Hermes in three-year deal for Vodafone scanning technology

Hermes Logistics Group has signed a three-year deal with Vodaphone to provide the latest scanning technology to help coordinate its delivery services. The deal continues a 10-year relationship between the two companies, and will see Hermes staff equipped with 19,000 state-of-the-art mobile scanning handsets.

The wireless systems will have a GPRS connection to the internet so that Hermes customers will know in real time where there shipments are.

Hermes and Vodafone have also agreed to work closely together to help develop the technology further, for example to deploy Vodaphone systems to help with site management and co-ordinate the five main logistics bases at Hermes.

This will include use of a yard management control center to co-ordinate vehicle movements, improve response times and improve the efficiency of vehicle use. The two companies are also to work on building a monitoring system that will keep controllers and mobile workers constantly informed about the network status and any potential problems.

And, Hermes will look to use Vodafone technology for the networking of its offices, while there could also be scope for co-operation in retail between the two firms via the 14,000 Hermes Parcel Shops.

Dr Philip Nolling, chief financial officer at Hermes Logistics Group, said: “We are convinced that Vodafone is the right partner for us in the future for two particular reasons – its wide range of services in various fields as well as the ability to adapt to our changing individual requirements.”

Jan Geldmacher, managing director of corporate business at Vodafone Germany, said his company’s global presence meant it could assist a company like Hermes in expanding within the whole of Europe and even further afield.

“The international use of internet-linked scanners is a common strategic issue for the future,” he said.