Postal Hub podcast

Parcel volumes are fluctuating, there's downward pressure on parcel pricing, and staff retention is increasingly important in warehouses and sorting centres. Dirk Van Lammeren, Chief Commercial Officer at Prime Vision, shares how robotic sorting solutions enhance sorting centre operations. We cover: The major challenges facing sorting and warehousing Planning and organising challenges in warehouse operations Investment considerations when planning sorting centres Capacity and the pressure on pricing Striking a balance between investment and looking for efficiencies Growing industry focus on employee wellbeing Role of warehouse tech in attracting and retaining staff Shift from automating to reduce staff, to automating to help retain staff Example of technology improving working conditions for staff Robotic sorting - using autonomous machines to assist workers Fully autonomous vehicles requiring no navigational assistance Integrating robots with sorting systems (e.g. belts and chutes) How robotic sorting can help with flexibility and volume Improving throughput Flexibility of robotic sorting, including moving sites Worker safety in sorting centres How staff interact with their robotic co-workers  

Mario Treinen, Director Post Courrier and Logistics at Post Luxembourg and CEO of Inflow, talks about Post Luxembourg's big move into B2B parcels. Letter volume trends in Luxembourg Growth in B2C parcel volumes The B2B parcels opportunity Taking the B2C experience to B2B customers Inflow subsidiary coming out of its Michel Greco business Expanding beyond express B2B deliveries into transport and logistics The full range of Inflow services, including temperature-controlled delivery, warehousing, customs services, and more On-premises value added services for some customers How the B2B and B2C businesses interact Leveraging the postie network for selected B2B deliveries Cross-border B2B opportunities, including European next-day Managing mail rooms and other value added services  

Kate Muth, Executive Director at IMAG, and Ellen McClain, Special Advisor to International Bridge and former deputy assistant secretary at Homeland Security, discuss reform of de minimis arrangements in the USA and Canada. Future Borders Coalition report on low value shipments History of de minimis in the USA Purpose and current rules for de minimis shipments Inbound de minimis volumes Concerns about illegal and illicit goods being imported using de minimis Benefits to consumers and some online sellers Weaknesses in the current de minimis system Areas that require reform, including poor data Collecting better advance data on cross-border shipments Using technology for pre-screening of goods prior to shipment Pre-clearance of goods Laws on fulfilling orders cross-border and eligibility for de minimis Would harmonisation on European regulations assist? Treatment of postal items vs courier items Missing data elements on cross-border shipments Difficulties in determining country of origin Compliance tools  

Professor John Colley from the Warwick Business School, discussing mergers and acquisitions in the food delivery sector. Just Eat Takeaway's acquisition of GrubHub, and the pandemic demand for home delivery Post-pandemic food delivery trends Sale of GrubHub and Just Eat Takeaway's acquisition by Prosus Immense demand for businesses in 2021 and early 2022 Timing of M&A activity Avoiding high prices in M&A Factors that inflated GrubHub's value Investors betting on industry consolidation Does size matter in M&A, and how big is big? Delivery companies being bought by private equity  

Cathy Morrow Roberson, founder and principal at Logistics Trends and Insights, analyses UPS’s recent shift from Amazon to B2B parcels. UPS reducing its Amazon volumes by 50% Current Amazon volumes and revenue for UPS Amazon taking parcel volumes in-house Cost in the UPS network SurePost and the USPS announcement that discounts would cease SurePost pricing and destination regions UPS profitable parcels, parcel pricing, and the competition Growing emphasis on B2B delivery at UPS, including pharmaceutical and healthcare Return to the office edicts and consumer delivery preferences Retailers taking control of their own parcel volumes, eg Walmart Spark  

Jenn Morris from Ship Happens joins us to analyse the opportunities for postal operators in food delivery. Understanding the current food distribution network set-up Opportunities in semi-perishable food delivery Refrigerated and temperature-controlled transport Food products already being distributed via the post Temperature ranges and compatibility in transport The direct-to-consumer opportunity Specifications for shipping food items Practicalities of food delivery. including doorstep delivery, temperature monitoring Sailing schedules for food pickup and delivery, and implications for pricing Optimising space in refrigerated vehicles Setting up a pilot programme for food delivery First steps for a post setting up food delivery concept  

Mindaugas Cerpickis, Director at Copenhagen Economics, analyses proposed changes to the universal service obligation in Norway. Background to USO reform proposals Posten's current USO, including delivery standards Alternate day letter delivery Out-of-home delivery for letters Electronic notification for letter delivery Option for weekly residential letter delivery Anticipated savings in last mile letter delivery Exceptions to proposed letter delivery changes Ensuring access to the letter service for vulnerable users Managing over-the-counter letter delivery Options for delivering letters with parcels Electronic notifications options Consultation process and timeframe European Postal Directive  

Greenplan CEO Dr Clemens Beckmann takes us beyond the streetmap to the cutting edge of route planning. The problems that route planning solves Driver satisfaction with route planning How the time of day influences route planning Going beyond the street map: incorporating driver expertise Swapping parcels at the edge of delivery routes Overlapping delivery routes and load balancing Mixing letters and parcels Understanding minimum density of delivery points Calculating costs per parcel Greenplan's "Happy Nucleolus” methodology Calculating the optimum letter/parcel mix Emissions reporting Avoiding emissions through route planning Ensuring quality of data Advantages of Greenplan's route planning system  

Andrius Ladauskas, CEO of Venipak, discusses e-commerce and parcel delivery trends in the Baltics. Venipak company profile and competitive environment in the Baltics Pan-Baltic parcel locker network Comparing shopping patterns in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia Challenges and opportunities with Chinese and European e-commerce businesses Importance of price in e-commerce volumes Parcel trends during peak season Delivery preferences across the Baltics Impact of pandemic on delivery preferences E-commerce payment preferences  

Michael Anderson, global delivery and e-commerce expert, discusses Royal Mail's challenges and opportunities in the context of the UK delivery scene. Exploiting delivery density and minimising dead time Decline in letter volumes and increase in delivery points Letter pricing Opportunities in boxable packets Delivery networks and collection network Digital proof of delivery Unwillingness of UK government to tackle the USO issue Change of ownership and possibility of USO reform Royal Mail's proposal to change the USO Overview of UK parcel delivery market Value segment, premium segment, and express segment Out-of-home delivery network, including parcel lockers Royal Mail's home delivery advantage Relationship with CWU (union) and making the most of the workforce premium Product mix and profitability  Capability to harvest renewable energy Should the Royal Mail and Parcelforce brands be kept separate?