UPS launches mobile app for i-Pad

A new, free i-Pad app is available for download for all UPS customers, UPS announced yesterday. The app enables customers to track their parcels, to find UPS shipping locations and to access a host of other features via the UPS MyChoice facility.  The app also comes with advanced mapping features.

Stu Marcus, vice president of customer technology marketing at UPS said, "The new app allows our customers to more easily view and manage their shipments from an iPad. The enhanced mapping features of the app provide an engaging visual display of shipments in transit, and details of a shipment's progress are updated regularly while en route."

Ownership of tablet computers has surged in recent years; carriers are evidently responding accordingly. DHL also offer a free mobile app for phones and i-Pad and TNT Express have a tracking application available for iPhone, Blackberry and Andriod. 

TNT Express to transport twin Pandas from Madrid to China

TNT Express are transporting twin Pandas Po and De De from Madrid to Chengdu today, six years after bringing their parents from China to Spain. The twin brothers are among the few pandas born in captivity outside China. The bears’ parents Hua Zuiba and Bing Xing were transported by TNT Express in September 2007 to Madrid from Chengdu as part of a giant panda loan programme.

Thanks to preparations made by TNT Express’ special services teams, including customised routes and temperature controlled vehicles, Po and De De should have a safe and comfortable journey back to their parents’ homeland.

The bears –which will be accompanied by a veterinarian for the duration of their trip – will leave Madrid at 16:00 today, local time and will board an air-conditioned truck to Amsterdam. From their, they will be flown to Chengdu and spend several hours at the airport before reaching their destination, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, by the afternoon of the 18th May. 

The giant panda is listed as endangered in the World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Animals. Only about 600 remain in the wild, with an additional 341 living in breeding centres and zoos. Of the pandas living in captivity, 44 are outside China.

DHL Express strongest division of Deutsche Post DHL according to first quarter figures

Deutsche Post DHL released their results for the first quarter of 2013 yesterday morning. Revenue amounted to  €13.44 billion - a small increase of 0.6% compared to the same period last year - but consolidated net profit fell 5.9% to  €498m compared to  €529 in 2012.

DHL attributed the slight increase in revenue to parcel delivery within Germany and the DHL Express division, the areas of the business that saw the most growth. The loss in profit was attributed to the non-recurrence of last year's positive one-time effects related to the sale of Postbank last year. Excluding the effects of this, DHL claim that net profit and earnings per share would have increased by over 45%.

Capital expenditure amounted to €711 million for the quarter and was primarily invested in the DHL side of the business in network expansions, fleet and warehousing. This is great news for the international courier sector: throughout the year we have reported on expansions and developments to DHL's international network, including partnerships in India and the development of an 'East-Asian hub' based across Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Revenue was up 2.4% for the DHL Express division, with an increase in operating profit of almost 10%. The Global Forwarding, Freight division saw a 2% fall in revenue, but achieved an increase in operating profit of €1m year-on-year. The Supply Chain division was the least successful: although it achieved a 2% increase in revenue (attributed mainly to growth in the Asia Pacific region) EBIT was down 8.7%. The company stated this was due to "insolvency proceedings relating to a US Customer." For the mail side of the business, volumes were up 1.5%

Chief Financial Officer Larry Rosen commented in an interview, "The first quarter of 2013 was a really good quarter for us. We've got off to a very solid start for the year in what is a very difficult macroeconomic environment. Cash-flow performance was much improved compared to the first quarter of last year and we are very confident about our short term and mid term goals (...) DHL is doing well, especially the Express business."

DPD to open 240 new outlets in Baltic states before the end of the year

Building upon the more than 14,000 parcel outlets currently in operation in Western Europe, parcel carrier DPD is to launch 240 parcel shops in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia before the end of the year. The initiative will commence this month with the opening of 19 outlets in Lithuanian capital Vilnius, with an additional 16 across the country's next four largest cities, increasing to an anticipated 100 shops by the end of the year. 36 outlets will be opened in Estonia and a further 104 in Latvia over the year.

The outlets will be parcel pick-up and drop off points and be based in retail stores - such as flower shops - and other popular locations. This business model is increasingly popular amongst the major carriers (FedEx recently teamed up with Bombay-based printing company PrintCo so as to expand their Indian network by gaining a presence within their retail outlets).

Chief Executive of DPD Baltics Indrė Puišė commented, “We want Lithuanians to think about being able to send/collect parcels at locations which are both convenient and frequently used by them and so we propose to start our service simultaneously in the five major cities and the rest of the Baltic region.”

Puišė commented further that, “People in Western and Northern Europe are used to sending parcels in a more flexible and faster way than those in the Baltic States, and this is demonstrated to a great extent by DPD parcel shops or similar points that have operated in these countries for a number of years.” The new initiative is in part intended to encourage the spread of these more flexible delivery options from Western Europe to the rest of the continent.


DHL corporate responsibility report focuses on Education, Environment and Disaster Management

Deutsche Post DHL released their 2012 corporate responsibility report last week, the focus of which was on the company's achievements in each element of its three-part "Living Responsibility" program and HR issues. The "Living Responsibility" initiative comprises projects related to education (GoTeach), the environment (GoGreen) and disaster management (GoTeach), and the main HR focus was on how the company were responding to the challenges of an aging workforce. and continuing to provide opportunities and work-life balance for its 475,000 employees.

DHL's education activities included international partnerships with non-profit organisations Teach for All and SOS Children's villages. Teach for All recruits high-achieving university graduates to teach in high-need schools across the globe. Up to 2000 DHL employees participated in supporting the organsiation to develop its infrastructure, finance management and process optimisation. DHL employees also facilitated fundraising drives and provided career mentoring to participating graduates. The company's work with SOS Children's Villages entailed supporting young people aged 15-25 in the transition from education to employment. New partnerships were established in Mexico, Kenya and Ghana, in addition to those in Brazil, Madagascar, South Africa and Vietnam

Environmental headlines from the report included 2.4 billion carbon neutral shipments for 2012 and the addition of 8, 500 climate friendly vehicles to the courier's fleet. Engagement in Green Freight Europe, an initiative to encourage green procurement of transportation services, was also highlighted, along with the initiation of a climate protection project in Lesotho.

The company's disaster management activities focused on working with airports and government disaster management authorities for preparing for logistical challenges of a disaster response operation.

CEO Frank Appel commented, "Corporate responsibility is not about being satisfied with having accomplished a few good works. Our globalized world and its interconnected challenges require businesses like Deutsche Post DHL to fundamentally rethink their approach to value creation."

Source: DHL




FedEx offers more flexible parcel delivery to US customers

FedEx announced the roll-out of their new service FedEx Delivery Manager last week. The service allows US customers to arrange home deliveries to suit their schedules and offers an array of features, many of them free.

For no charge, customers are able to suspend delivery for up to 14 days, to instruct the driver to leave the parcel at a particular place at their address if they won’t be home or to request their parcel be held at their local FedEx office. Delivery alerts and delivery and shipment calendars are also available at no extra charge. Customers are also able to reschedule deliveries and to request delivery to another location for $5-$10 dollars.

Customers need to sign up at fedex.com/delivery in order to access the service, which is available on web browsers as well as mobile devices.

The level of flexibility offered is advantageous for US FedEx customers but the new service is sure to be good for FedEx too, given how much time and resources are wasted on failed deliveries.

Source: FedEx

Hermes set on international expansion

Following its ninth year of business growth - including a 100% increase in its UK web portal parcel volumes in 2012 - Anglo-German parcel carrier Hermes has set its eye on future international expansion. The company expanded its UK fleet with 86 vans and 14 tractor-trailer units last December and is now keen to develop its growth into Europe, the USA and Asia.

The parcel carrier is aiming for growth in logistics and supply chain support to respond to the booming e-commerce industry, and are seeking to develop their infrastructure with the acquisition of new sales offices in the USA, France and the low countries.The company are also planning to build their presence in Asia via new locations in Hong Kong and Shanghai and improved links to manufacturers in Indonesia and Taiwan.

Hermes impressive growth has seen them transport 20 million parcels more than last year in Germany, the UK, Austria, Italy and Russia in 2012.

Hanjo Schneider, Hermes Europe CEO is confident his company will achieve a revenue of over €2 billion this year.

Source: Post and Parcel