UTi, TNT, Hermes UK, Geodis, Austrian Post, Marken and UPS are in the news this week with a range of new products, operational expansion and other activities.
International freight forwarder UTi Worldwide is targeting the e-commerce business in South Africa with the installation of the first of more than 450 planned UTi ByBox shipment lockers to give online retailers and their customers a secure, convenient and efficient option for collecting and sending parcels. The first UTi ByBox was installed at an Engen service station in suburban Johannesburg. Retail centers, business parks and university campuses are also among the types of locations targeted for the UTi ByBox deployment.
"The UTi ByBox is a great option for retailers and their customers, particularly in emerging markets, where home delivery may not be faster, better or cheaper," said Keith Pienaar, President, UTi Contract Logistics & Distribution. "We are committed to the success of the UTi ByBox and to providing this option throughout South Africa, where we have a leading market presence and a strong parcel delivery network already in place. We will also be studying the deployment to determine its potential elsewhere in Africa and other emerging markets around the world where UTi has special strengths."
TNT has selected CallidusCloud CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) to accelerate the creation of customer quotes as part of its ongoing business simplification strategy and will roll out the software to over 5,000 users. The Dutch company will rely on CallidusCloud CPQ to slash the time it takes to get quotes into customers' hands and increase the number of quotes each sales representative can generate. CallidusCloud is a global leader in cloud-based sales, marketing, learning and customer experience solutions.
Hermes UK has announced the return of its money back delivery guarantee this Christmas to provide retailers and their customers with peace of mind ahead of the 2015 peak season. The Hermes Guaranteed Christmas Delivery Promise, which is now in its third year, helps retailers to avoid disappointing consumers by guaranteeing that all online purchases will be delivered before Christmas Day. The terms of the commitment apply to each individual parcel that enters the Hermes network, with a UK mainland address, by 23.59 on Monday 21 December. It guarantees that a minimum of one delivery attempt will be made to ensure purchases are received in time for Christmas, otherwise Hermes will refund the delivery charge.
Martijn De Lange, Chief Operating Officer at Hermes, said: “During the last peak season we processed 24.4 million parcels, which was up 15% on 2013, and we expect that number to rise again this year. We will once again make a guaranteed commitment to retailers to ensure their customers receive their presents in time for Christmas. Along with this promise, we have continued to significantly invest in our network and infrastructure to help retailers enjoy their most prosperous peak season to date.”
Geodis has opened a new 10,500 sqm agency near Bordeaux offering more space for customer shipments, especially in the wine sector, than at the previous site. The new agency handles distribution throughout the Gironde region of western France and offers a transport plan of 50 daily routes covering the whole of France, Spain and Portugal, for 1,200 customers. With a total of 70 daily distribution rounds, it provides a direct link through to the group’s domestic and international networks.
Olivier Mélot, executive VP of GEODIS Distribution & Express, said: “The move to the new site fits in with our program on regular modernization for our production systems and continuous improvement in both employee and customer satisfaction, true to the GEODIS corporate social responsibility drive. This investment, coupled with the dynamism of our regional team, testifies to our determination on becoming a major player in logistics support for local and national businesses.”
Austrian Post has opened an Extraterritorial Office of Exchange (ETOE) in co-operation with the UK mail distribution specialist Direct Entry Solutions (D.E.S.), located close to London Heathrow Airport. The ETOE offers UK wholesale customers access to Austrian Post's high quality value-added products and extensive global distribution network directly from the UK. The ETOE is the second office of exchange operated by Austrian Post. In November 2014 an ETOE of the subsidiary Austrian Post International went into operation in Bonn, Germany. At this office, Austrian Post also enables customers to have their international letter mail processed and directly dispatched abroad.
Walter Hitziger, Member of the Management Board of Austrian Post and Head of the Mail & Branch Network Division, said: “The UK is an important market for Austrian Post. Thanks to this newly created routing option the shipment times of mail items are considerably reduced for our new UK customers. We are delighted to have found a high-performance, reliable partner in D.E.S., enabling us to offer our high quality postal services to UK business customers.”
Marken has expanded its three-year cooperation with GlobalCare Clinical Trials to 80 active trials in 45 countries, making the two companies clear leaders in the growing direct to patient (DTP) market. Demand for DTP services is increasing as pharma seeks new avenues to recruit and retain patients around the globe. Marken’s Direct to Patient (DTP) home delivery service provides delivery of clinical trial materials directly to a patient’s home and retrieves the biological specimens for testing, with quality guaranteed through full temperature monitoring (when required) from pick up to delivery. GlobalCare conducts study visits at patients' homes by mobilizing their global network of traveling nurses and clinicians who are experienced in multiple therapeutic areas and all age groups.
UPS was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the third consecutive year. The ranking positions UPS in the top 10% of sustainability performers among the 2,500 largest companies tracked in the S&P Global Broad Market IndexSM. For the 11th straight year, UPS also was named to the DJSI North America Index. The indices help investors who integrate sustainability considerations into their portfolio decisions.
