Written by: Muhammad Rasyach Ramadhan & Karisa Hasnafati
Designed by: Zalika Afarin
Have you ever seen eyes that never sleep? Eyes that can track your every movement for 24 hours without missing a single mistake. In reality, doing that is almost impossible for humans. However, in the midst of global dynamics, the Logistic Industry demands great speed and accuracy, having that said capability is no longer a pipe dream, but rather an urgent business need.
The need for a systematic workflow arises because manual monitoring procedures have limitations in monitoring warehouse operations comprehensively. As a result of these monitoring gaps, inefficiencies in manual workflows often occur and are difficult to identify, thus hampering productivity. At the same point, unsafe behaviors and ergonomic risks are a real threat and are difficult to detect by the human eye in real time. Liberty Mutual data (2024) noted that businesses in the US experience losses of $5.74 billion per year due to being struck by objects. This condition has triggered global companies to continue innovating to overcome these problems, one of which is the DHL Group which implemented a digital monitoring system by combining visual technology to mitigate risks through Protex AI, and motion sensor technology to optimize performance through MotionMiners.
Working closely with heavy objects and fast movements, workers at DHL are always exposed to health and safety risks. As part of their mitigation framework, DHL partnered with Protex AI, which transformed CCTV into intelligent sensors capable of actively monitoring the work environment 24/7. Protex AI utilizes edge computing technology that processes visual data directly in the Protex box, minimizing network delays. Unlike conventional sensors that mitigate with alarms, DHL employs a silent observer approach to minimize alarm fatigue. Instead of triggering alarms, the system reports video clips and a risk dashboard to management when there is a safety hazard to workers, allowing them to evaluate the warehouse layout to prevent workplace accidents. Although the system provides a video clip to support the analysis, it automatically blurs worker identities, ensuring that monitoring focuses on worker safety rather than evaluating their performance. (Rowland, D., 2023)
The safety of workers also concerns the efficiency of workers’ motion in the workplace. For that, DHL collaborated with MotionMiners to analyze efficient operations and its workers’ ergonomics. MotionMiners applies Wearable Sensors that are worn on the wrist and hip of those who will move around the warehouse, which will record micro movements using Inertial Measurement Units (IMU). The data will then be combined with static signals from Bluetooth Beacons on warehouse walls to precisely track the location of workers without having to use GPS. The data output will then be processed by AI until it creates a visualization that’s easy to interpret, such as heatmap and workers’ footstep patterns. Visual analytics reveal hidden bottlenecks, such as poor routing or inefficient workflows, allowing management to optimize the facility’s layout. Importantly, MotionMiners mirrors the privacy standards of Protex AI. By anonymizing sensor data, the technology ensures that the goal is process improvement, not employee surveillance.
The implementation of data-driven AI at DHL has significantly enhanced warehouse efficiency and workflow agility, which clearly demonstrates MotionMiners’ findings, revealing a critical inefficiency where 60% of internal movements give no additional value. These optimization efforts proceed alongside DHL’s safety standards measured by the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) to pursue an aggressive target of 10.8 or lower by 2030. This data serves as a crucial foundation for identifying high-risk areas and formulating precise preventive measures. The strategy is further validated by the success of Protex AI, which recently secured $36 million in Series B funding and successfully reduced workplace risk by 64% in just the first three months. Moreover, this commitment to safety supported by privacy-first technology fulfills social responsibility goals by building worker trust while simultaneously cutting operational costs. It achieves this by preventing the indirect financial losses of accidents, which can often amount to 10 times the cost of direct medical expenses.
Behind DHL’s success, there are still serious operational obstacles that need to be taken into account to avoid bias in evaluation. Technically, the prediction accuracy of AI is never 100%. This poses a risk of ‘alarm fatigue,’ where the EHS team is overwhelmed by excessive false positives, potentially leading them to overlook genuine dangers. The situation worsens if computer vision lacks the ability to comprehend and interpret contexts or to detect specific materials. Computer vision still struggles to detect transparent and reflective materials like glass and mirrors, which poses another threat where the system cannot detect dangers accurately. With DHL’s goal to compete in the logistics industry globally, obstacles are still present in implementing this technology in other regions. Protex AI and MotionMiners have only been implemented in the European region and are only fully operational in Denmark. Meanwhile, branches in developing regions often lack the infrastructure to support such advanced systems. A prime example is Indonesia, where the implementation of surveillance-based AI is not only stalled by uneven digital infrastructure but also heavily scrutinized under the strict compliance requirements of the Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP), which limits how employee data can be captured and processed.
Despite these challenges, the DHL case study demonstrates that technology serves to enhance efficiency and safety rather than merely replacing human tasks. The implementation of such technology allows businesses to achieve optimal profitability while simultaneously prioritizing workforce well-being. DHL’s successful adoption offers a critical reflection for Indonesia. Amidst uneven infrastructure and challenges regarding local human resource quality, a pivotal question arises: can the Indonesian logistics industry adapt to these high technological standards to boost global competitiveness? Or will the nation be left behind due to a continued reliance on traditional methods that are becoming increasingly irrelevant?
REFERENCES
Hobbs, D. (2022). Getting senior buy-in for your AI safety software project [White paper]. Protex AI. https://www.protex.ai/whitepapers/getting-senior-buy-in-for-your-ai-safety-software-project
Hobbs, D. (2025, December 8). Using AI to reduce incidents in the workplace [White paper]. Protex AI. https://www.protex.ai/whitepapers/using-ai-to-reduce-incidents-in-the-workplace
Liberty Mutual Insurance. (2024, June 11). 2024 workplace safety index. https://business.libertymutual.com/insights/2024-workplace-safety-index/
MotionMiners. (n.d.). MotionMiners ergonomics analyses. https://www.motionminers.com/en/features/ergonomics-analyses
O’Mara, C. (2024, October 7). Unlock the benefits of computer vision without breaching the GDPR: A guide to protecting personal data. Protex AI. https://www.protex.ai/post/unlock-the-benefits-of-computer-vision-without-breaching-gdpr-a-guide-to-protecting-personal-data
Protex AI. (2025, February 6). Protex AI secures $36M Series B to power safer and smarter industrial workplaces with AI. Yahoo Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/protex-ai-secures-36m-series-111800598.html
Rowland, D. (2023, June 16). AI-powered safety solutions: DHL partners with Protex AI to drive safety innovation in logistics. Protex AI. https://www.protex.ai/news/ai-powered-safety-solutions-dhl-partners-with-protex-ai-to-drive-safety-innovation-in-logistics
