If you thought pallets were all about heavy freight, not fulfilment, think again, says Peter Rowlands. This is the era of the pallet networks, and they have a role in fulfilment and home deliveries too
Read MoreArgos Home Delivery has appointed Exel in a major contract to manage a brand new regional distribution centre in Darlington, County Durham. It will serve customers in the North of England, Scotland and Ireland. Argos already uses Exel to manage two existing distribution centres, at Marsh Leys near Bedford and Acton Gate near Stafford. These operations, which between them cover the rest of the country, will continue.
Read MoreChristian Salvesen, not hitherto a significant player in the home shopping and e-fulfilment market, has joined forces with solutions house Venda to set up a one-stop shop multi-channel logistics service. A third main player in the operation is Parcelforce Worldwide, which has been appointed by Salvesen to handle most of the actual deliveries. The move is seen by some as marking an important stage in the evolution of multi-channel fulfilment, demonstrating that this is a sector the traditional logistics market now takes seriously.
Initially the service is expected to operate out of Salvesen’s Buxton warehouse, but managing director Stewart Oades says that in theory it can take advantage of any of the company’s 200-odd UK bases.
DHL is expanding in retail distribution with a two-pronged attack – one on home delivery and the other on supermarket supply of non-food items such as CDs, DVDs, books, greeting cards and similar items. The company has just opened units in three Staples stationery stores – Telford, Bolton and Milton Keynes – to allow home consumers or small businesses to post parcels or to use the units as collection points for online or catalogue purchases. In addition, DHL is looking at employing part-time drivers to offer evening and weekend deliveries. ‘We are talking to retailers to identify the best way to provide the delivery services both they and the consumer need at a respectable cost,’ explains Manish Joshi, general manager, express division.
Read MoreDHL is scaling up its investment in the Asia’s second biggest economy China. As the first global express giant entering the nation, DHL is confident in this promising market. In recent years, DHL has seen its businesses grow there at an annual rate of 35% to 45%, and the figure was even as high as 50% to 60% in 2004, said Wu Dongming, managing director of DHL-Sinotrans, a joint venture of DHL and Sinotrans. In 2003, the company announced a plan to invest USD 200 million in five years there, and the ambitious plan is now going on smoothly, according to the managing director.
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