French postal and parcel technology supplier Quadient has reached a major milestone, reaching more than 20,000 ‘Parcel Pending by Quadient’ locker units in operation across North America, Europe and Asia at the end of January.
Quadient is currently rolling out carrier-neutral shared networks in the UK and France, following on from its earlier expansion in Japan and the US. The company has about 10,000 machines in the US, where it acquired Parcel Pending for $100 million in 2019 and where it operates a collaborative model with universities, residential property managers and other commercial partners.
The Japanese network of about 7,000 sites is based on close commercial partnerships with Yamato Transport, Sagawa Express and Japan Post.
France and UK expansion
In Europe, France and the UK are currently in focus for expansion. Quadient has about 1,000 lockers in France, where it has recently signed up GLS as its latest carrier partner.
In the UK, the company has signed up most major carriers, including Evri, DPD, UPS, DHL and Yodel (but not Royal Mail) for its network.
One-stop service points
“Securing new partnerships with industry leaders and operating a network of over 20,000 Quadient locker locations worldwide further validates our parcel locker strategy. These achievements demonstrate our capacity to address crucial market challenges,” said Geoffrey Godet, CEO of Quadient.
“As online sales have become an integral part of everyday life, we take great pride in providing a highly reliable and secure one-stop service point for consumers across all the markets we serve. We understand that efficiently managing deliveries and returns is a critical component of e-commerce, retail and carrier strategies. We remain committed to creating value for our partners and hosts, as well as residential property managers, universities and businesses, helping them provide top-level services to their communities.”
Business model
Quadient claims that its locker solution “is the only offering in the market today that solves first- and last-mile challenges in a sustainable manner”. Relying on a shared usage model that has been successfully replicated in several countries, it effectively addresses cost-efficiency and service-level needs for carriers and e-commerce and retail, residential, university and commercial locations combined.
Quadient also continues to expand its parcel locker features to support the evolving needs of its customers, including the award-winning Drop box locker and optional printer unit, an industry-first solution addressing the growing need for convenient and cost-efficient returns management.
Overall, the company claims that its locker solutions help simplify delivery processes, improve logistics efficiency, cut down on travel distances and carbon emissions, and guarantee an exceptional customer experience in the long term.
Innovative solutions
“We are proud of the expansion of our open network offering and the innovations that we have built to support carriers, retailers and consumers,” said Benoit Berson, chief solution officer, Parcel Locker Solutions at Quadient. “Our lockers have become a vital part of our customers' businesses, and we are focused on providing a seamless pickup and delivery experience to consumers through a variety of features, partners and locations. We are very happy to have achieved this milestone and look forward to continuing to bring to market innovative solutions that meet the changing needs of our customers.”
