An Post unveils its Gateway for global e-Commerce

An Post has unveiled the Dublin Parcel Hub (DPH), a €15 million investment in automated parcel processing at Oak Road, Dublin 12.

The new 50,000 sq. metre world-class logistics facility significantly increases An Post’s parcel processing capacity as the Company expands its global reach and digital capability to become the backbone of e-commerce in Ireland. The new hub will be a vital gateway to international trade for leading Irish brands like Eason, Brown Thomas, Carrolls Irish Gifts, Blarney Woollen Mills, Arnotts and Carraig Donn.

The hub’s world-class Beumer Technology enables 13,000 parcels to be processed every hour and transforms the parcels operation from a manual set-up to a 90% automated process.   The new Beumer system is self-learning and can recognise all Irish locations, allowing for optimal accuracy.  Following processing, parcels are despatched directly from the Dublin Parcel Hub to local delivery units.

Since Friday last, the DPH has handled more than one million parcels generated by online shoppers over Black Friday and Cyber Monday through Irish and international e-tailers.  This year An Post will handle 16 million parcels from the UK alone, 5 million from the US, Canada and Brazil, and over 1 million from Germany.

EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said: ‘’An Post is one of the staples of Irish life and it is great to see this investment to future-proof its business model. In today’s globalised economy, it is imperative for any country that wishes to stay ahead of the curve to invest in e-Commerce technologies, just as An Post is doing.

“The Dublin Parcel Hub will help to connect Irish businesses and consumers to the world. By transforming its business model, An Post will be supporting Ireland to harness the winds of international trade, which support one in every seven jobs in the EU.’’

David McRedmond, CEO, An Post said: “We’re ambitious for An Post and for Ireland in the international e-Commerce world.    This hub is a significant investment in Ireland’s economic infrastructure, providing Irish business and consumers with the world’s most advanced technology coupled with An Post’s expertise, connecting them to global markets and linking international business to every address in Ireland.  With over 50% of Irish retail now online, the Dublin Parcel Hub sits right at the centre of a new world order of global trading and shopping for customers.

“The European Investment Bank recently approved a €40 million loan to support An Post’s transformation strategy and we will invest this, and additional funds from our own resources, to rebuild our entire network over the next five years to remain in step with the rapidly emerging global e-Commerce landscape.  An Post’s business and personal customers will benefit from faster, more accurate, energy-efficient services”, he concluded.

Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels said: “An Post’s vision is to continue to drive growth and expertise as the eCommerce backbone of Ireland for shippers and shoppers.  With parcel volumes growing at 40% per annum, An Post needed to make a step change into Parcel Automation.  We believe that Ireland can become a world leader in e-Commerce and the DPH is an important milestone in this development.

“An Post local delivery staff know every household and business address in the country and theirs may be the only human interaction a customer has when purchasing a product online.  We’re the market leader in the parcel sector in Ireland with more than 40% market share and we have the trade agreements in place to connect 280,000 Irish businesses to 200 countries worldwide through the global postal network.

“In 2018, An Post processed more than 30 million parcels – a 42% increase on the prior year as shoppers increasingly opted to buy goods online.  All the signs indicate another large volume increase this year and into the future. Indeed, today (Friday) will be our single busiest single day ever in terms of parcels”, he added

An Post’s Dublin Parcel Hub was launched by Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels; David McRedmond, CEO, An Post and European Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan.