DPD to construct new parcel hub in Germany

World renown parcel delivery company, DPD, are to build a brand new distribution hub, costing around 11 million Euros. The new build is to be located within southern Germany in the bid to get closer to its customers within this region. Construction for the new depot has already begun at the Waldeck Business Park situated in Dinkelsbühl.

DPD's new addition will cover an area of 18,000 square metres within a 23,100 square metre site and it anticipated to open during the early months of 2015. The introduction of the new hub will provide up to 90 new job opportunities.

DPD Project Manager, Milad Zadeh, has said: "Closeness to the customer is an important competitive factor for us. Our new distribution centre in Dinkelsbühl will put us in the position to offer our customers in the region even better service."

The new depot will be located in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.

The new facility will be operational in parcel-sorting, and up to 16,500 parcels are expected to be handling on a daily basis. This will be met by the use of a 990 metre conveyor belt, with the aim of initially sorting 5,500 parcels per hour, and up to 7,500 per hour during the second phase.

Employment is said to consist of up to 65 delivery drivers and around 30 depot staff who will oversee daily operations. The newly added depot will be Germany's 76th DPD hub. DPD currently deal with over 2.5 million parcels daily within its international network.

DPD introduces “early warning” system for customers of online fashion retailer ASOS

DPD have announced they are to launch a newly introduced “early warning” system, consisting of an e-mail and text notification service for its deliveries with online fashion retailer ASOS.

The new service will give customers notification of when their parcel is anticipated to arrive the night before of the expected delivery date. This comes as an expansion on the Follow My Parcel initiative that was introduced previously, which enabled customers to track their parcels in real time, before delivery occurring within a 15 minute time slot.

The new “early warnings” method will allow customers to be aware of when their shipment is likely to be delivered up to 12 hours beforehand.

The notification, which is to be sent to the customer the evening before, will provide them with five delivery options, some of these being delivery to a safe place, being able to collect the shipment from the nearest depot and giving the option of upgrading the service for delivery before a certain time, or even delivery on a Saturday morning. Further options for the customer will also include offering delivery to a neighbour or rearranging the delivery day for a more convenient date.

Having been founded in 2000, ASOS has become one of the UK’s biggest fashion retailers, being based solely online. With a reported 29.5million people visiting the website on a monthly basis, with a range of around 65,000 products to choose from, ASOS has seen growth in their sales by £769.4 million last year, this being an increase of 39%.

Matt Rogers, Director of Delivery Solutions at ASOS, has spoken of the impact the new system will have on the customer experience in shopping with them: “For us, making sure customers receive their goods promptly and safely is every bit as important as being able to find what they want on the site in the first place.” Rogers further says that the ability for customers to change their delivery preferences “is a fantastic advantage too.”

Further to this, DPD’s UK Chief Executive, Dwain McDonald, has expressed the importance of an effective delivery service to their business: “Online fashion retailing is a fast moving business and our aim is to provide a home delivery service that exceeds people’s expectations and helps turn shoppers into repeat purchasers and loyal customers.”

"Too little appreciation" of parcel delivery services, says CEO of DPD

DPD in Germany recently announced its prices will rise by an average of 3.5% for business customers at the beginning of the new year. Similar to most businesses, carriers tend to report price increases in a way they hope might go unnoticed: quietly, apologetically and with an explanation of why exactly the price is going up. But although DPD has named wage and freight costs as the reason for the increase, they have not done so in a manner that anyone would describe as apologetic!

DPD CEO Arnold Schroven says there
is insufficient appreciation of parcel
delivery services.

Upon announcing the change, DPD CEO Arnold Schroven remarked that "the entire industry has a shared interest in counteracting the "something for nothing" mentality in parcel shipping" claiming that "there is often too little appreciation of the services we provide."

 DPD has expanded rapidly and introduced a variety of new services over the last decade including same-day delivery in Germany and specialised delivery options for both business and private customers.

In a statement about the price increase, the carrier claimed that stagnating prices in shipping had been accompanied by continually rising costs, and that it was time for the customers to absorb some of these prices as well as the carriers: "If there is an increase in road tolls these additional costs will have to be passed on to our customers too," said Shroven.

It's likely that most industries would claim their expertise and services are unappreciated, and many carriers will be supportive of Shroven's statements, but his comments could also be seen as quite insensitive. It's true that expectations of parcel delivery are high, and rightly so, but is it also true that we don't recognise the important work that carriers do? In our experience, most people  appreciate the services of major carriers such as DPD, DHL, UPS and FedEx, but find that booking with them directly is too expensive as it is. That's why they book through a reseller such as Transglobal Express. You can beat the price increases by booking through us, and utilising the services and impressive networks of major carriers at a much lower price. Click here to get a quote and compare discounted prices today. And why not let us know what you think by commenting below? Is Shroven right to say that the customer is sometimes wrong? Or should DPD be helping business customers by continuing to absorb the increased freight costs?

DPD to offer same day delivery in Germany

Following its recent acquisition of a 20% share in the Munich-based tiramizoo city courier portal, which offers delivery within time frames as little as 90 minutes in 15 German cities, courier company DPD has stated it plans to offer its German customers same day delivery by the end of 2013. 

Chief Operating Officer of DPD GeoPost Boris Winkelmann commented, "by participating in tiramizoo we are taking a leading role among parcel services on a key market of the future. At the moment same-day deliveries are still a niche market, but we regard its growth potential in future years as enormous. Offering delivery on the same day is already highly attractive for service-oriented shippers and consumers, and this is why we aim to make a same-day service available to our customers by the end of this year."

As well as end of year targets, DPD are also planning to offer one hour delivery windows by 2014, which Winkelmann asserts "will set a new benchmark on the German parcels market".

Carbon neutral shipping- what's it all about?

Given the great number of air miles flown every day by logistics and courier companies, the fuel consumed in the process and the mass of packaging materials used to ensure parcels are sufficiently protected in transit, it's fair to say that the industry has the potential to impact the environment much more than most: getting goods from A to B is at the heart of logistics, and this will always require fuel consumption and result in carbon emissions. With this in mind, it's important that courier companies take account of their effect on the environment, and strive reduce it wherever possible.

Carbon neutral shipments form part of DHL's "Go Green" programe

But as well as reducing the environmental impact of their business practice, many major carriers also offer customers the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions of the deliveries they contract. DHL, UPS and FedEx all offer what they call carbon-neutral shipping which enable shippers to opt to minimise the effect of their deliveries on the environment by contributing to carbon reduction and conservation projects elsewhere. International Courier DPD were the first to introduce free carbon neutral shipping in five European markets including the UK, in July 2012. Yesterday, a year later, the company announced the extension of this service to an additional ten European countries.

So, does it work? It may seem counter-intuitive to deal with the symptoms rather than the cause of CO2 emissions, but a look at the UPS Carbon Neutral webpage shows a variety of worthwhile projects to which customers can contribute if they opt for the more environmentally friendly shipping option - from wind farms in Turkey to a rainforest rehabilitation project in Burma, from fuel efficient cookstoves in Ghana to biodiversity in California.

A DPD carbon neutral delivery in Prague, Czech Republic

DPD pursue a slightly different route, rather than charging a carbon-neutral fee and using it to contribute to development projects like UPS, the UK carrier uses the term "insetting" rather than "offsetting" - meaning they account for carbon emissions within their own group rather than compensating for them  solely via external projects. Like with UPS, the carbon cost of each shipment is calculated but it is then accounted for via energy conservation in company buildings, use of electric vehicles and reduced fuel consumption, before being offset via conservation initiatives abroad. 

Cheap Parcel Service & Quality? – Getting The Balance Right

When choosing a parcel service, most of us are guided by price. As with many things cheap parcel services can offer great or little quality. The key is to recognise warning signs and check for certain criteria before making the booking. 

Step 1 – Check for transit liability & terms and conditions

• High quality parcel service providers will offer customers a standard liability up to 50 GBP. They may also offer enhanced transit liability, which will cover you against any extra loss or damage. That way you can ensure that you will receive compensation in case anything happens to your shipment.

Step 2 – Which carriers will transport my consignment?

• As the customer you can and should expect to be given full transparency over your parcel delivery. This also includes information about the carriers who will ship your parcels. A  good courier service will have the details about each courier service provider available on their website. 

Step 3 – Can I expect any surcharges?

• Again, information about surcharges should be easily accessible from the website and clearly displayed during the booking process. For example if your collections or delivery address was located in a remote area.

• It may happen that you have to pay for surcharges due to having tried to ship restricted items, or if you have provided incorrect details about the size, weight or length of your shipment. You may be debited for these surcharges at a later stage. For this reason, it is always a good idea to measure your consignment twice in its final packaging as well as to check back with your courier service and customs office, should you send a parcel abroad.

Step 4 – What about collection times?

• Standard parcel services do not guarantee collections as the driver may have a large amount of parcels to collect on the day of your collection. Depending on the carrier, you will be given three hour windows or specific collection periods. 

• You can contact your courier service’s customer service team and ask them to follow up on the failed collection, should the driver fail to collect your parcel within those hours. Be aware that compensation will not be given in these situations.

Step 5 – What about delivery times?

• When requesting your quote, you will be shown an overview of estimated transit times. This can vary depending on customs, bank holidays, outstanding charges etc. However, a good courier will endeavour to deliver your consignment as quickly as possible. 

Step 6 – How do I book a cheap parcel service?

• Independent courier service providers such as the Transglobal Express Ltd. offer discounted rates of up to 67 percent with leading carriers including DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx and DPD. Their cheap parcel services underlie high quality standards and offer you a great deal of flexibility with regards to speed of delivery and your budget. 

• You can book online and request a free quote at TransglobalPremium.co.uk – no registration necessary until you decide to  book!

Image c/o 123rf.com

DPD introduces “Total Zero” - free carbon neutral shipping

From now on, DPD customers will have their parcels shipped carbon neutral via Total Zero. The new carbon neutral commitment will initially be available to private and business customers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, BeLux and Switzerland. 

“We are proud and exited to officially launch Total Zero in these six markets. DPD have been preparing for this moment for some time now and I am sure that our customers will be delighted to know that we are now delivering carbon neutral parcels at no extra charge”, said John Acton, MD of DPD & Executive Vice-President of GeoPost S.A.

The new DPD courier service commitment benefits from a triple mechanism which measures and reduces the emitted carbon and subsequently offsets it. GeoPost’s partner, the French offset company, CDC Climat, will help with the carbon offsetting by supporting international projects such as reforestations in Columbia. 

Action is convinced that DPD’s environment friendly courier services and CO2 offsetting initiatives will mark “an exciting new chapter in our company’s history and we hope that carbon neutral shipping at zero cost will one day become the standard across the industry.”

DPD anticipate to make Total Zero available in additional destinations across Europe in 2013.



Sources: DPD & YouTube

DPD offer special courier service to Russian online shoppers

From now every distant-selling company will be able to ship its parcels from Russia via DPD courier services.

As a response to the rapidly growing eCommerce sector, DPD decided to update its “DPD Consumer” industry solution which can be used in over 3000 Russian towns and cities. 2600 out of these 3000 cities have the option to pay cash on delivery.

By offering this updated parcel service solution, DPD hope to encourage more users of online stores to use their services as well as to provide them with sufficient delivery information.

Leonid Zondberg, Commercial Director of DPD Russia, said that “[DPD was] aware that the logistics component is a key factor of success for an online store".

According to recent stats, an estimated 70 percent of residents living in major cities use online stores up to four times a month.

If you intend to send parcels to Russia and would like to take advantage of highly discounted rates with DPD and other major courier company, please visit TransglobalExpress.co.uk.

Source: DPD / Transglobal Express

DPD Action Plan for Olympic Games 2012

Today, the courier service, DPD, announced its action plan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 in London. 

Its Olympics Project Team has developed a detailed plan responding to the increase demand of parcel deliveries during the Olympic Games as well as to the possibly large scale of congestion.

 

The DPD action plan is aimed at ensuring on-time deliveries / collections throughout this summer and looks as follows:

• additional facility to open near London Bridge DPD depot
• increased number of routes in operation
• assistants hired to support DPD drivers with on-foot parcel deliveries
• early AM as well as late PM deliveries to be scheduled
• increased number of customer service / hotline staff
• coordination of events to carried out by DPD Olympic Specialist
• daily updates for London

Please note that certain venues will not be accessible. For more details, please refer to the DPD lockdown venues list.

Source: DPD

Can I Send Money By Courier?

We are often asked if customers can send money by courier. Unforunately, it is a "no".

None of our carriers (that includes DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT and DPD) currently accept shipments which contain 

• credit or debit cards
• cash
• cheques 
• or vouchers with a face value. 

This is mainly due to insurance reasons in case your shipments gets damaged or lost. If you are unsure about the contents of your parcel and would like further information, please visit our restricted items page. 

Related articles

• How to Send a Bike | Packaging Guide for Bike Delivery 
• Collect a Parcel - Courier Services for Parcel Collections in the UK 
• Advice for SMEs : How to Save Money on Parcel Delivery Services 

Advice for SMEs : How to Save Money on Parcel Delivery Services

Hands down. These days everybody has to dig deeper into their pockets. Particularly small and medium businesses often find themselves in a struggle to compete with large enterprises who can afford deliver their products for free.

In this case, SMEs face one of their biggest challenges. Offering competitive prices and quick parcel delivery can quickly overstretches one’s already tight budget.

Discounted prices

Transglobal Express has always pushed for cheap prices. We spend a great deal of time negotiating the best rates and parcel services with leading carriers. As one of the UK’s premier worldwide courier providers, we can get you the best discounted rates. With Transglobal, you can save up to 67% on standard delivery rates.

Save time

Our in-house IT team invests a lot of time into developing our website and making it efficient and user-friendly as possible. Within a few steps, you can compare rates, make a booking, select a collection time and print out all the necessary documents needed for your parcel delivery.

Not quite convinced yet? Then have a read though our customer feedback.

Go global

Did you know that our parcel services serve 750 airports worldwide? We can ship your consignment to most international destinations – from Afghanistan or Alaska, to the USA or Zimbabwe. Our integrated booking system is connected with those of our carriers including DHL, UPS, DPD, TNT and FedEx. This way you can directly compare prices, book and track your shipment.

Recently, we launched a range of new country information pages. For example, if you want to send a parcel to USA, simply visit our USA country page and download the relevant customs forms, or read up on any import delivery information.

We hear you

Since our establishment almost 20 years ago, we have always put our customers first. Each member of our customer service team is specialised in certain field. Therefore, we will always make sure that your question is forwarded to the right person. 

Moreover, we have direct access to our carriers’ key account personnel in order to solve your queries as efficiently and quick as possible.

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