Lessons learned from recent Full Market Openings
Lessons learned from recent Full Market Openings
Read MoreTag: Germany
Building a profitable business model: improving productivity and quality for a competitive post
Building a profitable business model: improving productivity and quality for a competitive post
Read MorePDS supplies terminals to DPD Europe and Hermes parcel shops
The German specialist for mobile IT systems, PDS GmbH, will provide DPD with more than 11,000 customised handheld units for its operations in Europe while also equipping Hermes Logistik’s parcel shops in Germany with 13,500 terminals. The value of the two contracts was not disclosed.
The DPD terminals will be equipped with a new system solution based on the Motorola MC9000 hand scanner. PDS said it has customised the handheld into an allrounder with three communication options (GPRS, WLAN and Bluetooth), an optional GPS receipt and a holding case for storage in vehicles. PDS will also supply replacement sets within 24 hours.
The equipment will be provided to DPD in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
Meanwhile, the Cologne-based company has also won a contract from Hermes Logistik to supply its 13,500 parcel shops across Germany with new scanners. The parcel shops will receive equipment based on the Motorola MC3000 terminal including customised software for electronic registration of parcels’ reception and dispatch. The handheld sets include a Bluetooth label printer for barcode labels, receipts and reports. PDS already supplies hand scanners for Hermes’ delivery staff.
Read Moretrans-o-flex building new Sorting Centre
trans-o-flex, the express delivery company, is building a new sorting centre for parcels and pallets in Dettingen an der Iller in Baden-Wuerttemberg state, south-west Germany. The topping-out ceremony for the eight-million-Euro building took place on March 13.
“We have experienced particularly strong growth in the South-West of Germany recently. That’s why we’re setting the course now to cope with further growth in the years to come,” states Wolfgang Weber, trans-o-flex head of operations.
The state-of-the-art sorting centre with 6,000 sq.m. of sorting area and 750 sq.m. of office space is set to replace the present network sites in Kaufbeuren and Neu-Ulm. Construction started on October 1, 2007 and the centre is planned to go operational this July.
The Memmingen-based construction firm Josef Hebel is responsible for planning and construction at the new trans-o-flex site. The site, which has a land area of 30,000 sq.m., offers sufficient flexibility to meet the future expansion needs of the business. Plans already exist for a second building phase covering a further 700 sq.m.
Read MoreHermes Logistik eyes Europe and mulls over mail
Hermes Logistik, the leading German B2C challenger to DHL, plans to press ahead with European expansion this year and is considering whether to enter the domestic mail market should the minimum postal wage be vetoed.
The parcels carrier, a subsidiary of mail-order giant Otto Group, said it increased German revenues by 9% to EUR 1,041 million in 2007. Profit figures were not disclosed. Volumes grew to a new record with a 6% rise to 216 million parcels from business customers and a 21% increase to 28.5 million parcels from private customers.
Hermes has launched new products, including a furniture and large goods transport service, alongside its core parcels delivery service with the aim of growing into Germany’s largest consumer logistics provider after DHL.
After announcing last December that it had put on ice plans to enter the mail market in cooperation with TNT Post, Hermes said the March 7 decision by the Berlin administrative court against the minimum postal wage opened up a new perspective. “We will follow developments very closely and review whether the new situation is reliable enough to give competition in the postal market a truly fair chance,” commented managing director Hanjo Schneider.
In Austria, where it entered the market in mid-2007, Hermes now claims a market share of 38% for B2C parcels. It has gained European Commission approval to take a 30% stake in Italian B2C firm Porta a Porta by buying out Swiss Post. Through close cooperation with sister companies Parcelnet (UK) and Mondial Relay (France), Hermes Logistik has a group-wide market share of 22% of the estimated EUR 1.5 billion European private parcels market.
Read MorePost & Parcel Magazine
Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.