deep roots, strong wings parcels & logistics europe &...

Deep roots, strong wingsDeep roots, strong wings

Parcels & Logistics Europe & Asia

bpost ACTIVITY REPORT 2018 17

Deep roots, strong wings


PARCELS IN BELGIUMAND THE NETHERLANDS

In 2018 we noted new record volumes for domestic parcels. On average, bpost handled 235,000 parcels per day, an increase of 23% compared with 2017. Volumes peaked at a record 417,000 parcels per day during Christmas and New Year.

Since 2018 bpost and DHL Parcel have been working together as “The Benelux couriers” to make cross-border online shopping easier and faster for both

consumers and online shops. By joining forces for pick-up and drop-off , sorting, delivery and returns, they stimulate cross-border e-commerce and off er online shops a single logistics solution that makes their life easier and enables them to market their products to even more potential customers. Belgians often shop on foreign websites. Thanks to this partnership, they can count on next-day delivery by bpost of their orders made at Dutch online stores the evening before. And vice versa. An additional boost to our parcel volumes.

The global growth of e-commerce is driving a big increase in the demand for parcel delivery services and solutions along the whole e-commerce logistics chain. Capitalising on the available opportunities, bpost has a clear ambition to be a major player in last-mile parcel delivery in Belgium and the Netherlands and e-commerce logistics in Europe.



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bpost intends to enlarge its services for parcels that cannot be delivered through the traditional network because they are too heavy, oversized or have fragile contents.

Delivery convenience

E-commerce consumers mainly used to buy products online they could not find on the high street, but now they buy online because of the convenience. Delivering our customers’ parcels when and where they prefer is central to our parcel strategy.

The majority of people still prefer to have their parcels delivered to their home address, but it’s important to offer an extensive network of easily accessible parcel points. We easily meet that requirement with our 2300 pick-up points at post offices, post points and Kariboo!-spots.

bpost also has a network of Cubee parcel lockers that can be used by retailers, consumers and couriers. There are currently around 180 Cubee parcel stations throughout Belgium, mainly at easy-to-reach locations. The biggest have 110 lockers, the smallest 23. Customers can use them to both send and receive parcels.

Missing a parcel delivery remains one of the main sources of frustration for many customers. bpost does its utmost to ensure customers never have this negative experience. We took a number of big steps in that area in 2018:

• Customers can choose where they want their parcel delivered if they are not at the delivery address: at a neighbour, a pick-up point or parcel station of their choosing, or in a safe and secure location adjacent to their home. They can register their preferences at www.bpost.be/mijnvoorkeuren. Customers can register a specific house number of a neighbour or upload a photo of the safe and secure location adjacent to their home to avoid any

misunderstanding whatsoever. The service was first introduced at the end of 2017 and rolled out further in 2018. A million customers have already registered their preferences. 25% prefer delivery to a neighbour, 25% a safe and secure location (especially a carport or a garden shed) and 40% a pick-up point. 10% prefer the standard failed delivery notification.

• In 2018 bpost tested a smart technology with Zalando with which customers can remotely open their front door to allow a parcel to be delivered. Based on the combination of a smart lock and a smart bell, customers can use an app to open their front door from wherever they might be. The postman can place the parcel inside, close the door and leave.

Optimising our parcel delivery network

In 2017 operations started at our new Brussels X sorting centre, a necessity given the phenomenal growth of e-commerce. We can sort up to 300,000 parcels per day at the facility. The sorting centre experienced a few teething troubles, so efforts were needed in 2018 to ensure the capacity was used optimally. We temporarily brought the parcel sorting

1 millioncustomers let us know where they want their parcel delivered if they’re not at home.

bpost ACTIVITY REPORT 2018 19

machines at our Antwerp and Charleroi sorting centres back into use to ensure all parcels were processed on schedule during the peak Christmas and New Year period.

For efficiency’s sake, bpost’s aim is to deliver parcels as part of the regular mail round whenever possible. Special parcel rounds are scheduled when that is impractical, in the case of heavy or bulky parcels or evening delivery, say.

bpost has also taken six parcel centres into use (in Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi, Ghent, Liege and Ostend) to ensure there is always adequate capacity for the operational parcel chain.

DynaGroup

Sometimes customers require a personalised parcel solution. To meet this demand, bpost continues to work on a hybrid network combining our traditional standard delivery network, operated through our postmen, with flexible personalised delivery solutions. Our subsidiary DynaGroup plays a special role in this, with a wide range of logistics services, often under a specific brand name. DynaGroup has seven hubs in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Dynafix repairs electronic equipment, from mobile phones to coffee machines and computers. Drones were added recently. It picks up the equipment, carries out the repairs and brings it back to the customer, installation included. Meticulous logistics means that Dynafix is able to return a broken smartphone to the customer within 24 hours. It also carries out repairs in store on behalf of a large Dutch telecoms operator.

Dynalogic offers a very precise parcel delivery service. Customers can choose exactly when and where their parcel is delivered. Dynalogic is primarily focused on parcels that demand special attention, be that because of their size (including white goods), their fragility (flowers, say) or where they need to be delivered (such as a third-floor flat or a specific room in a rest home or a hospital). Customers can track their parcel in real time. In 2018 Dynalogic signed a major contract with a large retail chain specialised in consumer electronics, for which it will make branded deliveries.

Dynasure offers a specialised sustainable, secure and reliable service to public bodies, banks and insurers. It provides back-office services to insurers, taking over responsibility for the entire insurance service, from claim processing to policy management and call centre services.

Dynasure also offers secure delivery of valuable documents, such as passports, ID cards and driving licences. These documents are only handed over after an ID check. It also finalises contracts at customers. As such, the company is certified under the ISO 27001 information security standard.

In 2018 bpost acquired all the shares of Leen Menken Foodservice Logistics. Over the past 30-plus years, this Dutch family firm has built up specialist expertise in the storage, preparation and delivery of fresh and frozen food. The acquisition is part of our strategy to achieve further growth in specialised logistics in the Benelux and supports the continued development of our cold chain logistics. With that in mind, we have combined the advantages of this company and another subsidiary of ours, Bubble Post, in a single business unit, Dynafresh. This combines chilled storage and fulfilment with chilled deliveries to businesses and consumers.

SOLUTIONS

Alongside established services like letters and parcels, bpost continues to offer its customers innovative solutions that meet their specific needs. In doing so, we particularly draw on our strong assets, such as our dense network and our



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More informations:www.activeants.nl

Our vans, which are seen throughout the country, are another source of inspiration. A number are equipped with sensors to measure air quality and collect weather data. A pilot project to equip postal vans with cameras for the inventory of all road signs was also launched in 2018.

E-COMMERCE LOGISTICS

bpost is working hard to capture the fast-growing e-commerce logistics supply chain in order to off er our customers a strong international value proposition.

In 2018 we took another step in our e-fulfi lment strategy in Europe and the Benelux in particular with the acquisition of Active Ants. This will allow us to drive growth in our e-commerce logistics activities. Active Ants is a growing e-fulfi lment company in the Netherlands that off ers small and mid-sized businesses in the Benelux order management, fulfi lment, delivery, return and customer care services. It has a strong reputation for fast growth, outstanding customer service and attractive, highly innovative technologies.

With Active Ants, bpost is building on its successful activities at seven existing fulfi lment centres in Europe.

postmen, who are on the streets every day and enjoy the confi dence and trust of their communities.

On the one hand, we have solutions that simplify administrative or operational processes and make them easier to use. These are often solutions for government services and public sector agencies. Examples include processing and delivering public healthcare certifi cates and delivering licence plates. The Belgian state also awarded bpost the contract to manage the administration and payment of traffi c fi nes. We facilitate the collection of fi nes payable by both Belgian and foreign drivers for off ences on Belgian roads through a specially designed portal (www.traffi cfi nes.be).

We have also implemented solutions that capitalise on our daily presence in people’s daily lives. A good example is “bclose”, in which post women and men keep an eye on vulnerable senior citizens during their rounds to help local social services assess whether they are socially isolated.

In 2018 we continued to check that building permits were being visibly displayed as per their conditions of issue.

deep roots, strong wings parcels & logistics europe &...

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