheet-driven or email-based processes. These manual workflows consumed time, increased the risk of errors, and made it harder to maintain consistent service levels as volume grew.
Difficult Partner Integrations & Fragmented Ecosystem
The semi-monolithic platform was difficult to integrate with retail and courier partners that used different standards and protocols. Supporting EDI, FTP, GraphQL, and RESTful APIs in a flexible way was challenging. This made onboarding new partners slower and limited the ability to optimize the broader last-mile ecosystem.
Approach & Solutions
1. Strategy & Platform Architecture
We started by building a clear picture of how the business actually ran, and where technology could create the most leverage.
- Conducted a comprehensive 67-page audit of the existing platform and operations
- Mapped more than 90 manual processes across 10+ operational groups to identify bottlenecks and automation opportunities
- Engaged employees, consumers, retail partners, and courier stakeholders to capture pain points and long-term growth needs
- Defined a hybrid platform strategy that combined a custom operational backbone with best-in-class off-the-shelf systems
2. Core Operations & Automation
We delivered a warehouse management and business operations platform to automate and standardize core logistics processes.
- Designed and implemented a custom operational backbone tailored to last-mile workflows
- Automated key processes across inventory management, reconciliation, and courier operations to reduce manual effort
- Standardized operational data models to support consistent handling of parcels, locations, and partner interactions
- Enabled better asset tracking to avoid redundant procurement and improve utilization of existing infrastructure
3. Launch Consumer Web & Mobile Channels
We modernized the digital touchpoints so customers and partners could interact with the network in a simple, self-service way.
- Delivered a consumer web portal that gave customers direct access to pickup, drop-off, and tracking capabilities
- Launched a dedicated mobile app to provide a seamless, on-the-go experience for end customers
- Structured the platform to support retail and courier partners with clear, integrated views of their parcels and locations
- Designed UX flows to reduce friction and encourage higher usage of secure pickup and drop-off options
4. Reporting, Integrations, & Managed IT Operations
We completed the transformation by adding analytics, robust integrations, and ongoing IT operations to keep the platform evolving.
- Implemented reporting and analytics to track parcel volumes, partner performance, and network utilization
- Engineered integrations that supported partner systems across EDI, FTP, GraphQL, and RESTful API
- Delivered the full ecosystem within 10 months and continued as the IT and IS department for the client
- Managed infrastructure, continuous integration pipelines, and end-user support to ensure scalability, resilience, and adoption
- Supported continuous modernization, enabling a more sustainable logistics model with lower last-mile costs and reduced carbon footprint
Impact & Results
The client evolved from an MVP-bound operation to a modern, automated logistics platform that could support national growth.
Operations were streamlined, partners were better integrated, and customers gained smoother, more reliable delivery experiences. The business also achieved significant cost and environmental benefits.
Manual processes automated
More than 90 manual processes were automated, streamlining operations across inventory, reconciliation, and courier workflows and reducing reliance on ad hoc manual tasks.
Increase in parcel volume per active customer
Parcel volume per active customer increased by 200%, reflecting improved capacity, more efficient operations, and a better experience that encouraged higher usage.
Redundant procurement avoided
Improved asset tracking and operational visibility avoided more than $400k+ in redundant procurement, allowing the client to do more with existing resources.
Reduction in costs
The modernized model delivered up to a 75% reduction in last-mile delivery costs and a 67% reduction in carbon footprint, aligning operational efficiency with sustainability goals.
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