In the latest installment of Mplus's Future Talks series, Luka Orešković, Chairman at Mplus Group, spoke with Rafał Brzoska, the founder and CEO of Polish logistics giant InPost.
Rafał Brzoska's journey from founding the Integer Group to creating InPost, a logistics giant managing over 20,000 parcel machines in Poland and over 33,000 machines in Europe, is a testament to innovation and resilience.
Despite early setbacks, Brzoska's vision for revolutionizing parcel delivery through automated lockers has significantly shaped the e-Commerce landscape.
In his latest interview with Mplus's Luka Orešković, he shared insights into the initial challenges, stating, "We spent around 30 million euros on our first few hundred machines in Poland. After a few months, the average revenue was 500 euros a month. But I had that gut feeling that the market was broken and needed change."
A Story of Persistence and Resilience
Brzoska's perseverance paid off as InPost expanded to nine countries, delivering almost a billion parcels last year.
His story underscores the potential of Eastern Europe to produce "European champions" capable of challenging established market players.
"We are hard-working nations. We had many years of communism, and now we want to catch up. I think we are setting the tone right now," Brzoska said in his Future Talks interview.
AI: A Game-Changer in Logistics
The discussion also delved into the transformative role of AI in logistics and e-Commerce.
Luka highlighted the importance of technology in customer care and operational efficiency, a sentiment echoed by Brzoska.
He revealed how AI-driven optimization has resulted in significant savings for InPost.
"We're using AI to forecast the volume on a live basis to properly set up all the logistic elements like vans and pick-up trucks. Optimizing that element gave us 22 million euros in savings just last year," Brzoska explained.
Balancing AI integration with practical applications remains crucial.
"Smartly using that technology in certain points like customer care and digitalization of paper documents is essential. But let's not over-engineer things," Brzoska advised.
This perspective aligns with the innovative efforts of both Mplus Group's tech division, Mtech, which is developing top-of-class AI products such as BuzzEasy and AI Studio, and its e-Commerce vertical, Eplus Ventures.
For more insights on the future of eCommerce and business developments in Central and Eastern Europe, make sure to watch the full interview with Rafał Brzoska here:
About Future Talks:
"Future Talks" is a series of conversations with influential global and industry leaders hosted by Mplus's Chairman, Luka Orešković.
Through this series, we aim to delve into an array of urgent business and societal matters, including industry changes, artificial intelligence (AI), environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), evolving workplaces, and more.
Previous Future Talks interviewees include former Finish Prime Minister Esko Aho and Carin-Isabel Knoop, Executive Director at Harvard Business School.
Reflecting the Group's international footprint and diverse client portfolio, the Future Talks series embodies our mission to share innovative ideas that resonate with our clients.
You can find previous Future Talks episodes here.
