Brazil’s postal service is exploring emerging technology, including blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), to advance its operations and logistics.
The state-owned Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos, which has a network of over 12,000 post offices across Brazil, has invited tech companies to bid for an opportunity to develop tech solutions to power its vast network.
Correios called on interested applicants to devise solutions targeting its “business, operations and contracting challenges.”
On the operations front, the postman intends to capitalize on the two technologies to ease national logistics, boost efficiency and ensure transparency in procurement. Its units across Brazil execute over 1,500 contracts annually, make over 50,000 small-scale purchases and manage over 4,500 ongoing contracts with suppliers. It relies on a supply process built on over two dozen systems, which creates friction and slows the entire process.
“The goal is to develop modern solutions for complex challenges,” reads the tender, published on the Brazilian government’s official gazette, the Diário Oficial da União.
Correios also intends to modernize its address management, and gradually, transition into digital identity for Brazil’s 212 million residents. Blockchain will be at the heart of this transition, offering advanced security and transparency, the postman says in a separate document.
Postal services globally have been exploring the latest technology as they seek to remain competitive in the digital era where the volume of letters—their main business line for centuries—has drastically declined.
Many have been integrating AI in recent years to cut costs and improve efficiency. New Zealand’s NZ Post, for instance, reported a 33% reduction in customer calls after integrating AI, which predicts customer concerns ahead of time.
Blockchain has also emerged as a key technology in the postal business. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been exploring the technology for nearly a decade for supply chain management, secure identity and managing its vast array of devices. In 2021, the USPS certified digital postal service CaseMail as the first producer of blockchain postage labels.
In 2020, Croatia’s HP-Hrvatska pošta made history by creating the first official blockchain stamp, which included a non-fungible token (NFT) that users held on-chain even after using the physical stamp to pay postage.
Watch: With blockchain, the utility is becoming more and more important
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