CJ Logistics

Marking its fifth year, CJ Logistics’ Future Technology Challenge has become the only recruitment-linked logistics technology competition in Korea. The event is held annually with the goal of discovering talent equipped with logistics technology expertise and creativity.

The competition is designed around real-world problem-solving tasks, allowing participants to gain hands-on logistics experience while also earning prizes and recruitment opportunities. Thanks to this unique format, the scale of participation has continued to grow each year, and the outcomes have consistently received strong recognition across the industry. This year’s challenge once again concluded successfully, with upgraded operations leading to record-high participation and meaningful achievements.

A Gateway for Talent Driving Logistics Innovation

At the core of the logistics industry lie accuracy, safety, and efficiency. These values are sustained by innovators who constantly develop new ideas and technologies. To discover such talent, CJ Logistics became the first domestic logistics company to launch a technology competition in 2021. Designed as a practice-oriented event focused on real-world tasks, the competition has since attracted around 700 teams and over 1,600 participants. Among them, 22 winners have gone on to join the TES Logistics Technology Research Institute, growing into logistics technology professionals.
 

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the 2025 challenge advanced to a new level. With the introduction of CJ Logistics’ proprietary online platform, participants could submit tasks through an automated grading system and track real-time competition results. This not only reduced the burden of on-site evaluation but also enabled participants to focus more deeply on development, enhancing engagement and excitement. As a result, the event achieved a record-breaking participation rate—37 percentage points higher than last year—and delivered more diverse and outstanding outcomes than ever before.

Proving Innovation Through Precise Algorithms and Practical Solutions Launched in May, the 2025 challenge ran for four weeks. Individuals or teams of up to three members worked on assigned tasks, open to undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in logistics technology. However, since the event is recruitment-linked, eligibility was limited to candidates available for employment within two years. This year’s theme, Smart Logistics Operations Optimization, featured two key challenges.

•  Task #1: AI-Based Delivery Route & Loading Optimization
     Develop algorithms that optimize driving routes and loading sequences, considering fuel efficiency and unloading order.

•  Task #2: Order Picking Process Optimization in Logistics Centers
     Design operational solutions that optimize product storage, picking methods, and worker movement.
 

Each first-place team received a prize of 10 million KRW, with participants free to enter both tasks. Real-time leaderboards allowed them to refine their algorithms through competition, and final results were judged based on the submissions at the deadline. On the final day, the winners were selected based on their problem-solving skills and creativity through a thorough review by CJ Logistics’ TES Logistics Technology Research Institute. The two winning teams earned exemptions from the document screening and first interview stages, while the third-place teams in each task were granted a pass on document screening.
 

AI-Based Delivery Optimization Winner – ‘CJ Rapid And Logical’ (Chan-Sol Park, POSTECH / Jung-Hyun Moon, Chungbuk National University)
The team designed a highly sophisticated algorithm that minimized fuel costs while also reducing the shuffling cost of rearranging packages inside delivery vehicles. Remarkably, despite ranking only 10th two days before the deadline, the team continuously enhanced its performance through the new system and dramatically surged to 1st place, capturing the ultimate victory.
 

Shaping the Future of Logistics with Outstanding Talent 

Participants shared that the challenge allowed them to see how theoretical knowledge could be applied to real-world logistics and to effectively test their own technical capabilities. Many highlighted that applying diverse methods—such as search techniques, simulations, and algorithm tuning—helped them grow alongside peers who shared the same aspirations.
 

Looking ahead, CJ Logistics will continue to foster future talent through the Future Technology Challenge, building a strong pool of innovators who will lead logistics transformation. By strengthening engagement with outstanding individuals, the company aims to drive industry-wide technological advancement and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as AI, positioning itself as a leading innovation-driven logistics company.