UK Courier News

International Couriers preparing for Festive Season ahead

2011-11-03T02:53:00.001-07:00

International Courier companies around the world are preparing themselves for the busy festive period ahead.

With the growth in online sales and ecommerce trading over the last few years, courier companies have had to be able to cope with the demand in services, not only with local transportation but also international consignments.

Online Trading has given retailers the opportunity to be based anywhere in the world whilst still be able to retail their products in any given country. Reasons for relocation might be cheaper overheads and taxes, but in turn this leads to the requirement for international couriers to help deliver the products overseas.

Naturally , online retailing happens 365 days of the year but come the Festive period, sales can quite literally 'boom' putting additional demands on the international courier industry. It is important that the couriers can meet these demands given the expectations that the festive period brings!

One of the issues that might cause delays during winter is the weather. Be it increased turbulence or icy roads the International Couriers need to try to deliver whatever the weather. However, as we saw in the U.K. a couple of years ago sometimes it is just too dangerous to attempt to make a delivery. No matter how much the courier companies prepare for the festive delivery rush it can all change at the drop of a hat if the weather turns on them. For this reason, it is always recommended that online shoppers refrain from ordering their gifts at the very last minute to avoid disappointment.

One of the other things that online retailers do to try and avoid consumer disappointment is provide shipping cut off points. The retailers will work with the courier companies to advertise a date that is realistic in terms of getting the products to the front door of the consumer on time. The onus is then on the customer to ensure that they place their orders before the deadline date to ensure a timely delivery.

So, whilst most companies around the world slowly wind down to the Christmas break it really is quite the opposite for the International Courier and Courier Companies. The festive season is one of, if not the busiest time of year for them and can often continue right up to the last drop on Christmas Eve.

The increased in demand needs to be managed sufficiently to ensure that service levels do not drop - otherwise complaints could end up flooding in, not only from the end consumer but also the retailer that the courier is working for.

Each and every year, during the festive period the International Courier is under immense pressure to reach the expectations of the world in time for Christmas.

International Courier Companies extend the reach of global retailers

2011-10-19T07:01:00.001-07:00

New York to London - next day delivery? No problem! With Christmas time just around the corner, global retailers and online retailers are starting seasonal promotions to help kick off the festive spending spree. Many of us will soon sit down with a cup of coffee in front of a computer browsing gift ideas for family and friends. What some of us might not realise though is where the retailer (sometimes also known as eTailer) is actually based - and I don't mean where they are based within the UK, I mean the world.

Online retailing has grown massively in the last 10 years, and sales figures peak massively around Christmas time, but its fair to say that without the support of International Courier companies these online retailers would not have been able to grow at the pace they have if they were not able to distribute their items efficiently to customers.

The International Courier may have become something that we take for granted. After all, getting around the globe seems to becoming an everyday occurrence for millions of people and is no longer something considered only by the rich and elite within society.

What should never, ever be taken for granted though is the planning and expertise that goes into fulfilling an international shipment.

Each shipment may change hands 5 or 6 times depending on its destination, and within that exchange the parcel needs to be logged in and out of a hub where it may spend any period of time waiting for the collection and next stage of its journey. On top of that the international courier must handle all things concerned with customs and excise which is no easy task as different borders may require different protocols to be upheld.

The different types of transport that the courier companies need to use to extend their network world wide and support global retailers can vary from job to job. The method of transportation can often depend on the type of package that is being shipped. For example, it would be very difficult to get larger, bulky items into an aircraft so shipping by sea might be the only option. For smaller time sensitive deliveries air travel is the best way to go as it is much quicker and cost effective for smaller items.

International Couriers aren't new to us or the industry, but they are becoming more common place than ever. They silently get about their work whilst we sit in front of our computers ordering gifts and products that eventually turn up on our doorstep. The next time you order something from the U.S. for example, why not take a moment to think about exactly how it has ended up on your doorstep.

Getting value for money from your International Courier Company

2011-10-03T01:35:00.000-07:00

In todays tough economic climate, value for money can easily be interpreted as the cheapest service but the two terms couldn't be more different. Value for money is a term used to describe getting the most for your money where as cheapest services are just that - cheap and usually without any real substance. However, that doesn't mean that you cant get value for money from a cheap service.

When it comes to International Courier companies, in my opinion, you should never go head first into the cheapest service that comes along, especially if you have clients and customers that are on the receiving end of the shipment.

Value for money can vary depending on your expectations of the service. Naturally, the most important part of the International Courier (and indeed any courier service) is the ability to get the package to its destination on time and in one piece but there are also a number of extra services that you should look out for when searching for the best value for money service.

Is your package insured?

If the item is of high value its always worth checking with the courier company to see how much they will insure the item for. Insurance should generally be taken out against damage or loss of the item.

Do they outsource your consignment?

Some international courier companies might pass your consignment between several different companies. This is very common with international shipments when smaller companies take on the task of delivering your package. In an ideal world, if you put your faith in one company to deliver your package you would expect them to handle it from start to finish.

Do they offer live online tracking?

Most Courier companies these days will offer a facility to track packages online. This means that you can see what your package / parcel / letter currently is en-route to its destination. Live Tracking is generally done via the companies web site and can be accessed via a tracking code that will be issued to you before the package leaves for its destination. In most cases you will also be able to see who has signed for the package once it has been delivered.

Time Sensitive Deliveries

Again, not uncommon in the industry, time sensitive deliveries allow for your package to be delivered before a set deadline. If this deadline is not met then penalty charges can be invoked. It is worth checking to see if your International Courier company offers time sensitive deliveries and how much extra you might have to pay for them. You could save yourself a bob or two if you plan ahead and allow plenty of time for your delivery to reach its destination.

The important thing to remember is that, whilst on the face of it International Courier companies look the same in terms of services offered, sometimes the quality and professionalism may differ from one company to another.

The evolution of International Couriers

2011-09-28T04:45:00.001-07:00

The sight of an international courier these days is all too common. Be it transportation by air, sea or road, International Courier companies are active both collecting and dropping off in virtually all of the developed countries in the world providing services that allow organisations of all sizes to reach out and touch an international courier base.

International Courier companies provide a service that many companies rely on. They are the link between a business and its customer. They are the face that the customers interact with when taking receipt of a parcel, letter or package. They are the necessity that allows many online and mail order type businesses to trade.

International Courier companies have been around for a while now, but the current demand and way of life determines that they are now more important than ever.

Going back a few decades an International shipment will have been quite rare. Perhaps the odd letter as friends and family write to each other overseas. These days things are quite different. The frequency of shipments has become more intense and the time sensitive deadlines are now more demanding than ever could have been envisaged just a mere decade ago.

However, as the demand has risen, International Courier companies have reacted and responded with more routes, better service, enhanced technology and improved customer service.

These days when you send a parcel overseas you can, in most cases, track the consignment in near real time as it hits depots en-route. It allows you to see when the package was delivered and even who signed for it. Who would have thought that a few decades ago!

As transport has become more readily available the couriers have been able to make improved promises on delivery times. Its now just as easy to say that a parcel will be in New York and delivered Pre Midday than it is to say it could be in Manchester at the same time.

The evolution of the International Courier service has seen changes in the types of packages that can be sent overseas. No longer are we limited to letters, post cards and small packages, but now much larger, bulky items such as furniture and house hold items. To get these items overseas a number of different methods of transportation might be used including Plane, Ship, Train, Van, Bike, Foot and even horse back in the less developed areas of the world.

On a final note, another area of evolution in terms of International Courier companies is knowledge. The knowledge of how to handle items and packages that pass through Customs and border patrol during each journey. In some cases a consignment might pass through several countries and thanks to International Courier companies this generally happens without a glitch.

Does eCommerce have International Couriers to thank for its success?

2011-08-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Over the last 5-6 years the Internet has seen a huge boom in the availability and success of web sites that allow people to purchase products online from the comfort of their own home. The home is now one of the most popular places to make a purchase with the convenience of the product being delivered to your doorstep.

It is very often taken for granted just how much work goes into getting the product from the warehouse to your front door, or even just how far it has actually travelled during its journey from the supplier.

When you make an online purchase, you may not always be aware of what country the company you are purchasing from is actually based in. It may be a local company, in the same country as you, or it may be a company on the other side of the world that, with the help from an International Courier, can reach out and supply goods and products to consumers all over the globe.

Without the services provided by International Couriers, it would be nearly impossible, or very expensive for the company to ship the goods themselves. The courier company provides companies with a global network, knowledge of how Import and Export works at customs and most importantly of all, a promise to get the item to the customer in excellent condition and within a set time scale. It is also important to know that the company that is selected to courier the products around the globe may have to outsource parts of the journey, especially once it reaches foreign soils. With the larger companies this isnt usually the case, but smaller International Courier companies may work with foreign based providers to get the package to your doorstep.

One thing that Courier Companies have to consider when delivering consignments is that they are working as the face of the company who is delivering the goods. Therefore, its important the the company supplying the products choses an International Courier company that they feel will be able to represent them professionally, both in terms of the employee that delivers the parcel and the promises and terms supplied for the delivery of the product. The courier company also needs to be able to provide insurance in the case of damage or loss of the equipment.

Its pretty safe to say, that without International Courier companies it would be impossible for companies to be able to reach out to a global consumer base which would naturally severely limit the growth of their companies. International Courier companies provide the piece of the jigsaw that seemingly brings the world closer together and allows businesses half way around the world to enjoy a customer base thousands and thousands of miles away.

International Courier Companies reaching out to remote parts of the world

2011-08-23T04:07:00.001-07:00

An International Courier Company provides a service that allows consumers and businesses to get letters, parcels and products from one side of the world to the other. In todays modern age, businesses have come to rely on International Courier companies and in some cases may even see them as an out-stretched arm of their company! International Courier companies provide a service that allows companies to reach a global audience which naturally expands their client portfolio.

For example, if you need to get a package from Manchester to San Francisco an International Courier Company will handle each stage of the journey, from the initial storage at the local depot, to the moment it arrives on the doorstep of the recipient.

With advances in transport over the last 30 years, getting consumer and business consignments from one side of the globe to the other has definitely become easier, more efficient and quicker, and more and more businesses rely on the international courier service to reach out their customers.

However, it isn't always possible to get items to the most remote parts of the world. Naturally, an International Courier has to rely on the transport infrastructure to be able to make the delivery. The transport infrastructure might involve the availability of an airport or seaport, a depot and a passable road leading to the destination address. Whilst an International Courier company will always endeavor to make every delivery by what ever means of transport is required - for example they might even look to use a quad bike or horse if the job demands - it is a fact that in some cases it may not be possible due to the restrictions imposed upon them

Of course, whilst it is not always possible to get the package to its exact location, it might be possible to get it to a location nearby, so that the recipient can make a visit to a neighboring town where the consignment might be held for them. With any International Courier this would be a last resort though.

It is important to note that most International Courier companies will always look to find a way to get the delivery made. It is not generally in their nature to just leave a consignment 'nearby' as it is not what the paying customer expects.

In summary, yes there are places that an International, or even local, Courier company just physically can't get to, but then in terms of how often that location would actually receive a package the chances of this happening are pretty slim. By using many different types of transport to get your consignment delivered, be it via air or on foot, International Courier companies are pretty good at keeping their promises and delivering parcels and packages to their destinations, in good condition and in a timely fashion.

How to find a good international courier company

2011-07-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

There is certainly no shortage of International Courier companies these days, and its fair to say that many global businesses rely on them in order to trade. The problem with choice is that its easy to make the wrong decision if you are not fully informed of the facts regarding that company before the decision is made.

One of the first things you should consider when looking for the best international courier company is what are you looking for from the service. For example, are you just looking to save a bit of money where time sensitive delivery isn't important, or do you need to be able to put your full trust in the company to ensure that your customer receives the consignment on time and intact. Usually the better the service the higher the price, although this is not always true.

Courier companies come in all different shapes and sizes, from multi million pound global operations with their own aircraft to smaller family sized firms. The aim of any courier company should be to provide a reliable service and deliver (excuse the pun) on their promises.
A courier company can often be seen as an extension to someones business, purely because they rely on them so much to keep their business in operation. That is why it is so important that the courier company can be trusted.

Bigger isn't always better

Its very easy to just go for the biggest company, just because they have a more dominant presence in the market. However, in some circumstances you might be paying more for a service that can be equalled somewhere else. With a large courier company you dont always get that personal touch that you might get from a smaller company.

Cheap isnt always cheerful

Likewise, you should carefully consider the choice of the cheapest courier company just in case they have any hidden gremlins up their sleeve. It might save you a few pounds in your pocket, but equally could create you long term damage to the reputation of your business.

Choosing the best International Courier for you

Firstly, consider what sort of service you need. Is it time sensitive, does it need to be insured to a high value? Consider your own reputation, and what this delivery means to you and your customers. If you still dont know where to turn then consider using an International Courier consultant. International Courier consultants have already scoured the market looking for the best value for money. By putting each courier company through its paces via tough benchmarking tests they will have put together the most comprehensive list of couriers in the country - and the data is readily available to help match you up with the best International Courier company for your needs.

A cheap Courier doesn't always offer good value for money

2011-07-22T06:45:00.001-07:00

Courier services are now at the heart of businesses all around the world. The growth in online sales has almost made us take the delivery of our orders for granted, where as in fact there is a lot of hard work and planning goes in to getting a package to the correct destination on time.

Obviously, to get any consignment from origin to destination requires a reliable courier service. Not all delivery routes are equal. Some parcels and packages might be a local drop off or even just a quick hop across the city, where as others might literally half to travel half way around the world.

The nature of courier services means that there are many different choices to be made and this can all have a bearing on cost. For example, is the package going to be insured in case of loss or breakage? Will the sender be compensated if the delivery does not get there by the time specified? What if the package gets into the hands of the wrong person (i.e. its delivered to the wrong place). All these things should be considered when choosing a reliable courier company.

Unfortunately its far too easy, especially its seems in the UK, to go for the option of choosing the cheapest courier company. This is very often a bad move. Cheap services do not always (I say not always, as I don't want to discredit cheap companies that do provide a good service) provide a service that is good value for money. They are cheap for a reason and thats because they might outsource the jobs or leave them lying around in a warehouse for a long time prior to delivery.

When you choose a courier company you want one that will treat the consignment as if it was their own. That is they would take good care ensuring it arrives on time, to the correct destination and in one place.

You should also choose a courier company that has the transportation available to handle your consignment. It is unlikely that a small company is going to be able to ship your item overseas for example without relying on a third party and so it is important that they make you aware of this and who the third party is (if its a large carrier like UPS or DHL then great - but watch out for cheaper services being used).

In summary its not always the best idea to go for the cheapest option (as with anything in life really) as you often end up getting what you pay for. If in doubt you could contact a Courier Consultant who will have carried out extensive courier benchmarking processes and assessments to create a ready made database of the courier companies that provide the best value for money.

If you need advice regarding your International Courier services then IC Consulting can help. IC Consulting specialise in finding the best deals for both local and international courier shipments and have carried out an intense research and international courier benchmarking process to give you the most informed decision in the market.

International Courier services make global delivery seem easy

2010-11-08T05:50:00.000-08:00

You might have heard the phrase that the world is becoming a smaller place. Obviously it isn’t, the world stays the same size, but the methods of transport and delivery that we have in place today makes it very easy to get goods from one side of the globe to the other with minimum fuss.

It’s a service that we can very easily take for granted. We make a booking for a courier company to collect our packages (either online, on the phone or via a visit to their depot). The courier then arrives at our doorsteps and the package is taken away. The next thing we know is that it has been delivered, perhaps tens of thousands of miles away.

Sounds so simple?

There is a good chance that your parcel has undertaken several journeys to get to its destination, using many different methods of transport.

For example, if you live in a rural part of the UK, you parcel might have first been delivered at a local hub and maybe even stored there overnight. The following day it might have been whisked off to the airport and loaded onto a freight plane. Depending on the size of the package it might go via sea but most packages can go via air as its quicker and generally more cost effective.

Once the package reaches its destination country there is still a lot of ground to make up. If the destination is the same place as the airport then it might just end up going to a delivery depot where it goes out for delivery the next day. However if the destination is further still it might have a long road or rail trip ahead of it, or maybe even another trip by air.

You might be able to see that there is some very particular planning that needs to take place to ensure that the parcel does not miss it’s next pickup, especially if the consignment is on a time sensitive delivery (that is it has to be at its destination by a certain time).

So, the world might seem like its becoming a smaller place, but this is only thanks to companies and individuals that work tirelessly to make it happen!

Excel are a reliable London Courier company based in the Docklands area of the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. Excel provide a range of courier services from International Courier to Overnight nationwide delivery.

Why do people use Courier Companies?

2010-10-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

Courier Companies have become an integral part of both our personal and professional lives. We have become used to hearing that knock on the front door, or the doorbell ringing only to find a courier, parcel in hand waiting for a signature. Very often we take Couriers for granted. They appear, collect parcels, travel to their destination and drop off the consignment to its recipient. But why do we use Couriers?

Couriers are important for any business that offers any sort of delivery service.

For example

- An online e commerce business absolutely relies on a courier to get their products from the warehouse to the customer.

- A high street florist might rely on a courier to get flowers to a house on a specific day.

- A formula one team might need an all-important part for a car before it can go out on the track.

- A builder or joiner might rely on a courier to deliver a part within a certain timescale, in order for them to complete their job.

- A law firm might need a set of documents for signing before a specific deadline.

- Or maybe you just need to send a birthday present to your cousin in New York!

One of the reasons people use a courier company is convenience.

People have their own jobs to do, so it would not make sense for them to drive 200 miles to drop off a parcel. It doesn't make economical sense. It might also be that their parcel needs to go overseas, so using a Courier company is much more efficient.

As there are now so many courier companies in the UK they are all looking at different ways to make them stand out from the crowd. This is usually done by either price or a claim to provide a service (or part of a service) that another courier company doesn't provide. This is great for the consumer as it means they often get more value from their courier than the might have done in the past.

There are so many reasons that people use courier companies it's impossible to list them all. The basic matter of fact is that we call upon courier companies when we need something to be delivered to someone - no matter how critical.

London based Courier, Excel, are the most reliable London Courier company in the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. They also offer a wide range of courier solutions including International Courier services.

Comparing prices on International Courier services

2010-09-20T03:00:00.003-07:00

In tough economic times you might want to consider reviewing your current International Courier supplier to see if you can get a better deal.

One of the most important things to take into account, however, is that you don't lose out in terms of service when it comes to cutting your costs.

If you talk to a supplier management company you can make life easier when it comes to sourcing your International Courier services. A supplier management company (such as Nexus) will have already compiled a database on the International Courier service providers and have a breakdown of their costs and quality of service provided.

Whats more is that a supplier management company very often doesn't charge for their services, but takes a commission from the successful International Courier company so for you, the client, it's a win - win situation.

If you want to find out more about getting the best deal on your International Courier company call Nexus on 207 940 5000

Comparing prices on International Courier services

2010-09-20T03:00:00.001-07:00

Couriers are the driving force behind ecommerce

2010-09-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

We take for granted how easy it is to sit in front of our computers, place an order for a product and for it to turn up on our door steps, but in reality there is a lot of work and planning that takes place in order for our online orders to be fulfilled.

Once the order is placed on the web site, the online retailer needs to coordinate the dispatch of the products via a courier company. The courier company needs to be made fully aware of all the details regarding the destination of the consignment.

Sounds simple – right? What you might not realise is that your order has actually been placed with a company on the other side of the world, so to get the goods delivered to your home or business requires co-ordination with different types of transportation methods in order to get it from country to country. For example, if you order a product from the United States of America, the international courier has to

a) Get the product from the warehouse to the airport

b) Get the product transported via air to the destination country

c) Get the product collected on arrival in the destination country and then delivered to it’s final destination. This in itself may mean that the product has to go to one or more depots en-route.

All in all there could be many hours of carefully planned and executed travel just to get, for example, a T-Shirt from the warehouse to your home.

On top of all the transportation planning is the factor of time. With online some retailers you can request that your order is delivered within a specific time scale. For example you may request that the delivery is next day if the order is urgent. This means that the courier has to meet the demands of not only getting it to its destination but within the agreed time scale - no excuses accepted. So if flights are delayed alternatives must be found. If traffic is a problem then a new route must be planned and executed.

It’s very easy to take it for granted in todays age of technology, but there is an incredible amount of planning and work involved in getting a delivery from a warehouse to its destination.

If you are looking for a reliable London Courier company why not try Excel? Excel provide a range of courier services from International Courier to Overnight nationwide delivery.

Using the Internet to get the best deal on your International Courier

2010-08-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

f you watch television you will have no doubt seen the adverts for price comparison web sites that have a database of the leading service providers. The aim of these web sites is to get the customer (you) the best deal on the service that you are looking for. To date we have seen comparison sites for things such as Credit Cards, Car Insurance, Home Insurance and now even Van Insurance. What people might not realise is that there are broker services out there that can also help you get the best deal on your International Courier service.

A broker service will effectively scour the market for the best deal, looking at all elements of their service history, length of service and products offered to the market. They will then create a menu of prices so that customers can compare to make the choice on what company is best for them.

Courier broker services aren’t new – they have just been a well-hidden secret for some time but we are now starting to see these types of services being presented to customers via the Internet.

The Internet provides a great platform for convenience. Rather than having to speak to a broker to get the best deal on your International Courier you can do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That means you can even look up the best deals of Christmas day if you really want to.

By collating data from around the International Courier market the broker is in a great position to get you the best deal. The broker remains independent and does not work for any of the companies he promotes, and in most circumstances you won’t pay for the service provided by the broker as they earn commission once the pass the deal over to the courier company. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

So why use a online broker rather than just ringing around? Firstly, convenience. By using the Internet based broker to get the best deal you can simply enter your requirements once and you will be presented with a list of prices. Secondly, the broker knows the market and knows what questions to ask when vetting the courier companies. A good broker will usually only include the better service providers so you know you are getting the best in terms of quality of service.

Nexus are an independent International Courier solutions company based in the UK. They provide platform that enables you to get the best International Courier deals on the market, getting the right service at the best price.

5 different time sensitive delivery services provided by London Couriers

2010-08-11T02:31:00.000-07:00

London Courier companies provide a range of services to help their clients get packages from one destination to another. Many businesses have a strict requirement to get packages to a destination by a specific time on a specific date and for this reason London Courier companies provide different time sensitive delivery services that are also dependant on cost.

Time Sensitive delivery works on the basis of getting a parcel to its destination before a specific time. So for example, a law firm might need to get a letter to a client on the same day before 4pm, or an online retailer might need to get a package to a customer by 10am the following day. Whilst couriers try to be as flexible as possible they tend to have a set menu of services that are most popular with their customers.

Here are 5 different time sensitive delivery services provided by London Couriers:

1. Same Day Courier. Need to get something their fast? A same day service will get your parcel, package or letter to its destination the same working day. There are usually cut off points for this service to ensure that it is realistic in terms of logistics and getting it to the destination within the agreed time.

2. Overnight Courier by 10am (also known as Next Day) . Overnight courier services get parcels and packages to their destinations by the next working day. A 10am service will get the package to its destination before 10am.

3. Overnight Courier by Noon. This service will get your parcel to its destination before midday on the following day.

4. Standard Delivery, often 3-5 days. If there is no urgency to get the parcel delivered, usually the cheapest option is to go for a standard 3-5 day delivery. This will get the parcel to its destination with 3-5 working days.

5. International Next Day Courier. If you need to get something overseas, and quickly, you can use a next day International Courier service. It is advised that you weigh up how urgent the delivery is as this can be quite costly.

There are other services available with some courier companies but these tend to be the most commonly used. Check with your courier company first to see if they provide these services and at what cost.

Excel are the most reliable London Courier company in the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. For International Courier services you might want to see what the best package you can get for your money through a broker.

5 tips to help you find the right International Courier

2010-08-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

There is no shortage of International Courier companies in the United Kingdom. Many International Couriers offer the same services and service promises but how much can you rely on their marketing material. After all, it’s the execution of their promises that really makes a courier company stand out from the crowd.

Due to the sheer volume of International courier companies it can be a difficult task finding the right one for your business. You shouldn’t forget that by hiring the wrong courier (e.g. one that doesn’t carry out delivery promises) you could potentially create irreparable damage to the perception of your own company.
Here are 5 top tips to help you make the decision on which International Courier Company is best for you.

1. First and foremost. What sort of ‘vibe’ do you get from them when they answer the phone. If you get a friendly ‘how can we help’ attitude then you are on to a winner. First impressions really do count for such a lot. Any courier worth their salt will know how to deal with their customers in a polite, friendly and helpful manner.

2. Web Site. Does the courier company have a web site? In this day in age they should all have a presence on the Internet. What does the web site say about them in terms of its presentation and how they communicate the details of their services. Do they offer testimonials from existing clients or name some well-known companies that they work for?

3. Efficiency. How easy is it to book your consignment with them? Can it be done online? It is a simple process or do you need to go through a list of tick boxes, signatures and mountains of paperwork before you can get the consignment collected and out for delivery.

4. Are they experts in their field? Lets face it. Anyone can take a parcel from A to B but how well do they know the International Courier field? Do they have the knowledge of Customs and Excise and importing and exporting products. Do they have branches or depots abroad?

5. Reliability. Probably the most important factor when looking for a good courier company is the companies’ ability to deliver your consignment within the advertised time scales for the service that you purchase.

There are other factors that you may need to consider, and no two courier companies are the same, but if you generally follow these tips you should find yourself a good business partner. Of course, if you want to to remove the potential head ache of finding the right courier for you then you could consider using an International Courier comparison service or broker – that way all the leg work is done by them and you end up with the best service for your requirements at the best price.

Nexus International are an International Courier company. Nexus can help you find the best prices for your International shipments through a database of 30 selected International Courier suppliers, getting you the best International Courier deal with the minimum of fuss.

3 poor excuses you might hear from a London Courier Company.

2010-08-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

Couriers now play a vital part in retail and business, especially with the increase in procurement on the Internet. It’s no surprise therefore that the Courier industry is very busy and very competitive right now and it can be often difficult for a consumer to find the right one.

Selecting the right courier company is vital to any business that relies on products being delivered to customers because essentially the reputation of the company is in the hands of the courier. If packages don’t arrive on time then it reflects badly on the retailer, as well as the courier.

We’ve been there and heard all the excuses for late deliveries in the past and have compiled our Top 3 excuses that you should not accept as a customer of a courier company.

1. “My van broke down”. The classic excuse. In today’s world vans are much more reliable than they used to be and if they are maintained properly there is no reason why they should just ‘break down’

2. “I got stuck in traffic”. If you have ordered a time sensitive delivery it’s vital that it arrives on time. After all you have paid extra to have it delivered. Don’t fall for this excuse. If it doesn’t arrive on time, it doesn’t arrive on time.

3. “Your offices were really hard to find”. Couriers are equipped with Satellite Navigation in their vans now, so if they have your postcode it should be really easy for them to find you!

The important thing to realise is that you shouldn’t accept these, or any excuses regarding the delay in the delivery of your package. Even more so if you have booked a time sensitive delivery such as a pre 10am. It’s important to realise that the consumers have a choice.

There are plenty of courier companies out there that are plenty competent and more than willing to take on your business so don’t rest on your laurels and let the poor performers get away with it. You wouldn’t accept a poor performance from anyone else, so why accept it from your courier company?

Excel are the most reliable London Courier company in the capital and they take pride in their attitude and approach towards customer satisfaction. Excel provide a range of courier services from International Courier to Overnight nationwide delivery.

International Couriers – Using resources to help find the right courier at the right price

2010-08-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Internet has provided a vehicle for any business to provide a global service. eCommerce is the perfect example of how the internet has changed the world we live in. But it doesn’t work on its own. Any Global business has the requirement for an international courier company. It’s how they get their packages and products from one country to another. More often than not retailers promise their goods within a certain time frame, and their customers can pay more to get them delivered sooner rather than later.

The delivery of the product is vital to the perception of the retailer, which is why the retailer needs to use an International Courier company that they can a) rely on and b) afford.

Because there are so many international courier companies out there it can be difficult to find the right one. It’s important that any company builds up a relationship with their service providers and International Courier companies are no different. Form a long relationship and reap from the rewards through your loyalty to that company.

However, finding the right one to start with can be a difficult job. With so many to choose from it can be difficult to identify what makes one stand out from the other. By using a consultant or broker service you can have the legwork done for you. The broker will already have a database of International Courier companies that they have not only price matched for you but they will identify the strengths and weaknesses of each company from the way they answer the phone to the promises they make on their delivery times.

Essentially the service a broker provides is looking at getting you the best deal for the best value. A combination that is easy to say but in reality difficult to fulfil!

A broker or consultant might find you an International Courier company that is based overseas. This is not usually a problem because they will quite often be travelling around the world and stopping off at your country en-route. Sometimes with the exchange rate, its cheaper to use a foreign International Courier Company.

Finding the right International Courier for you, your business and your customers can be quite a difficult job. But there are people, web sites and tools out there that can make your life a little easier and helping you find the right courier at the right price.

Nexus International are an International Courier company based in the UK. Nexus can help you find the best prices for your International shipments through a database of 30 selected International Courier suppliers.

Getting the best deal on your International Courier – what is it worth?

2010-07-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

As with many industries, the International Courier market is flooded with options. Different prices, different service products and many different companies. Ultimately they all over the same service – to get your package to an international destination, however some will be able to get it there earlier than others – at a premium.

So how do you know you are getting the best deal for your International Courier service in terms of value for money? Usually the price of the service increases based on the timescales involved for delivery. The quicker you want it delivered the more it costs. But how can you keep an eye on these costs when there are so many companies offering the same services.

One way of finding the best deal, both in terms of price and service is to use an independent company. Someone who constantly monitors the market and records the prices offered by all the companies. These types of consultants / brokers can then find you the best deal right away, and what’s more you don’t usually have to pay for this service as the courier will pay them a commission.

With the internet now playing a huge part in virtually everything we do it’s very easy to find pricing for courier services online. Indeed, such as car insurance comparison web sites there are no courier pricing comparison web sites, so the cost of an International Courier service is now very transparent. It’s also much more convenient to use online services as you don’t have to spend time visiting or phoning around different courier companies.

As a broker will be concerned about his reputation you will usually find that they only recommend the better providers. This means that you can rest assured knowing that the courier you chose, at the best price, has been given the stamp of approval by the broker and his existing customers.

So to sum it up, if you are running a business getting the best deal on your International Courier service can be worth repeat business and happy clients. It is also worth saving a few pound in the bank and peace of mind with assurance that your packages will arrive safely and on time.

NexusSmart is an International Courier consultancy. We provide a service with a twist and can find you the best International Courier deals on the market through our database of 30 suppliers, with a strong emphasis on cost and quality of service.

5 top tips to help you find the best International Courier

2010-07-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

With the growth of online sales and the convenience of the Internet many businesses now have to meet the demands of their global customers. The International Courier market is huge. And to match the demand there are plenty of suppliers to go around.
In the UK alone you can be easily spoilt for choice when it comes to International Couriers, and sometimes this can make it difficult to find the right one for you.
On the surface they all appear to do pretty much the same thing.

They take your parcels and deliver them to other countries. However, if you start to pay a little more detail you can often find slight differences that could make the difference between a good quality service and / or a good price.

Here are 5 top tips to help you find the best International Courier:

1) Don’t just take a punt with the biggest name you come across. We’ve all heard of a DHL and FedEx but this doesn’t mean they are necessarily the best choice for you. Get a quote from them by all means, but don’t jump the gun without first checking out your other options.

2) Check to see if the courier has a web site. And if so, do they offer online tracking? It’s always good to put your mind at rest and find out where you parcel actually is!

3) Is the International Courier service the actual service of the courier company you are enquiring with, or is it being outsourced? Some smaller couriers just don’t have the capacity to take on larger jobs but will happily make a small profit by passing the job onto someone else. Are you happy with this?

4) How long have they been in service? This is often a good indication of how an International Courier company goes about their business. If they have been around for a while they are probably a safe bet.

5) Does the International Courier Company offer any testimonials or independent feedback on their company? With independent feedback you get to view the positive AND negative customer experiences. Also, a good courier tends to keep their clients for repeat business time after time.

It might sound like common sense, right? But how many times have you stopped to think about any of the 5 points above before making a decision?

Everyone has a different idea about what actually makes a good service, but the 5 points above go along way to making sure you get off to a good start!

Excel Couriers are a London Courier Company offering a wide choice of courier solutions for businesses and consumers including International Courier , Same Day Express, Overnight and Push Bike delivery.

UK Courier | London Courier | Docklands Courier | London despatch

2010-06-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

UK Courier

International Couriers – Your global delivery network

2010-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

International Courier companies provide worldwide delivery services to businesses and consumers. We very often take international delivery for granted in that we send our parcels and packages and they get to their destination as expected. But beneath the surface international courier companies have a precision infrastructure that allows packages to get from one country to another without getting lost!

An international shipment will usually start with a local shipment from your house to either a depot or direct to either a seaport or an airport (This usually depends how big the consignment actually is).

From this point on the package may change vendors several times as it flies to the destination country, reaches another depot, where it is then couriered to its destination, quite often via other depots. In Europe a package may have to travel through many different countries before it reaches its final destination.

Couriers offer a wide range of International shipment options, because everyone has different needs. These options will usually come with a varied price range. The most expensive solution doesn’t always mean it’s the best one so make sure you do your homework on the courier company first. Very often word of mouth is the best way to find out if they are reliable.

International Courier solutions don’t stop with the big players in the market. Very often the smaller courier companies offer them aswell. These types of couriers are often known as consolidators as they consolidate various courier companies to help work out a route for the package.

At the end of the day, for the International Courier Company it’s about getting your package to its destination on time and in one piece. Many companies will actually allow you track the location of your package online via their web site giving you additional peace of mind regarding your delivery.

So there we have it. Very often taken for granted, International Courier companies connect businesses and consumers around the globe by providing transportation for our packages. They are able to support the demands of global businesses ensuring that consignments arrive at their destination on time with the minimum of fuss.

London Couriers to the rescue

2010-05-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

There is no shortage of London Courier companies out there, many of which offer a different range of courier services and solutions. Some courier companies are larger than others but that doesn't necessarily mean they provide a better service. Likewise, just because you pay more for a courier service doesn't always mean that you are getting the best deal.

With many businesses working to tight deadlines across the city of London courier companies have to be able to meet the demands of their clients, no matter what time of day or how bad the traffic!

Same day courier companies are invaluable to many businesses in London as they help deliver documents and parcels within such a short time scale.

To beat the traffic many London courier companies often use push bikes or motor bikes. This means that they can beat the traffic queues - saving time on their journey. Just because London has heavy traffic doesn't mean courier companies can use this as an excuse not to deliver on time!

Many London Couriers now offer a service where you can track your consignment in real time, so if you need to see where your parcel is, and if it is on schedule you can log onto the couriers web site and get an update. You can even see who signed for the consignment!

Due to the number of courier companies in London it can sometimes be confusing making sure you pick the right one. It is generally recommended that you ring round and get a few quotes and check out their web site for customer testimonials. Remember; don't just make a decision based on cost alone. Often a reduced cost can mean a reduced service!

No matter which Courier Company you decide to use it is true that they are the unsung hero's London, making day to day business happen. Every needed to get that letter to a solicitors by a certain time, or have you promised a client delivery of a product before noon? London Couriers are an essential part of every day life, even if sometimes we take them for granted.

Lanzarote Holidays – Lazy Days in the Sun

2010-05-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

We keep going back, year after year, mainly because of the climate but the island has a grip on us. Not only is there the superb beaches and warm seas, but the offering of natural beauty around every corner. Lanzarote isn’t just an island. It’s a way of life.

For such a popular island, Lanzarote remains unspoilt whilst at the same time managing to cater for the tourists that visit year in year out. Just off the coast of Africa, Lanzarote offers a year round warm climate and is a favourite for people seeking a get-a-way to Winter Sun.

Our favourite place is Playa Blanca, on the southern coast of the Island. Once a sleepy fishing village this town now boasts a sea lined walkway with an excellent choice of restaurants and bars, and yet it manages to hang on to its identity. It’s just a 30 minute trip from Arrecife Airport and yet far enough away to feel like a million miles away.

Playa Blanca offers a number of beautiful beaches in Playa Dorado (near the centre of the town) and Papagayo, which is a little more secluded and ideal for a quiet, relaxing break in the sun.

There is no shortage of water sports on the island with a number of diving schools, aquamarine trips, Jet Ski’s and Windsurfing on the north of the island.

The island also offers a number of natural attractions, the most popular being the Timanfaya National Park. This park was formed by a number of volcanic eruptions over the last 5000 years. These eruptions also created a number of ‘lava tunnels’, which are now open to the public and are a great experience. I personally recommend a visit to Cuerva de los Verdes and Los Jameos del Agua on the east side of the island.

For all you shop-a-holics there are great shops in Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, and Puerto del Carmen which is the main tourist resort. There is also a large craft market every Sunday in Teguise, towards the north of the island which is well worth a visit.

There really is something for everyone, so no matter if you are the get up and go type, or you simply want to unwind and relax Lanzarote is the perfect holiday destination for you.

Ten Top Tips to help you find the right International Courier

2009-07-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

There are so many courier companies in the U.K, it’s untrue. At the end of the day, when it comes down to the points that matter how many of them can actually deliver on the promises they make either in written or verbal marketing.

Finding the right International Courier company can be a nightmare for any consumer or business, especially when you consider that using the wrong courier company could damage the reputation of their own business.

Here are 10 top tips that can help you find the right courier company:

1. Reliability. Probably the most important factor when looking for a good courier company is their ability to deliver your parcels within the time-scales they promise. This should be measured on both the collection and delivery times.

2. ‘No-Fuss’ service. Does the courier company just get up and go, and deliver your consignments or do they go through a painful process of paperwork and if’s and but’s before the delivery can begin. You want your delivery to go as smoothly and easily as possible,

3. Honesty in terms of managing expectations. There is nothing worse than someone saying that something can be achieved and then failing to meet the expectation of a client. If a courier company is going to struggle to meet your deadline they should say so. At the end of the day you might be able to renegotiate with your client but there is nothing worse than letting someone down.

4. Dealing with problems in a fast and effective way. Unfortunately, from time to time things go wrong, but the measure of a good company is how fast they can resolve the issue.

5. Friendliness with a ‘can-do’ and ‘nothing too much trouble’ approach. When you contact the courier company are you greeted with a helpful and friendly tone. Any courier company worth their value will be helpful and friendly to all their customers.

6. Driver knowledge. The key to a quick and efficient delivery is the knowledge of the fleet drivers. Do they know the region / area that they are delivering to? If not, this could have a detrimental effect on the time of your delivery.

7. Driver security. If you are delivering valuable items you need to know how secure the vehicle fleet is that will be delivering them. Let’s face it, you don’t want to put your precious goods into the hands of a delivery company that will end up getting lost!

8. Driver presentation and courtesy. Delivery drivers are not only the face of the courier company, but they also have an effect on the reputation of your own company. If a driver turns up at the destination happy and helpful this has a good reflection on your own business.

9. Flexibility. What happens if you need to make alternative arrangements on your delivery, or if you have a last minute parcel that needs to go out. Can your courier company handle this? The sign of a good courier company is one that is flexible in its approach.

10. Expert knowledge of customs requirements. If you are sending parcels abroad then make sure your courier company has good knowledge of the International procedures to get parcels between international borders.

There are other factors that you may need to consider, and no two courier companies are the same, but if you generally follow these tips you should find yourself a good business partner.

If you need help finding an International Courier why not contact IC Consulting? Having researched and compiled extensive information on courier companies ICC can show you to help your business save money on your International Courier costs.

Research your Courier company before you use them

2009-05-19T03:04:00.001-07:00

We all use couriers at some point in our lives, and for businesses in particular it may be worth knowing just how couriers in the UK operate.
With a vast array of courier services on the market, the type of courier that you need depends on the type of service that you need. For example:

• If you need your consignment to go within a certain time scale
• If you need your consignment to be delivered International or domestic

It also depends on the volume of parcels that you need to deliver. Is it a one off single package, or do you make regular shipments to different addresses?

Why is it important that you chose the right courier? Different courier companies have different frameworks. Some will be able to support large-scale deliveries where as smaller courier companies might not have the resources to cope with your demands.

It’s on pretty good authority that the UK has one of the worlds best courier networks in the world, both domestic and international and sometimes that can make life harder choosing the right one! Remember that by not selecting the right courier could have repercussions on your own business if goods arent delivered on time.

As with anything it is critical that you do your research when selecting a courier company. One of the most important factors to consider is how fast the courier can get your parcel to its destination. The majority of couriers will consider the delivery of your parcel their priority but with modern technology, and the internet age, customer expectations have been raised and we expect much more from our domestic and international couriers these days.

When choosing your courier, be it an International Courier, or domestic UK Courier check to see if they have an established reputation and what their customer feedback is like. Check to see what restrictions or small print they have on their delivery services, and if they have reputable companies on their books.

Based in London MPCExcel offer a full range of domestic and international courier services.
For more information on their international courier services visit their web site.

Financial climate is a good reason to contact an International Courier Consultant

2009-05-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

If you don’t know that we are in a global financial crisis then you have been living under a rock for the last 18 months. Many businesses around the world are finding it difficult and budgets are being cut across the board in both small and large organisations.
Although they don’t realise it, businesses are probably spending much more than they need to on their courier services – and this area alone could help to save them more than they could possibily image.
The problem is that most businesses don’t realise this and they continue to use a courier that they have used in the past “just because they do”.

A courier consultant could effectively come into your business and save you a small fortune. Figures of around 30% are an average saving that your business could be putting to one side. Naturally, it goes without saying that if you are a large business that relies on a courier service that the savings add up.
By contacting a no fee courier consultant you are not staking any risk. An independent consultant will simply search the market, or use his already collated market data to help find the right deal for you. There are couriers on the market that offer a range of different services from International Courier to local bike messenger so you need to find the right one for you.

As Courier companies can be global it may be a cheaper option to use a foreign courier company to get your goods abroad. This is something that the consultant will be able to advise you on – if you don’t ask you never know!

What’s best about using a courier consultant is that if you decide not to use them, because there is no risk or fees it won’t cost you a penny and you can ultimately make your own decision based on the advice that the consultant will give you.

As the UK's leading International Courier consultant ICC provide carefully researched information on how to help save money on your International Courier costs.
To find out what you can save on your International Courier services give IC Consulting a call or visit their web site.

London Companies saving £££ on Courier Services

2009-04-30T02:07:00.001-07:00

Many companies in London have recently had to review their finances in the light of the financial climate. One area that they have looked into is their service vendors, like Couriers. Finding a new London courier can be a lengthy process, as there are many boxes that need to be ticked to make sure that you are getting the right service at the right price.

Sometimes its easier to outsource the cost saving exercise to a no fee based consultant, who already has 100's of companies stored in a database after months (if not years) of anaylsis work. These consultants can offer you their time for free as they earn their living from comission to the companies they refer you to.

Sounsd to good to be true? On average a cost savings consultant can save a London business 30% on their domestic and international courier costs. Not bad for a free service eh!

So if you are yet to review your courier costs, and you need a helping hand, why not get in touch with IC Consulting. You can visit their web site at http://www.icconsulting.com or call 0800 077 6106

Courier Companies benefit from Search Engine Optimisation

2009-04-30T01:33:00.001-07:00

Two Courier companies, one in New York and one in London, are reaping the rewards of their investment in Search Engine Optimisation.

The project were initiated with a view to increasing the traffic to their web sites (which weren't ranking at all for their keywords) and then look at the conversion rate.

Both MPC Excel and AtoZ Couriers have seen an increase of web site traffic by over 40% since the start of the year and reports have confirmed that enquiries and conversions are on the increase.

Keywords that have been imperitave to the campaign include : International Courier, Couriers in NYC, London Courier and New York Courier.

Already hitting the dizzy heights of page one for their respective keywords, both companies are really excited about the coming months.

For more information on SEO services please call eSoftware Solutions on 0845 838 8588 or visit our web site at http:/www.esoftware-solutions.com

London Couriers always ready for an emergency

2009-04-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

When you talk about a London Courier you imagine a small van driving around the city, or even still a bike messenger pedaling around on foot with a satchel on their back.

Sometimes, the London Courier can be called into action to deliver something extremely urgent and out of the ordinary. The normal run of the mill deliveries are usually for PR Agencies, Web Design Companies, Lawyers and general businesses but sometimes the strangest requests are made such as delivering animals or even still - Body Parts! This is just one of the things that makes the life of a London Courier so interesting. London is such a diverse city that the London Courier sometimes doesn't always know what to expect from their client.

It is because of the chance of deliveries such as these that the London Courier has to be on their toes at all times. They never know when a critical delivery is about to come through and they need to be prepared for such eventuality. It is therefore important that the courier has an established fleet and that they are never caught short!

Looking for a NYC Messenger service?

2009-04-22T02:17:00.001-07:00

Do you live in the Manhattan area of New York, or the surrounding New York City? Do you run a business with tight deadlines and the requirement to have goods delivered around the city? AtoZ Couriers specialise in NYC Courier services.

Based in Manhattan the established NYC Messenger, AtoZ, has been serving businesses and consumers in New York for decades.

From delivering dead seals to prosthetic legs, no job is out of the oridinary for this New York Courier!

AtoZ can help to save you money on your existing courier services. Why not get in touch with them on New York 212-253-6500 or visit their web site at http://www.atozcouriers.com

Bike Messengers are the unsung heros of the Courier Industry

2009-04-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Driving in the major cities can be a real pain, especially during rush hour. and for this reason courier and messenger companies turn to their bike messengers to help beat the jams.

This is true for companies all over the globe. London Courier, MPC Excel, frequently make use of push-bike messengers when delivering within the City and New York Courier, AtoZ, beat the madness of NYC on the bike.

Some bike messengers do their courier work as a job on the side, where as others are dedicated to their industry and see it as a career.

The weather means nothing to the bike messenger. Be it severe heat or torrenntial rain the bike messenger will be out delivering items on their two wheels around the city.

There are many risks of being a push bike courier in a major city. The volume of traffic in a big city poses a massive risk in itself, and for this reason most bike messenger couriers will know their city like the back of their hand, even down to the way that lights work and junctions and intersections.

The next challenge to the courier, following the traffic, is the terrain. Not all cities are flat so some bike messengers have to navigate the hilly terrains in front of them.

Naturally, bike messengers need to be extremely fit. During a day they can cover a fair amount of mileage!

For the courier companies themselves the push bikes are a cost effective form of transport as they provide lost cost maintenance and they dont need expensive fuel!

Bike Messengers have been around nearly as long as the push bike itself. Back in the day of the early bikes they were a quick and cost effective way of getting letters from one location to another. To this day nothing has changed, and they still play an important part in the world of couriers.

London Couriers are at the heart of the city

2009-04-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how business life would be without the London courier? Couriers are at the very heart of every business ensuring that parcels, letters, documents and goods are delivered to their destination on time. It could be that the goods are ordered from a company web site, or maybe they are legal documents that have to be at a certain place before a tight deadline.

There are probably more couriers in London, than in any other city in Europe. Some couriers will focus only on local deliveries where as others will provide a full range of services from local to international shipments. A London Courier will always offer a service that meets your requirements – getting a parcel delivered on time and intact, however how many of them can actually fulfil their promise? It can be very easy to take a London Courier for granted, but you should always check to see if they can be beaten on price and if possible find out how good their service actually is from an existing customer if you know one. In many cases, London Couriers are hired on a recommendation basis so you can be sure you are getting a good, tried and tested service.
London Couriers use different methods of transport to get the parcel to its destination.

London Couriers can often beat the traffic in the city by using push bike or motor bike vehicles. Naturally these forms of transport can only be used for smaller, non-fragile deliveries. London Couriers will usually be able to arrange a pick up of your delivery within a short time scale as they are often buzzing about the city.

Do you need a delivery to be made during the early hours of the morning? Not a problem. Many London Couriers operate 24/7 meaning that if you have to work late to finish a project that you can rely on a courier being around to take it to its destination.
If you need to keep track of your delivery, many London couriers provide online tracking of your consignment through their web site. The tracking is provided by GPS and allows you to see a log of when it arrived where and who signed for it.

Many London Couriers also offer an International Courier service, so if you need to get your parcel overseas then they can take care of this for you. In some cases you can even get your delivery from London to New York on the same day!

Using a consultant to help find an International Courier at the right price

2009-04-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

Global Business requires International Couriers to help ship goods and documents around the world, from one corporation to another. Quite often these shipments are time sensitive and have tight deadlines so that contracts can be won or orders delivered.

It is for these reasons that businesses need access to an International Courier service that they can rely on. Although many don't realise it, most businesses could save a lot on their International Courier shipments through the services of a consultant.

International Courier Consultants scour the global courier market to find out the best deals for customers, whilst also evaluating the quality of delivery and customer service through independent feedback. Through years of research they build up a database of courier companies, their prices and the quality of their feedback and after finding out a little bit about the requirements of the client can match them to the right courier.

The aim of the Courier Consultant is to

(a) Ensure that you are getting the best quality service in terms of delivery.

(b) Ensure you are getting the best possible value for money.

Many International Courier consultants work on a no win no fee basis as they earn their living through commission from the referrals from the courier companies. This is great news for the customer as it means that you can use a courier consultant on a no risk basis - because if you don't go along with their suggestion it doesn't cost you a penny!

International Couriers do not necessarily have to be based in your country of origin as they are travelling the world all of the time anyway. A good courier consultant will research couriers globally, and not just those local to them. This means that you really do get the best possible information when it comes to helping to choose the right courier.

Courier Consultants understand how critical logistics can be to a business - the important thing to remember is that they are completely independent and on your side. It is in their best interests to recommend a good company to them as their reputation depends on it.

As the UK's leading International Courier consultant ICC provide carefully researched information on how to help save money on your International Courier costs. To find out what you can save on your International Courier services give IC Consulting a call on 0800 077 6106

Couriers - From A to Z

2009-03-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

ICC has exhaustively researched the domestic and international courier market in the UK. We have a better knowledge and understanding of this market than any other company. It is interesting to note the history of the UK Courier market to better understand it and to help identify strengths and weaknesses.

The origins of the UK sameday courier market stems from the London Taxi companies but soon expanded into dedicated motorcycle despatch riders with the taxi companies setting up separate arms to their companies to cover the courier work. During the late 1970’s small provincial and regional companies were popping up throughout the country. Today, there are many large companies offering next-day courier services and UK divisions of international couriers such as APC, FedEx, DHL, UPS and TNT.

There are many 'specialist' couriers usually for the transportation of items such as freight/palettes, sensitive documents and liquids.

The 'Man & Van'/Freelance courier business model is highly popular in the United Kingdom, with thousands upon thousands of independent couriers and localised companies, offering next-day and sameday services. This is likely to be so popular because of the low business requirements (a vehicle) and the lucrative number of items sent within the UK every day. Since the turn of the millennium there has been a noticeable increase in owner drivers, self employed couriers, operating mainly from home with a sole vehicle. Advantages of this rather than working for an established sameday courier firm are that they are able to offer far better rates to their customers. Self employed couriers come from varied employment backgrounds from non skilled through to highly qualified trades people.

Motorbike couriers still exist, but mainly in and around London (and other large cities), where there is often congestion, as they are much cheaper to run in heavy traffic.

Many large companies provide P.O.Ds online. Lots of the smaller companies and freelance 'Man & Vans' are unable to provide this, but this is changing with forever lowering costs of technology.

Royal Mail was up until recently a reasonable competitor of most of the large couriers; offering next day and special delivery services. This has however changed, with higher costs, strike action and a lowering public perception of the company. With companies like Royal Mail & The DX (who offer a private courier 'box network'), it can be difficult to draw a clear-cut line between postal services and couriers.

Some UK couriers offer next-day services to other European countries. FedEx and Interlink Express both offer next-day air delivery to many EU countries. Cheaper 'By-Road' options are also available, varying from 2 days delivery time (eg. France), to up to a week (eg. Former USSR countries).

Large couriers often require an account to be held (and this can include daily scheduled collections). Senders are therefore primarily in the commercial/industrial sector (and not the general public); some couriers such as DHL do however allow public sending (at a far higher cost than regular senders). Most international courier rates can vary enormously whether you hold an account or not.

Overall there can be a bewildering level of choice for the courier user. ICC helps companies to navigate through the myriad choices of suppliers and is able identify those that offer, best customer service, best value for money, and those most suitable for any individual requirements.

Contact our Sales Team on 0800 077 6106 for more information.

Same Day Couriers help to win the day!

2009-03-18T11:19:00.001-07:00

Have you ever ordered something, say from the Internet, and then wondered how it manages to get to you so quickly?

Throughout the UK there is a network of courier companies, both small and large, driving vans, lorry’s, trucks, motorbikes and pushbikes, delivering items both small and large to our doorsteps and offices.
It is very easy to take these services for granted, but these couriers are the core of the beating heart of the country ensuring that consignments get from A to B on time and in one piece.

Same Day Couriers go that little extra mile. Usually when we order something we expect it to arrive the following day, or even 2/3 days later. Same Day Couriers specialise in getting items from A to B during the same working day. Of course, in some circumstances this isn’t possible due to distance limitations, but around a business, thriving city such as London or New York the same day delivery of documents is a common occurrence.

Take a lawyer for example who might be working on a very important case with a tight deadline. If he needs to receive evidence or documents to meet his deadline he needs a courier that he can rely on. Someone who will be able to fulfill his promise of getting the package to him on time so he can meet his deadline. Without a Same Day Courier the lawyer would not be able to carry out his responsibilities.

If you need to know when your package has arrived, many couriers offer a tracking system on which you can trace the location of your parcel. Usually this is made available from the Couriers web site and allows you to see a log of when it arrived where and who signed for it. That way if the recipient claims not to have received it you can double check for yourself before contacting the courier.

Same Day Couriers use different methods of transport to get the parcel to its destination. In some cases vans or motorcycles might be used but in heavy traffic areas it might be more effective to use a push bike (as long as the destination isn’t too far away!)

MPC Excel offer a fleet of over 100 professional motorcycle couriers to deliver your most urgent UK consignments direct to its destination

MPC Excel offer London Courier and Same Day Courier services in and around the UK.

London Couriers - Are you paying too much?

2009-03-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

As the Uk’s leading courier consultant ICC provide carefully researched informaton on how to help save money on your London Courier costs.

The London market is especially competitive, and it is important that your business takes advantage of the best possible courier rates.

ICC has carefully reviewed the vast majority of London Courier Companies as well as conducting extensive market research of the primary corporate courier users in the Capital.

We focus on two primary objectives - (a) Cost and (b) Service; our simple aim being to discover those companies that offer the best service at the best value.

Research has found that one firm can offer exactly the same service for up to 90% less cost i.e. it used the same integrator for international shipments as many others yet charged only a fraction of the cost.
It is clear that many clients have specific requirements e.g. refrigeration, timing and delivery to unusual areas and for this reason we like to fully understand a client’s particular requirements before we make any recommendations.

We consult for no cost and no risk to the client for the simple reasons that (a) we take an introduction fee from whatever supplier we chose to recommend (this does not affect your costs – see faq’s), and (b) you are under to obligation to accept our recommendations.

To find out what you can save on your London Courier services give IC Consulting a call on 0800 077 6106.

Services provided by International Couriers

2009-03-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Packages, Parcels and post can be sent in many different ways. An International courier company will provide a range of options that allow you to get a consignment from one place to another.

International Courier Companies will help you to ship your package from one country to another, be it over land or overseas. If you are in London and you want to get a parcel to New York then simply get in touch with an International Courier Company and they will help.

There are different types of International services that a Courier Company might offer.

- International Next Day

This will mean that your parcel will arrive at its destination the following day. Depending on the size of your parcel this could be expensive so think about your options and where you can plan ahead to ensure your parcel gets to its destination on time.

- Standard International Delivery

Depending on your International Courier Company this may take 3-5 days to reach its destination. This option is usually cheaper and is most popular.

- Premium Express International Delivery

Giving you time definite delivery options for more urgent or sensitive shipments or those needing a delivery at weekends or on public holidays. Solo ground couriers will deliver these shipments immediately upon release to the consignee address. Naturally this option can be expensive, but for time sensitive packages is a great option to have.

Some courier companies may not offer all International-shipping options, or some may even have their own bespoke packages. Make sure that you cover all the options before committing to a delivery.

Archive Document Storage

2009-03-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

We have maintained our reputation for providing responsible and professional archive storage for London businesses - and those further afield - for the last 15 years. We work with many dynamic and high-profile companies - including lawyers, accountants, newspapers, banks and media companies - who take from us peace of mind, 30% savings per year on the costs of archive storage in the UK and extra space with which they can achieve a more efficient working environment.

Their peace of mind is achieved through the knowledge that we will process their documents efficiently, securely and on time to exemplary standards of quality assurance. Our unique data storage systems also offer exceptional emergency data retrieval turnaround times, so you can have your data in front of you within four hours of your request being confirmed.

Our data facility, situated conveniently in Swindon, is an ex-MOD secure storage facility with round-the-clock digital CCTV, 24-hour on-site security and cutting edge intruder detection and fire prevention systems. Being ex-military, the compound is also bomb-proof. To further ease our clients' minds, our secure document storage facility and its contents are also insured against fires, floods, bombs and other unpredictable circumstances. Everything you keep in our offsite document storage centre will always remain protected and there as a resource whenever it is needed.

We don't just work with huge corporations; we also help smaller businesses and private individuals. Even personal file document storage - such as bills, receipts and other personal data can improve an individual's efficiency in tasks such as payments or tax preparation.

Whether you are an individual or a company with archive storage space needs, contact Secure Data Management today.

Telephone 020 7940 5000 to save 30% of your annual document storage costs guaranteed.

Archive Document Storage

Finding a Courier in New York CIty

2009-03-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

New York never sleeps, and its important that Couriers in New York are always ready to get your package delivered in a short period of time. Couriers in New York, as with anywhere in the world, often provide you with a number of different services. After all, different situations mean that some parcels have to reach their destinations quicker than others.

Usually the quicker you need to get your parcel to its destination the more expensive the cost, especially if you need to get your parcel outside of New York on the same day or next day.

Couriers in New York don't just deliver parcels within the New York and Manhattan areas. Many will offer a national and international courier service so you can get your parcel to any part of the United States, or even worldwide within reasonable time. Some express couriers in New York specialise in overnight and international shipping.

The main job for a courier is to deliver your parcel or letter to its destination on time and in good condition. Sometimes this can be a challenge in itself, especially if you want to get a large or fragile parcel from New York City to San Francisco for example. Usually, over such a great distance the courier will turn to air travel and the consignment will be sent by plane, although depending on the item and the destination the courier may turn to train or even boat.

When sending your parcel the courier needs to think realistically about how the parcel can get to its destination on time. Usually there will be a cut off point where the job cannot physically be possible. Cut off times will vary. For example getting a parcel from New York City to Boston isn't a particularly challenging task, but to get it to London is a different job altogether.

Smaller Couriers in New York sometimes make use of larger companies who have their own fleet of planes or cargo ships. They will normally have a special deal with these companies, but the difference is that your parcel is being passed from company to company on its route to the destination. When in New York and selecting your Courier you should consider this as a factor.

Finally to round off a point, New York Couriers often go about their business in the City by pushbike. Also known as messengers, the bike is one of the easiest, and most economic methods of transport around the city and helps to beat the delays of traffic when delivering the parcel.

AtoZ Couriers specialise in the New York Courier market, providing courier services to the Tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

AtoZ Couriers: 'Big enough to Cope. Small enough to Care'

Visit the AtoZ web site at http://www.atozcouriers.com or call us on New York 212-253-6500

What's in a good International Courier Company?

2009-03-10T04:38:00.001-07:00

A courier company provides door-to-door shipping and delivery of parcels and packages. Courier services range from local to international.

Nearly all-large courier companies provide international services. An international courier isn’t just a company that has bases in different countries, but a company that personally delivers a parcel or package overseas.

To have your consignment shipped overseas by a true “international courier” adds that personal touch of customer service to the delivery. Couriers themselves often find that international deliveries can be very rewarding as they get to travel to many different countries and experience many different cultures along the way.

Being an international courier can making for an exciting living as you get to travel the worlds and see many different sights. It is not uncommon for international shipments to be sent overnight in order to get the package to its destination on time.

International Courier companies may outsource part of their shipping process. This is especially true for smaller courier companies who do not own their own fleet of planes or boats. You may want to check before your commit to a courier if this is the case.
Of course not all International shipments need to go via plane. If you are shipping an item from London to Paris for example it may be more cost effective to go via the Euro-Tunnel on a train. This may not be ideal for time sensitive deliveries but it is a good example of how different types of services can utilise different methods of transport.

Courier companies make shipping very convenient for their customers. They do this by being able to track the location of the parcel online, usually via their own web site. With the convenience of a good courier service, your consignments can go out without expending significant time or effort on shipping.

The life of an international courier....

2009-03-10T04:31:00.000-07:00

Though almost all large courier services are international, there is one type of international courier service that stands out as different from the rest. This is the type of courier service that employs one or two actual people to deliver the shipment by traveling to the destination personally. These people are called "international couriers", and they add a much more direct and personal touch to the delivery.

Becoming an international courier can take some time, but the couriers themselves often find this type of work very rewarding. When you are employed as an international courier, you often get to travel to many different types of places for free, or for a greatly reduced cost. Though a large percentage of the time most international couriers do not deliver packages or documents overnight or express, there actually are times when they have to travel at a moment's notice in order to deliver a shipment within a very short time.

Many people, if the logistics of their lives allow for this type of travel, find it a very exciting way to travel, or even make a living.

DHL staff deliver hat trick win at national Sales & Marketing Awards

2009-03-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

DHL Express UK Courier delivered a successful result at the 2009 British Excellence in Sales & Marketing Awards with half of the short-listed DHL staff winning the top prize in their categories.

Of the six short-listed DHL employees, three were successful in scooping the awards against the likes of nominees from Royal Mail, Vodafone, NatWest and AXA Insurance.

The accolade represents the UK's highest level of recognition for outstanding sales achievement and identifies businesses that demonstrate best practice in every aspect of sales and marketing.

The prestigious 'Sales Professional of the Year (in a business with over 50 employees)' award was presented to Amanda King, a Field Sales Account Manager who has worked at DHL Express for seven years managing a variety of customers who use DHL's international network for their transport and shipping needs. Amanda's win recognised the excellent relationships she has built with her customers through her exceptional knowledge of the business.

The 'New Sales Professional of the Year' was awarded to Sam Slade, who has been a DHL Express Telesales Executive for only 10 months and has continued to deliver over his target as well as identifying numerous international sales leads for the company.

Simon Clarke, a DHL Express Senior Telesales Executive, won the 'Telesales Professional of the Year' for his impressive work motivating his team and delivering maximum results for the business.

Alan Cassels, Managing Director DHL International Express UK, commented: "We had a record number of nominations with 17 staff members across 12 categories being put forward which clearly demonstrates that we have a dedicated, hard working team at DHL.

"We recognise the importance of attracting talented professionals into our business and assisting them to develop to their full potential which continually improves the quality of our sales team, and ultimately drives our business success."

Using Archive Storage to help save you money

2009-03-03T04:51:00.001-08:00

Despite many urban myths, Archive storage isn’t neccesarily expensive and in the long term can actually pay for itself.

For example, consider the cost of your office space. In London the cost of prime location office space can reach nearly £60 per square foot. Then take into account the space that a filing cabinet or cupboard would consume on the floor, an the space you would need to allow to access that – you are talking at least 5 square feet. Space wise you are now talking £300 per year to store your documents. By using a document and archive storage company you can store your documents in boxes at a cost of around £4.50 a year – a tiny sum in comparison to the space in your office! This also means that you will be able to store more in an archive storage facility – for less!

When you archive documents in your office it can be a painful job ensuring that everything is indexed and archived in such a way that it can be easily retrieved. An archive storage company will already have efficient procedures in place to make sure that everything can be accessed within an agreed timescale.

An important factor to consider when archiving documents is disaster recovery. What would happen if your office was to burn down, or some other act of God took its toll on your building? Losing historic documents could be the end of your business and could cause a lot of unnessary stress. An archive storage facility will have proceudres in place to help deal with disaster recovery to ensure that your documents are stored safely and securely.

It may sound strange, but the cost of outsourcing your document archiving could end up being much cheaper than keeping it on site.

Archive Storage

Taxi Booking Platforms

2009-02-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

Increasingly large corporate taxi users are looking for integrated multi-vendor taxi booking platforms.

These types of system can (a) integrate multiple suppliers, (b) collate and standardise multiple invoicing – this will not only enhance the quality and uniformity management information but also increase visibility over spend and thereby increase economies of scale.

Therefore the wisdom and benefits of these systems are perhaps obvious however some difficulties can arise in choosing the right system.

Factors to consider are:

(1) Vendor-neutrality – this is obviously a key factor. If a corporate user chooses a vendor-led solution then there is a great danger of distortion of the market and unfair treatment of suppliers which in turn can lead to a failure of the systems (co-operation of the suppliers is vital) or at least a failure to optimise service.

(2) Inter-operability – this is a vital consideration if the corporation wishes to integrate the taxi booking platform into other corporate booking tools (‘CBT’s’) such as ‘Click Book’, ‘Get There’, or Expedia Corporate’ etc. Some taxi booking platforms can also integrate directly into the Global Distribution Systems (‘GDS’s’) that are used to book airlines.

(3) International reach – clearly the ultimate goal of many corporations may be to standardise booking procedures and management information for taxi bookings worldwide. Many of the ground transport booking tools have a truly global reach and many others do not.

(4) Cost – this can be a very interesting feature of these platforms. Several of these solutions can be prohibitively expensive; however those that tend to innovate the pricing model and thereby compel the vendors to bear a share of the cost can dramatically reduce or even eliminate the cost of the system to the corporation.

(5) Vendor enthusiasm – there is no doubt that the corporation should dictate the terms of its contracts with its suppliers. However diplomacy can be the name of the game when it comes to these systems – clearly the corporation needs to ‘on-board’ all of its suppliers as well as the internal stakeholders. One way of doing this is to ensure that the platform provider is experienced and successful at making the value proposition to the various ground transport providers.

Given all of these factors and the myriad others that tend to arise, it is important to set the right criterion and also to have the confidence that all of the options have been fully and properly considered.

ICC has led the way in the neutral evaluation and vetting of the providers of global multi-vendor ground transportation systems and we are in a position to not only recommend the very best on the market but also to articulate why a particular system is more beneficial than others for any particular corporation.

We are therefore in a unique position to offer advice on the best of these systems and the strengths and weaknesses of individual platforms. We have also identified those that offer the very value for money – guaranteed!

For further information on how we can help you to select the best platform for your needs please contact our sales department on 0800 077 6106 or at Sales@icconsulting.com.

How a good relationship with your courier can help your business and keep your customers smiling.

2009-02-17T05:03:00.000-08:00

Couriers provide services that are critical to most businesses, especially those in retail. The Internet has brought about a new generation of shoppers, who purchase goods from the comfort of their own home. Retailers rely heavily on couriers to distribute the ordered goods from their warehouse to the customer’s doorstep.

If you own, or are considering a retail business either online or through mail order you should first think about what you want from your courier. Small start-up retailers will, most likely, have less demand but as they grow they will need to call on their courier more often. It may be of benefit cost wise to send one shipment a week, but consider if your customers will be happy waiting up to 7 days for their order.

As with any business Couriers need to make a profit and will charge accordingly for their services. Think about your budget (and what you charge your customers for getting the goods delivered to their door). Will you pay your courier bills up front or settle on account? These are all considerations that need to be made before you meet with the courier for the first time. As with any business-to-business deal communication is paramount. Keep talking to your courier. If you are not happy with any aspect of the service being provided then let them know. It may only be something small that they can sort out very quickly.

Arranging a courier can be a headache, but it doesn’t need to be. If you are a start-up and need help finding the right courier for you ICC can help.

ICC has been helping companies select the right courier supplier since 2003 and has established a reputation for excellent expert advice on the courier market. If you use a courier service and want to get a better deal then call us now on 0800 077 6106

Couriers – Trains, Planes and Automobiles

2009-02-11T05:40:00.001-08:00

Ever wondered how your little parcel gets to New York by this time tomorrow? Have you ever stopped to think about exactly how it gets there or do you just take it for granted?

To keep their customers happy, and maintain a profitable business, UK Couriers need to be able to get deliveries from pickup to drop-off, no matter if that is over land or sea. To do this they need to make use of all available forms of transport - and more importantly the most appropriate method of transport for the job in hand. Typically a domestic courier will use a form of land transport such as a push-bike (generally within a city area such as Central London), Motorbike (again, usually over a shorter distance and restricted to smaller packages), van, lorry or train. For the further afield, International shipments they will use air or sea travel to get the consignment between two countries and/or destinations.

The mode of transport used is also dependent on the item that you are shipping and the timescale demands placed by the customer. In London, for example, it is not uncommon for smaller parcels or letters to be delivered by pushbike as it not only helps to beat the traffic but is also not affected by the congestion charge and saves on fuel meaning that these costs can be passed on to the customer. For further afield deliveries, vans, or depending on the size of the item, lorries are used. In some cases, again depending on the time requirements of the delivery, trains may be used.

If you are using an international courier to get your delivery across water then your courier will generally go by air, as flying is a much quicker form of transport than by water. This also enables couriers to send international consignments from one side of the world to the other within strict time deadlines. For example, by air a delivery can get to Australia within 24 hours of it leaving the UK, whereas by sea it could easily take up to 6 weeks depending on shipping traffic and weather conditions - not ideal in any situation really!

Whether domestic or international deliveries, overnight or same day, there are many courier companies out there looking to forge a relationship with you. You may have heard about the larger courier companies such as DHL or UPS, and in most cases they will be able to offer you a better deal price wise due to the volume of consignments that they ship and the size of their fleet of vehicles, but do not discard a courier company because they are a small player.

A good courier company keeps their promise and delivers your parcel, letter or package at a good price,on time and in the condition it left your house or office in. In many cases you will find that the customer service and 'personal touch' is much better when you deal with a smaller courier company, and as long as they meet their delivery promises at the right price then there is very little to choose between the two.

ICC has been helping companies select the right courier supplier since 2003 and has established a reputation for excellent expert advice on the courier market. If you use a courier service and want to get a better deal then call us now on 0800 077 6106

The independent resource for all journalists Courier Collaboration Made Possible With DA Systems

2009-02-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

Two of the capital’s most successful courier companies, Excel Couriers and MPC Logistics, have entered into a collaborative agreement that will catapult them into the list of Top 5 London courier companies. The new working arrangement includes the appointment of DA Systems as the sole technology provider for both companies, supplying a unified technology solution for control room, fleet and customer interface management.

To unify the IT infrastructure and software, both companies will adopt DA Systems’ class leading ACI (Advanced Courier Interface) and ACI Net control room and on-line customer interface software, already in use by Excel Couriers and replacing MPC Logistics current system.

Greg Hoy, Managing Director of Excel Couriers, explained “The appointment of DA Systems as a sole technology provider is the first in a number of steps we are taking that will make both companies more competitive through collaboration. By consolidating our back office functions, and running common control room and web interface software, we will reduce our overheads and at the same time enhance the on-line experience for our combined customer base. Over the years, I have been impressed by DA Systems’ solution and we are pleased that MPC has agreed to adopt the software too.”

How a good relationship with your courier can help your business and keep your customers smiling.

2009-02-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Couriers provide services that are critical to most businesses, especially those in retail. The Internet has brought about a new generation of shoppers, who purchase goods from the comfort of their own home. Retailers rely heavily on couriers to distribute the ordered goods from their warehouse to the customer’s doorstep.

If you own, or are considering a retail business either online or through mail order you should first think about what you want from your courier. Small start-up retailers will, most likely, have less demand but as they grow they will need to call on their courier more often. It may be of benefit cost wise to send one shipment a week, but consider if your customers will be happy waiting up to 7 days for their order.

As with any business Couriers need to make a profit and will charge accordingly for their services. Think about your budget (and what you charge your customers for getting the goods delivered to their door). Will you pay your courier bills up front or settle on account? These are all considerations that need to be made before you meet with the courier for the first time.

As with any business-to-business deal communication is paramount. Keep talking to your courier. If you are not happy with any aspect of the service being provided then let them know. It may only be something small that they can sort out very quickly.
Arranging a courier can be a headache, but it doesn’t need to be.

Couriers and the environment

2009-02-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

Over the last 12 months we have seen an increase in the number of courier companies looking to become more environmentally friendly.

The nature of the Courier industry means that the delivery of letters and parcels requires transport, and for international courier shipments this can mean planes and ships. Naturally, being on the go all the time means that there is constant threat of CO2 emission and use of valuable fuel.

So how can UK Courier companies help to reduce the impact of their day-to-day tasks on the environment?

Couriers can help the environment in many ways, from the receptionist and offices to the vehicles themselves.

By being aware of items such as leaving the lights and computers on, unnecessary use of paper and recycling printer cartridges.

When it comes to the delivery of consignments, in the city, Bike messengers can be used on shorter runs to help save on fuel. In 2007 electric powered vehicles were made reality. Again, these are ideal for use for shorter distance deliveries and help reduce CO2 emissions.

To help the environment the courier can also try and plan delivery routes to ensure shorter distances are traveled. The nature of time demanding deliveries can sometimes make this difficult, but every little bit helps.

ICC has been helping companies select the right courier supplier since 2003 and has established a reputation for excellent expert advice on the courier market. If you use a courier service and want to get a better deal then call us now on 0800 077 6106

Taxi Hire - Are you paying too much?

2009-02-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

For business travelers taxi hire is often the most convenient way to get to and from meetings or to and from their destination.

Ideally you want to be sure that you are sourcing the suppliers with the smartest most up to date vehicles with the most knowledgeable and courteous drivers and you want to make sure those suppliers are charging the lowest rates on the market.

Often, rather disparagingly, called ‘mini-cabs’, executive private hire firms offer a less expensive and often more comfortable alternative to Black Cabs however these services can vary enormously in service and price.

Given the often bewilderingly wide range of choice in the corporate taxi market it is sometimes difficult to be absolutely sure that you are getting the best service at the best rates.

This is where ICC can help. We can help to review your executive taxi supplier/s and save you the time and effort! Through its customer surveys and benchmarked cost-analyses, ICC helps organisations to source those suppliers that are not only best suited to requirements but also those that offer the very best service at the best rates.

Couriers – Trains, Planes and Automobiles

2009-02-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Domestic and International Courier companies need to be able to get your delivery from pickup to drop-off, no matter if that is over land or sea. To do this they make use of all available forms of transport. Typically a domestic courier will use a form of land transport such as a pushbike, motorbike, van or lorry. For the further afield, International shipments they will use air or sea travel to get the consignment between two countries.

The type of transport used is also dependent on the item that you are shipping and the timescale demands placed by the customer. In London, it is not uncommon for smaller items to be delivered by push bike as it not only helps to beat the traffic but is also not affected by the congestion charge and saves on fuel meaning that these costs can be passed on to the customer. For further afield deliveries vans, or depending on the size of the item, lorry's are used. In some cases, again depending on the time requirements of the delivery, trains may be used.

If you are using an international courier to get your delivery across water then your courier will generally go by air, as it is much quicker. This also enables couriers to send international consignments within strict time deadlines. For example, by air a delivery can get to Australia in 24 hours, whereas by sea it could take up to 6 weeks depending on weather conditions.

Wether domestic or international, there are many couriers out there looking for your custom. You may have heard about the larger companies such as DHL or UPS, and in most cases they will be able to offer you a better deal, but do not discard a courier because they are a small player. A good courier keeps their promise and delivers your parcel, letter or package on time and in good condition.

ICC has been helping companies select the right courier supplier since 2003 and has established a reputation for excellent expert advice on the courier market. If you use a courier service and want to get a better deal then call us now on 0800 077 6106

Looking for Taxi Hire?

2009-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

For business travelers in the UK an executive taxi is often the most convenient way to get to and from meetings or to and from the airport.

Ideally you want to be sure that you are sourcing the suppliers with the smartest most up to date vehicles with the most knowledgeable and courteous drivers and you want to make sure those suppliers are charging the lowest rates on the market.

Often, rather disparagingly, called ‘mini-cabs’, executive private hire firms offer a less expensive and often more comfortable alternative to Black Cabs however these services can vary enormously in service and price.

Given the often bewilderingly wide range of choice in the corporate taxi market it is sometimes difficult to be absolutely sure that you are getting the best service at the best rates.

This is where ICC can help. We can help to review your executive taxi hire supplier/s and save you the time and effort! Through its customer surveys and benchmarked cost-analyses, ICC helps organisations to source those suppliers that are not only best suited to requirements but also those that offer the very best service at the best rates.

Please get in touch with our sales team for more information.

Sales@icconsulting.com or on 0800 077 6106.

Hundreds of jobs under threat as HDNL restructures delivery network

2009-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Union members at Unite and Usdaw are reeling after UK Courier HDNL (Home Delivery Network Ltd) announced 686 jobs are at risk across England following the decision to restructure its delivery network.

Unite national officer, Julia Long, said: "This announcement has come as a blow to the joint unions. We have been working together over the last year putting changes in place to help the business move forward and become profitable after years of what we believe were bad decisions and poor management.

"The decision to close eight depots will have a devastating effect on our members and their families, and we will be doing all we can within the consultation process.

"The unions are starting the consultation process next week, where the top priority will be to scrutinise the business case for these closures, and to ensure wherever possible we can find alternative work in the depots that are remaining open."

Usdaw national officer, Irene Radigan, commented: "The company has announced a major restructuring programme which will include the closure of six sites. Work will be transferred across the rest of HDNL's network. We are working with HDNL to minimise compulsory redundancies as a result of this restructuring.

"The home shopping sector has seen a steady decline over the last few years and these redundancies are not a direct result of the economic downturn.

"Our aim is to ensure that those people who are made redundant leave the business with the best chance of securing future employment and that HDNL is able to offer job security to all union members who remain with the company."

Garrett Transport Drives Forward For 2009

2009-01-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

Garrett Transport has announced a major partnership with one of the UK’s biggest palletised courier delivery networks, Palletforce.

The news is a significant step forward for the family-run company, based in Essex, which already delivers goods to major high street retailers.

The new partnership brings together the might of a successful UK and European delivery network and the high quality services offered by Garrett Transport.

Welcoming the announcement, Simon Garrett said: “This is an important part of our growth and will enhance the services we can offer as we drive our business forward in 2009.

“We chose to become part of Palletforce because it is a member-based network – so everyone has a stake in its success and therefore a desire to deliver a high quality service.”

Becoming part of Palletforce will bring exciting new opportunities for Garrett Transport, which has 14 vehicles in its fleet, as well as offices in Saffron Walden, Essex, and 40,000sq ft of storage as part of its sister company Hicks Warehousing Ltd.

The company will be joining around 100 other transport operators across the UK who make up the powerful Palletforce distribution network. Together they serve thousands of customers – which include major brands and well-known high street retailers.

Garrett Transport will operate in Palletforce’s CB postcode area, covering Cambridge, Haverhill, New Market and Saffron Walden.

Michael Conroy, CEO of Palletforce, said: “Garrett Transport is a well-established company with exacting standards and will be an important addition to the network.”

The company is joining the distribution network at a particularly exciting time – as Palletforce moves into its new £30million distribution hub.

The state-of-the-art hub, in Staffordshire, will enable the Palletforce network to offer faster delivery turnaround and an unrivalled transport distribution operation.

Home Delivery Network Win ASOS Contract To Deliver Fast Fashion Fixes

2009-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

ome Delivery Courier Network Limited (HDNL) has secured a major new contract to deliver on behalf of one of the fastest growing e-commerce retailers, asos.com.

asos.com, who recently announced their sales were up 107% on last year, required a partner who could add value to the whole delivery experience. Head of Customer Logistics for asos.com Stuart Hill said: “We needed a service that had the capability to provide a consistent, visible home delivery experience.

“HDNL’s Track and Trace system is a real advantage as it allows parcel visibility to our customers. We were also impressed by their branded delivery team who will be representing and upholding the asos brand,” said Hill.

asos.com are now using HDNL’s Monday to Friday, 48 hour courier delivery service and Monday to Saturday next day service with Saturday deliveries being offered by asos to their customers at no extra charge.

HDNL Chief Executive Brian Gaunt commented: “asos’ continued success is built upon giving the customer what they want and we hope our service offering, in particular the next day delivery option, will support their overall proposition for ‘fast fashion’. Already we are building a strong relationship with the company.”

Launched in 2000, asos.com is the UK’s largest online fashion and beauty store, attracting over 1.5 million visitors a week. With over 19,000 products available and 1,000 new lines added each week, asos.com is the online shopping destination.

IC Consulting - the company that helps to reduce your Courier costs

2009-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

ICC is the marketing leader in research consultancy providing the most up-to-date and authoritative information on the International Courier, Same Day Courier, Next Day Courier and Overnight Courier services in the UK and Worldwide.

Through its proprietary databases, extensive and continuous research, and wealth of expertise, IC Consulting provides clients with an unrivalled expert analysis of the suppliers that offer the best quality, value and service.

ICC serves many of the world’s leading organisations including BP plc, Diageo plc, Man Group plc, and Pearson plc. (see case studies). Our reports are based on primary and secondary research focused on customer satisfaction, benchmarked costs, and financial analysis.

Our primary research is based on a combination of online, face-to-face, and telephone interviews and surveys with consumer and industry players and secondary research using various sources (including tenders we participate in, trade associations, news providers and others). We select the suppliers that our research has indicated are the very best in their fields in terms of quality, service, and value. We set a premium on sustained and repeated customer satisfaction, selecting only companies that keep multiple respondents ‘extremely satisfied’ over periods of years.

Palletways Appoints New Operations Director

2008-12-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

Graham Leitch has been appointed Operations Director at Palletways.

Working with Palletways UK Network Managing Director Craig Hibbert, Graham will be responsible for the management and strategic development of Palletways’ hub in Lichfield and the performance management of the Member Network. Graham will also be responsible for Palletways’ European line haul operation.

Since September 2007, Graham has been covering maternity leave as Interim Operations Director at Palletways. Graham joined Palletways in January 2005 as Regional General Manager for the North and Scotland and was also responsible for the regional hub operation in Scotland. Prior to joining Palletways, Graham had an extensive tack record working in logistics and distribution, initally in the newspaper industry, then in the parcels market.

Commenting on his appointment, Graham said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed Operations Director at Palletways. I look forward to the challenges currently facing our industry and will work to ensure Palletways continues its market leading position in the pallet network market.”

City Link bring Christmas cheer to Birmingham Hospital.

2008-12-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early this week for children at Birmingham Children’s Hospital with the donation of cuddly toys by leading premium express courier City Link.

City Link which has two depots in Birmingham has donated nearly 100 of its mascot ‘Fetch the Dog’ to the hospital and plans to donate a further 800 of the cuddly canines to hospitals throughout the UK.

City Link's Sales and Marketing Director Stuart Godman presented the much-appreciated donation to Malcolm Faulkner, Head of Fundraising at the hospital.

Stuart Godman said: "I hope this donation brings some joy to children this Christmas. At City Link we recognise how difficult it can be for children who are in hospital at this time of year. So we want to help by giving away the toy dogs for youngsters to play with and bring a little Christmas cheer.”

It is the first of a number of donations which are planned by City Link over the coming weeks. Stuart Godman continued: "We look forward to handing out many more of these cute dostyle="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 50%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 150%; -mogs to other children nationwide."

City Link is a caring company, not only to the community, but also to its customers, and works by the ethos of 'service, service, service!'

Over the past year they have supported CHASE, a children's hospice in Guildford, Surrey, which cares for life-limited children and their families throughout Surrey, Sussex, and South-West London.

City Link also donates its collection and delivery services to The Great Daffodil Appeal from Marie Curie Cancer Care, held every March and has once again agreed to help with the Southampton Toy Appeal by collecting donated items for children through the provision of a ‘man and a van’ for two days over Christmas to collect toys that go to groups working with children and young people in need.

International Courier - Save yourself some money!

2008-12-19T03:17:00.001-08:00

There are a very large number of international courier companies operating in the UK and Worldwide.

ICC has reviewed the vast majority of these as well as conducting extensive market research of the primary corporate international courier users in the UK.

We focus on (a) Cost and (b) Service; our simple aim being to discover those companies that offer the best service at the best value.

The results of our research has been somewhat staggering for example we discovered that one firm can offer exactly the same service for up to 90% less cost i.e. it used the same integrator for international shipments as many others yet charged only a fraction of the cost.

Clearly many clients have specific requirements e.g. timed deliveries, refrigeration, delivery to unusual areas and for this reason we like to fully understand a client’s particular requirements before we make any recommendations.

We consult for no cost and no risk to the client for the simple reasons that (a) we take an introduction fee from whatever supplier we chose to recommend (this does not affect your costs – see faq’s), and (b) you are under to obligation to accept our recommendations.

ICC has conducted extensive global research on Courier services and has vigorously analysed all of those on the market. We are therefore in a unique position to offer advice on the best of these systems and the strengths and weaknesses of individual platforms.

Please get in touch with George Hepburne-Scott, UK Sales Manager for more information.

George.Scott@icconsulting.com or on 0800 077 6106.

TNT announces interest to explore strategic partnership with Royal Mail

2008-12-19T03:14:00.001-08:00

UK Courier, TNT has today expressed its interest to explore a strategic partnership with Royal Mail. The publication of the Hooper Commission report today, which sets out a number of critical requirements for a sustainable future for Royal Mail, forms the background of TNT’s renewed expression of interest.

Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT, said: ‘’Royal Mail and TNT have explored partnership opportunities in the past. The views of the Hooper Commission provide a clear framework for the UK postal sector going forward. Assuming the UK government implements these recommendations, I think that exploring a strategic partnership with Royal Mail makes a lot of sense for both our companies.’’

Since the Secretary of State for Business announced a comprehensive review of the developments in the UK postal services market last year, TNT has been invited to actively share its views, just like other stakeholders. The emerging views of the Hooper Commission - that focus mainly on the sustainability of the USO and Royal Mail - form a clear frame of reference for the development of the postal sector in the UK. The Hooper Commission indicates the need for a strong strategic partnership for Royal Mail, the resolution of pension liabilities and development of a predictable and stable regulatory environment.

The objective of the partnership would be to help develop Royal Mail into a modern, best-in-class postal operator that combines excellent mail service with solid and sustainable financial performance as part of a broader global network. The scope of a potential partnership would exclude Post Office retail outlets given its public service network function.

TNT’s proposal:

TNT’s proposal to Her Majesty’s Government is to enter into discussions on a strategic partnership with Royal Mail with the objective to reach agreement on key terms and conditions for a substantial minority shareholding. TNT’s proposal assumes the implementation of the key recommendations of the Hooper Commission that are instrumental to a sustainable future for Royal Mail.

FedEx Express unveil electric vehicle.

2008-12-16T03:28:00.000-08:00

FedEx Express Courier and Modec have unveiled a state-of-the-art electric commercial vehicle, the first of 10 to be added to the FedEx Express fleet for use in the United Kingdom over the next few months.

The vehicles, manufactured by UK-based Modec, are heralded as the future of urban vehicle manufacturing and are designed specifically for commercial operation in urban environments.

The distinctive zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles will be the first to join the FedEx Express fleet in the UK and will operate in the greater London metropolitan area. The vehicles feature a large, removable battery pack and can travel up to seventy miles on one overnight charge.

The new vehicles are part of a growing fleet of more environmentally-friendly FedEx Express vehicles that includes more than 170 hybrid electric vehicles worldwide—the largest hybrid fleet in the transportation industry—and supports the company’s commitment to improve the fuel efficiency of its vehicle fleet by 20 percent and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its aircraft fleet by 20 per cent per available ton mile by 2020.

“We continue to utilize innovative technology to provide the best possible service to our customers, while at the same time reducing our impact on the environment,” said Adam Psarianos, vice president, Operations, FedEx Express Northern Europe. “The introduction of these 10 vehicles to our UK fleet is a smart, strategic investment for FedEx and supports our ongoing efforts to foster the commercial development of viable new technologies that improve the environmental performance of the transportation industry.”

FedEx Express selected Modec due to the superior performance and handling of its vehicles, which are ideally suited to the company’s operations in urban environments. Modec’s focus on the requirements of stop-start, urban-duty cycles and traffic conditions mean that the cab is designed for quick and easy entry and exit, maximising driver comfort and productivity.

“We are delighted to have this order for ten Modec vehicles from FedEx,” said Jamie Borwick, chairman of Modec. “Operating this fleet of electric vehicles in urban environments is the best use of technology and proves FedEx is using the right tool for the right job. Soon we will see FedEx-branded Modec vehicles in London.”

FedEx Express also announced last month that it has achieved ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 14001 2004 certification for environmental management for its facilities located throughout the United Kingdom. The ISO 14001 2004 certification is an internationally recognised standard granted to companies that meet a stringent set of demands for environmental management.

“It is great that these super zero emission vehicles will be introduced onto London's streets. Vehicles such as these help to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and cut climate change emissions, making the capital cleaner and greener,” said Boris Johnson, mayor of London. “I am keen to promote a massive increase in low carbon vehicles across London to both play our part in tackling climate change and help to create a green economy.”

APC Overnight provides safe delivery for Capita's NHS surveys

2008-12-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Capita Health Service Partners, Survey and Research Unit, has appointed APC Overnight Courier to provide rapid and safe deliveries for National Health Service surveys. The largest UK Courier enables cost-effective, flexible services to the Survey and Research Unit’s clients throughout the British Isles. With online end-to-end tracking and electronic Proof of Delivery, the Unit is confident that parcels can be traced throughout the delivery process, which is extremely important as clients are often based on large hospital sites.

“Before selecting APC Overnight’s local depot, APC Able Services, we used several different companies. We now have a cost-effective single point of contact and much greater flexibility as the local depot understands our time-delivered service requirements for staff surveys, reports, CDs and DVDs to over 165 different clients,” said Aimi Blueman, Deputy Head of Surveys and Research, Capita Health Service Partners, Survey and Research Unit.

CitySprint awarded Multi-Million Pound Contract with The Ministry of Defence

2008-12-11T04:12:00.000-08:00

UK Courier, CitySprint has been awarded a two-year contract from the Ministry of Defence. The contract went live on 1st Nov and is worth in the region of £2 million per annum with the opportunity to extend for a further two years. The contract names CitySprint as the preferred supplier for all emergency SameDay Courier deliveries, Land Forces (Army), Maritime (Navy), the Airforce including USAF as well as a number of other MoD departments.

The contract was awarded after a competitive tender process from which the CitySprint proposal emerged as the most economically advantageous.

The contract is scoped for CitySprint to make around 20,000 movements per annum, a level of support made possible by City Sprint’s national fleet of over 1500 couriers; each of whom is security checked and professionally presented, wearing a branded uniform.

Many of the MoD’s shipments are vital to Defence projects and therefore the ability to track their progress is of considerable importance. The unique tracking ability CitySprint can provide will be helpful to the MoD. CitySprint has made a significant investment in technology which brings total transparency to clients. CitySprint has the largest GPS enabled fleet in Europe which means that all of its customers benefit from access to real-time information. CitySprint took this bold step of offering complete transparency to its clients as it believes that trust and control are elements of extreme importance to its clients.

The MoD will be able to view, through the CitySprint website, a real-time map location of the courier during their job and access a job audit and electronic proof of signature. They can also share this information with their partners by sending an emailable hyperlink. Once the job has been delivered the MoD will also receive notification of what time the job was delivered, to where, and who signed for it.

Andrew Bernard, Chief Executive said “In the current economic climate, acquisition of new clients is vital. The fact the Ministry of Defence has selected CitySprint is testament to our unrivalled service levels and reputation in the industry. There have been many examples of lost data reported in the media and we have worked hard to reassure our customers that we are a business to be trusted. Being awarded government contracts of this significance suggest that our hard work is paying off and that our brand is associated with trust, security and the provision of high levels of service”.

Rising Fuel Prices Contribute to UK Hauler's Demise

2008-12-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

Ramage Distribution is one of the larger UK haulers providing mainland and international courier services, employing over 390 people and turning over last year £30m. Operating on a much larger scale than most of the UK Courier companies, but within the same marketplace, and facing the same challenges as couriers.

This week saw Ramage Distribution enter receivership, with trading factors, and notably the rising cost of fuel, being listed as primary factors in the downfall of the business.

Almost everything that everyone in the UK buys, wears or eats has been delivered. The costs of delivery and haulage impact on every single person's lives, but it is an issue that the average man in the street doesn't perceive as having a direct impact on them. When the price of fuel goes up people tend to think about the price of a tank of petrol, not that that's going to increase the price of a loaf of bread, a bag of potatoes, or even the price of a plant from a garden centre.

UK Couriers & haulers are operating in one of the most challenging market places. Their customers are either the large businesses who are able to impose their delivery prices on the couriers, or smaller businesses fighting to keep their delivery costs as low as possible to compete with the big boys. The large haulage businesses, supplying the largest retailers in the UK frequently are unable to pass on the rising fuel prices, and end up with their profit margins getting squeezed more on every fuel price increase.

And the costs of operating a courier business in the UK just keep on increasing too. With tolls, expanding congestion charging zones, increasing insurance costs, and of course, fuel. Couriers face price conscious customers, who look to shave every pound possible off their rates, but couriers also have to take into consideration the cost of running a half empty van, And this results in a trade off, the loss of which is usually the profit margin.

Couriers give their customers contract rates, so that the customer knows where they stand, and can make informed decisions about the pricing and sales strategy of their goods. But with the fuel price increasing on almost a weekly basis, this leaves the courier absorbing the loss.

And a few pennies on the price of a litre, or a couple of pounds on the price of a tank, can equate to over a hundred pounds a day for a firm of couriers running 40 vehicles. They can't go back to the customer and ask for a top up, you can't renegotiate prices every week.

So who is it that takes the hit of these fuel price increases?

We know. And the industry will not be able to continue to do so for much longer, and Ramage is a warning light.

Good Couriers and Delivery companies can be hard to find. IC Consulting does this for you. With over 800 Couriers and delivery companies registered, every one of these can quote for your courier job. You submit your job to IC Consulting and it is immediately sent out to our couriers, for them to quote to you. This means you receive back lots of competitive quotes, and you choose which one to accept.

For more information on IC Consulting visit their new website at www.icconsulting.com

Tax double whammy hits UK logistics industry with £500m bill

2008-12-05T02:14:00.000-08:00

The Chancellor's tax double whammy could land the UK Courier industry with a bill of more than £500 million, according to figures from the Freight Transport Association (FTA). Consecutive rises in fuel duty, the first taking place tomorrow (1 December 2008) and the second just four months later, will hit commercial vehicle operators hard, at a time when the industry is already struggling.

Furthermore, the VAT reduction, which was announced by Alistair Darling as a way of kick-starting the economy, will be worthless to the transport sector because businesses can already claim back VAT on fuel purchases.

James Hookham, FTA's Director of Policy, said:

"This is an absolute betrayal of the logistics industry. The Chancellor said he wanted to give the economy a shot in the arm: what we've got is a kick in the teeth.

"For many firms, the extra tax bill is equivalent to several drivers' wages. Taken in the context of a shrinking economy and fewer goods being moved around, this could mean significant redundancies across the logistics industry. The Chancellor will have those job losses on his conscience unless he acts to reverse this disastrous decision."

FTA has written to the Prime Minister demanding a meeting to discuss the potential crisis within the logistics sector. It will call for immediate action from the Treasury either to reverse the decision, or to look at more intelligent options for commercial vehicles. The Association has long been calling on the Government to introduce a lower level of fuel duty on diesel for commercial vehicles. With the reality of the Chancellor's announcement now about to bite, that call has become even more desperate.

Mr Hookham added:

"The UK relies on the courier industry to keep the economy moving and we already more than pay our way, putting £7.8 billion into the Treasury coffers each year. We are not asking for a handout from the Government: we are simply asking them to aid the survival of the industry, and the thousands of people working within it. If he can do it for the Scottish whisky industry, surely he can do it for one which employs around 249 times as many people?"

Without the concessions FTA is looking for, there are fears not only for a costly Christmas this year, but a cancellation of the festive season in 2009 too.

Savings to be made on your International Courier services.

2008-11-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

Headquartered in London and Dublin, Diageo is one of the world's leading premium drinks business. It spends approximately £1M per year on international courier. Through a close partnership with ICC, Diageo was able to identify a new international courier solution that enabled it to make cost-savings of approximately 15%.

The solution involved the creation of a ground breaking collaboration of a leading UK courier and the world's leading air-freight consolidator. This unique collaboration was able to deliver to Diageo a multi-site, multi-national courier solution that not only saved vast sums of money but also significantly improved service levels.

This solution has been successfully in place at Diageo since December 2004 and continues to save Diageo money.

MPCExcel announce new Free Phone Number

2008-11-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

MPCExcel are pleased to announce their new free phone number.

For information on their courier services please call 0800 369 9999.

MPCExcel are pleased to announce the take over of Fortec Pallets London distribution depot.

2008-11-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

MPCExcel are please to announce the take over of Fortec Pallets London distribution depot. Formally A2Z Logistics, MPCExcel have now added this valuable UK pallet distribution service to its other courier services. Marc Chauveau, MPCExcel’s managing director, commented, “having know Greg Roff, A2Z’s managing director for many years, we both came to the same conclusion that introducing A2Z’s services to ours would benefit our staff, our clients and our shareholders”. Greg Roff, further commented, “having seen the success of the MPC Excel merger some time ago, the extra resources the enlarged group offered us was too good to turn down”

MPCExcel now have a Fortec UK overnight pallet distribution depot servicing, all WC, EC, SE and SW postcodes of London from half a pallet of products to a full 50 pallet forty foot artic. Fortec are the UK’s leading UK nextday pallet deliver net work by quality of service rather than by size.

MPCExcel are London’s largest specialist’s couriers offering sameday courier, UK Overnight Courier, International courier, Pick and pack services and now UK pallets distribution services.

ProVu gets a seamless connection to APC

2008-11-20T03:35:00.000-08:00

APC Overnight Courier is delivering a competitive edge to high-tech company ProVu Communications through innovative online services that boost customer service. As the leading independent UK distributor of Internet-telephony solutions, ProVu is benefiting from instantaneous order processing and parcel pre-labelling directly from the Internet-based NetDespatch service.

ProVu customers expect to be able to order their VoIP products online and the seamless link to APC Overnight for next day delivery is therefore crucial to smooth supply chain management. With NetDespatch, collections are booked in using XML and parcel labels pre-printed ready for collection by APC Overnight, eliminating errors as delivery details are entered into the system directly by the customer.

“The online booking and tracking system is crucial for us. It allows us to compete effectively, enabling customers to place orders just 15 minutes before cut off for next day delivery. This means we can meet tight deadlines and provide an effective service for our customers,” says Ian Godfrey, ProVu’s Sales Director.

ProVu has been using APC Overnight’s local depot in Brighouse for more than 6 years. Commenting on APC Overnight services Ian Godfrey says: “APC Pass the Parcel Overnight provides us with excellent local-based support plus the benefit of national reach through the APC Overnight Courier network. The products we sell and ship are delicate and we are pleased to say that the handling is excellent and it ensures that our products reach our customers intact.”

Bradbury Bros grows business thanks to APC Overnight

2008-11-20T03:33:00.000-08:00

Motorcycle parts specialist Bradbury Bros has seen a 15 per cent growth in its business thanks to reliable next day parcel delivery from APC Overnight that has enabled it to tap into the Scottish market. Traditionally providing service parts and lubricants to motorcycle shops throughout northern England via the APC Overnight network, Huddersfield-based Bradbury Bros recently extended its customer base to Scotland with a dedicated representative in Glasgow.

“The reach and exceptional reliability of APC Overnight Courier network has certainly helped us to grow our business – with the additional custom coming from Scottish clients this makes us a dominant player in northern Britain. Reliable service from APC Overnight has helped us achieve this and it goes to show that you can never underestimate the importance of your parcel logistics partner, particularly when you are trying to grow new business,” says Denis Bradbury, Managing Director.

There are a number of factors that makes APC Overnight a key part of Bradbury Bros’ supply chain. “APC Overnight provides an integrated logistics solution allowing us to freely expand to new areas and deliver a rapid next day delivery service to our customers. The online booking system is excellent, for example. We enter the customer details once and this instantly logs the parcel onto the APC Overnight system. The system then automatically generates a barcoded shipping label, which we attach to the parcel and this is scanned by the courier on collection. This enables us to track our parcels online right up to the point of delivery to our customers. This NetDespatch powered online system saves us a lot of time and allows us to process orders right up to our late afternoon cut off time,” says Bradbury.

Amtrak deficit £34.1million!

2008-11-20T03:32:00.000-08:00

According to documents just filed at Companies House by the administrators the UK Courier, Amtrak, collapsed with a deficit of £34.1million.

The report shows that for the year to 31 May 2008, the company had made a £15.3m loss, despite a turnover of more than £57m.

Restructuring costs had been expected to cause significant losses in 2007, but the expectation was that trading should have improved the following year.

But the report concludes "However, a combination of customer losses, weaker volumes as the market contracted and ongoing price competition meant that losses continued to be incurred."

UPS Expands UK "Green" Fleets

2008-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

UK Courier, UPS has announced an order of twelve electric vehicles from Modec, the manufacturer of the world's first purpose-built zero-emission van. Six vehicles will be introduced into UPS's UK fleet in February 2009, including the vehicle that was used for testing until now. The remaining six will operate in Germany.

The quiet, zero-emission vehicle is the first of its kind to effectively harness the power of modern, high energy batteries to meet the medium range, high performance requirements of hard working, urban delivery vehicles.

Developed by British manufacturer Modec, the vehicles will operate out of UPS's Camden facility, which lies within London's Low Emission Zone and is the company's central package facility in the capital.

The order follows a successful nine month trial of the vehicle's capabilities earlier this year, where it averaged eighteen miles per day and a battery consumption of 25% of full charge per day during the course of its operations in North-West, East and Central London. Each zero emission vehicle can undertake one hundred miles on one overnight charge, with batteries in future models set to increase the range to 150 miles per two-three hour charge. Because it is an electric vehicle, it requires no road tax, MOT or tachograph and is not liable for the congestion charge.

As a company reliant on its mobile workforce, UPS continually evaluates developments in sustainable technology and proactively seeks opportunities to improve environmental performance.

Jim Barber, Managing Director, UPS UK & Ireland, said: "This order represents an important step towards making our fleet and operations more sustainable in the UK. At UPS, we have an ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, and we are continually assessing how to make the best use of alternatively fuelled vehicles on a global level."

Jamie Borwick, Modec Chairman, said: "UPS is known throughout the world for reliability, because UPS takes great care to get things right. With Modec on board, UPS will be at the leading edge of automotive engineering as well as at the forefront of environmental consciousness. And the unique-looking Modec vehicle liveried in UPS branding will clearly show UPS's commitment to reducing emissions."

Globally, UPS has been utilising alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years. It currently operates the transportation industry's largest private fleet of alternative fuel vehicles. UPS's use of alternative fuel vehicles dates back to the 1930s with electric vehicles in New York City, and today the company uses alternative fuel vehicles in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the US.

DHL to pull out of domestic market

2008-11-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

DHL Express Courier is to focus its U.S. Business on its core international services

- U.S. domestic services to be discontinued January 30, 2009
- Restructuring measures to reduce U.S. operating costs by over 80 percent, helping to achieve its financial targets
- The US to remain an integral part of DHL's global network with a strong international network presence and competitive capabilities
- 71 percent of all international shipments to and out of major metropolitan areas in the U.S. will benefit from improved service levels
- No impact to service and operations in all other regions and countries globally

DHL has announced a repositioning of its loss-making U.S. Express business. DHL's U.S. Express business will focus entirely on its international offering and will discontinue domestic-only air and ground products on January 30, 2009, but leaving behind a strong international presence and capability in the U.S.. DHL Express' service portfolio will be maintained everywhere else in the world and there will be no service impact to our operations in all other regions and countries globally.

"Since its announcement on May 28th, DHL has been diligently implementing its stated restructuring plan and is ahead of meeting all key components of the plan. However, given the current background of unprecedented uncertainty and risk in the global economy we feel that it is critical and prudent to take additional measures to combat what we believe will be an extremely challenging 2009, and to do this ahead of time." said John Mullen, Global CEO of DHL Express.

"This is the right move for our U.S. Express operations given the current economic climate and for the long run. When we looked for efficiencies in the U.S. Express market, we decided to focus on what we do best as a company, and that's international courier services," said Mullen. DHL remains committed to providing industry-leading international services and the U.S. remains an integral part of its global network. A continued U.S. presence is essential to its entire global Express network; close to half of its top 200 customers are based in the U.S., U.S. trade lanes make up close to half of its global volume, and half of its global shipments touch the U.S.. "We are here to stay," Mullen added.

DHL's U.S. international express service will be extremely competitive - in fact, 71 percent of all international shipments to and from major metropolitan areas will benefit from improved transit times compared to today and a further 25 percent will see no change. International shipments into the U.S. will continue to be delivered to 100 percent of ZIP codes we already deliver to and outbound international shipments will continue to be picked up with virtually no change to current service levels.

As the longest-serving and global leader in international express delivery, DHL is continuously strengthening its global air network, through its dedicated partners and joint ventures as well as its own fleet of aircraft, enabling it to grow its volumes and enhance its time critical services capabilities on all its intercontinental trade lanes. Our current partnerships: AeroLogic joint venture with Lufthansa Cargo serving Europe and Asia; Polar Air Cargo for transpacific services, and the build up of a DHL-owned transatlantic fleet, consisting of six modern Boeing B767-300F freighters demonstrate DHL's determination to maintain its position as a leading international express service provider. With one of the most advanced transportation systems in the world, the U.S. market will not only be well connected but will continue to play a critical role for the DHL network.

As a result of the strategic shift, DHL Express will close all of its U.S. ground hubs, reduce the number of stations from 412 to 103 and retain 3,000 to 4,000 U.S.-based employees who are tailored to the needs of DHL's international express customers. These measures will allow DHL Express' U.S. business to reduce its operating costs from the current $5.4 billion (4.2 billion Euros) to less than $1 billion (770 million Euros), a reduction of over 80 percent.

The measures announced today will have no impact to services offered by other DHL businesses in the U.S. such as Global Forwarding/Freight, Supply Chain/Customer Information Services (CIS) and DHL Global Mail are not affected by the current restructuring measures. With their almost 27,000 employees across the nation, these divisions will continue to develop their successful U.S. operations.

Transport taxes are no quick fix, says FTA

2008-10-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

The FTA has expressed its concern that the Chancellor may look to the logistics sector to refill depleted Government coffers in its submission to the Pre-Budget Review.and has urged the Treasury to think carefully before setting off down a path of further transport taxes.

Despite the Chancellor's welcome decision in July not to apply an extra two pence per litre on fuel duty, there is now concern that the Treasury is looking for a quick fix to replenish its funds.

Theo de Pencier, FTA chief executive, said:

"To apply an increased tax burden through fuel duty or vehicle excise duty may seem to the Chancellor like a quick fix for the Government's financial problems, but the reality is that those costs will be felt by consumers. Additional Courier costs will ultimately be passed on to shoppers who, like everyone, are feeling the effects of the credit crunch.

"At a time when the Government is looking at ways of kick-starting the economy, to add to the transport tax burden would be a retrograde step."

FTA is also calling on the Chancellor to make an unambiguous commitment to decouple duty applied to diesel for HGVs from that of other road users. Such a move, says FTA, would allow the UK to compete more effectively in European road transport markets and allow companies to invest further in their workforce and fleets.

Mr de Pencier concluded:

"As a former transport secretary, the Chancellor well knows the difference between the essential journeys made by HGVs and those undertaken by other road users. We are not looking for a handout, more an understanding from him, and the Government as a whole, that the logistics industry keeps the UK economy moving, literally and figuratively."

Recognition by the Government of the sector's importance to UK plc will go a long way to bolster the confidence of an industry which is already feeling the squeeze of the economic downturn

City Link Opens New Coventry Depot

2008-10-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

UK Courier, City Link, has announced the opening of a major new depot in Coventry as part of a programme to expand the company’s nationwide depot network.

The company has invested £650,000 in the new site at the Gallagher Business Park in the north of the city, which will open for business in October. The new depot will replace City Link’s depot in Phoenix Way, Coventry, and will handle about 64,000 items every week.

The new site is four times the size of the Phoenix Way depot and will also house a dedicated Customer Care Centre for City Link’s major accounts as part of the company’s ongoing customer care improvement programme.

The new Coventry site is one of four that will be opened by City Link by the autumn.

New depots will also open in Worcester, Norwich, and Stoke by October in an aggressive expansion programme which will also see the Cwmbran depot refurbished and the Oxford depot extended.

Nick Burditt, Depot General Manager for Coventry, said: “The new Coventry depot will give us an excellent platform for delivering a high quality service in and around Coventry.

“Also, the investment in a Customer Care Centre offers a real opportunity for us to consolidate our competitive advantage for our major accounts. It is a unique opportunity to differentiate from the rest and this increased effort and focus on responding to our customers’ demands is paying dividends by ensuring that we retain and grow with our customers and develop further business opportunities.

Stuart Godman, City Link’s Sales and Marketing Director, said: “These new depots will increase our capacity and will help us further enhance our commitment to our customers who are the very core of our operation.

“The investment marks our commitment to continue to grow the business and provide our customers with the exceptional service they deserve.”

Congestion charge could damage region's economic future

2008-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities' (AGMAs') proposals for a congestion charge system could damage the economic future of Greater Manchester: that's the message from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) in its submission to the consultation. AGMA shows a total lack of understanding of the importance of the logistics industry to the region and warns that the consequences for businesses in the area could be bad.

London Courier Companies operating within the proposed charging zone could see their transport costs rise significantly, with little or no time tangible savings which may come about due to reductions in the level of traffic. With businesses from retail to construction already feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, the timing could not be worse.

Those businesses operating in and around Trafford Park, traditionally an industrial centre for the whole region, will face a particular burden. And while the scheme proposes discounts at a public transport level, no such considerations are made for the business community. FTA is questioning AGMA's commitment to the economic viability of the region.

Malcolm Bingham, Head of Roads Policy at FTA, said:

"Those behind this scheme had an opportunity to show their commitment to businesses in Greater Manchester, but they have wasted it, with poorly set out proposals which show little or no benefit to residents or companies operating within the area. FTA fully supports measures that keep goods and services moving as quickly and sustainably as possibly, but this scheme fails on all counts. While we welcome the plans to improve public transport options in the area, this should not be done at the expense of business and, ultimately, the consumer."

The journey time savings outlined in the proposals offer minimal benefits at best, with just five or ten minutes shaved off certain journeys, giving little real opportunity to reschedule their operations. The disbenefits of not only paying the charge each time the boundary is crossed, but also the administrative costs that will have to be borne by each business simply do not outweigh the savings. For companies operating - or working with - large fleets, those costs could be substantial, particularly for those in the retail sector.

Malcolm Bingham added:

"At this time of economic uncertainty, regional authorities should be looking to support businesses, not make things harder for them by placing additional financial and administrative burdens on them."

DHL Express expands service with WHSmith partnership

2008-10-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

DHL Express Courier has announced a partnership with one of the UK's top retail groups, WHSmith. The deal will establish DHL's presence on almost every high street around the UK and offer consumers an efficient and convenient way to send letters, documents and parcels throughout the UK and anywhere around the world, seven days a week.

The arrangement will see DHL Servicepoints rolled out to 400 WHSmith High Street stores over the coming weeks and will more than double the total number of DHL Servicepoints stationed in various locations around the country, bringing the total figure to over 750. The partnership between DHL and WHSmith will expose the DHL brand to around an additional one million customers who frequent the 400 WHSmith high street stores each day.

The new in-store concept gives consumers the option of sending items in one of the six available boxes that range in size from an A4 envelope to a box large enough to fit a printer or fax machine. The Servicepoints conveniently enable customers to pack and pay for their parcels at WHSmith stores which are then collected by a DHL courier each day.

DHL Express UK and Ireland CEO, Ken McCall said: "We identified a gap in the market and our research showed us that consumers want choice, easy access and well priced express delivery services which is exactly what the Servicepoints offer.

"In the lead up to Christmas the new DHL Servicepoints located within WHSmith stores will help consumers around the country to do their shopping on the high street and then send their packages via an express network quickly and easily every day of the week."

Servicepoint facilities are a key part of DHL's successful expansion into the consumer and occasional user market, and the concept is expected to continue growing around the country.

WHSmith High Street Managing Director, Steve Clarke, said, "We are delighted to announce this agreement with DHL, which further enhances the range of services WHSmith provides by extending our delivery services offer to a much wider group of customers."

City Sprint Invest in West Midlands

2008-10-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

CitySprint has acquired Birmingham based courier company PBS Deliveries for an undisclosed sum. This deal expands its wholly owned national network whilst further strengthening its established Midlands operations.

CitySprint plans to retain PBS’s staff as well as its 25 self-employed couriers. CitySprint has also taken over PBS’s existing location in Nechells in the heart of Birmingham.

Ben Haynes, Managing Director Regions, said: “Birmingham is one of the UK’s top 3 cities in terms of courier activity and this acquisition is a great example of our strategy to achieve increased market share in key commercial locations. PBS is a very strong local city based business and by joining forces we have created Birmingham’s largest dedicated SameDay courier company, which will benefit the service all of our customers receive locally and nationally.”

PBS Deliveries was developed over a twenty year period by owner and founder Kris Mazumder. Kris will remain at CitySprint as Logistics Manager, managing the Birmingham business.

Kris said: “Our customers now want more from their courier provider – good old fashioned local customer service is essential, however to stay ahead we now need to offer enhanced service options such as online booking, online live tracking, environmental options and the national coverage which allows us to offer a truly on demand national service. With a combined Birmingham fleet of over 70 dedicated vehicles supported by the largest national fleet in the UK, plus all the additional services I can now offer my customers, I am really excited about what we will achieve.”

Courier and Postal Services are 'critical' to business

2008-10-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

The importance of mail to business users features strongly in the 2008 Business Customer Survey published today by Postcomm, the independent regulator of postal services.

Almost half of the survey’s respondents regard mail as a ‘core activity’ of their business, and a further 31 per cent say it is critical for communication with their customers. Only 17 per cent report that mail is used simply for administrative purposes. This year almost a quarter of respondents said they were using more than one provider of mail services.

The effect of electronic communication on the postal market – and ways in which the internet and mail complement each other – are clearly demonstrated in Postcomm’s annual review of the postal market, the 2008 Competitive Market Review, also published today.

The Business Customer Survey collected information from more than 1800 businesses, ranging from ‘super top’ users spending £2 million a year or more on mail, to very small companies with an annual mail budget of £5000 - £10,000.

Key findings of the survey include:

* Electronic media: 26% of respondents have moved mail to other media (mostly email) in the last year.
* Trigger points for change: If prices rose 10%, a majority (52%) would look for another mail provider. One in four would move if prices rose 5%.
* Competitive choice: Overall 23% of business customers surveyed are using more than one provider of mail services (usually Royal Mail plus one other). This compares with 15% last year and includes a rise of 8% (from 12% to 20%) among small and very small mailers. Of the 77% of companies giving all their business to Royal Mail, 39% said they would never move from Royal Mail, but this compares with 47% in 2007. 55% of respondents say that choice has improved as a result of competition.
* Mail volumes in the next five years: 36% of customers expect an increase in their own mail volumes, 43% predict they will stay the same. Of the 17% that expect a decrease, the main reason given is a rise in the use of electronic media.
* Awareness: As expected, there is almost 100% awareness of Royal Mail, but awareness of alternative courier services is increasing. Since 2007, awareness of TNT and DHL has increased, respectively, by 11% and by 8%. Eight out of ten customers said they saw no barriers to switching to a different operator.

“Our annual Business Customer Survey is a valuable guide to the way businesses regard mail services,” said Tim Brown, Postcomm’s chief executive. “This year’s survey shows that the competitive market is spreading to include smaller companies. Despite the increasing challenge from electronic media, 49% of the companies surveyed said mail was core to their business, which underlines the advantages of a personal message.”

The Competitive Market Review revealed a number of interesting developments. Businesses such as banks, mobile phone companies and utilities that regularly send statements or bills to their customers, are increasingly turning to electronic billing, and this has helped reduce the overall volume of the market by 2% compared with last year.

Against this, UK shoppers are estimated to have spent more than £26.5 billion online in the first six months of 2008 despite the economic downturn – up 38% on the £19.2 billion recorded for the first half of 2007, generating an upsurge in fulfilment business.

Postal magazine subscriptions have grown and now account for 14% of magazine sales, up from 3% 10 years ago.

Research conducted by Key Note, a market intelligence company, shows that the greetings card market was worth £1.4bn in 2006, and is predicted to continue to grow at a rate of between 1.9 per cent and 2/4 per cent per year between 2007 and 2011.

The overall effect of these changes in mail patterns mean that the UK addressed mail market was worth £6.6 billion in 2007/08, the same as in the previous year. Volumes, however, declined to 21.5 billion items – a 2% reduction compared with 2006/07.

Within the postal market, Access competition – where alternative operators or major customers collect and sort mail and pay Royal Mail to deliver it – at 4.09 billion items, accounted for 21% of Royal Mail’s delivered volume. In 2006/07 it was 12%.

Delivery competition – where mail is collected, sorted, transported and delivered by operators other than Royal Mail – fell to 26 million items in 2007/08, a decline of 15% on the previous year and the second year of decline for licensed delivery competitors.

Following changes to Postcomm’s licensing regime in 2008, there have been five new entrants to the market, bringing the total of licensed operators, including Royal Mail, to 22. Some of the new, smaller, operators have developed local delivery networks, and one of the more established operators, TNT Post UK Ltd has launched delivery trials. Competition is now reaching smaller businesses, and Access operators are increasingly targeting smaller mailers.

In Europe, mail volumes are generally continuing to decline slowly, although there are significant differences between Member States. In 2008 a new European postal directive was agreed, establishing full market opening from 31 December 2010 for the 27 Member States, with a transition period available to 11 of those states if needed.

Postcomm chief executive Tim Brown said: “This review clearly shows that mail patterns are changing. But as well as challenges, electronic communication also offers opportunities for innovative mail companies. It is well known that people value the personal nature of a letter much more than a message on a screen. And mailers can be much more confident their message will reach the right recipient if it goes by post rather than online. With the right products, the postal market can look forward to a bright and busy future.”

Speedy Parcel Delivery

2008-10-02T00:56:00.001-07:00

APC Overnight Couriers is benefitting from streamlined local parcel operations after its Brighouse depot boosted performance by 20 per cent with a new conveyor-based parcel processing system. One of the 120-strong network of APC depots, APC Pass the Parcel is the holder of a much coveted APC Overnight exemplary delivery award. Based around a bespoke conveyor, the system is reducing freight handling and speeding up the transfer process, which is also saving operating costs through improved use of resources.

The new system complements the benefits of the APC Overnight online booking system, which uses NetDespatch web services. Together, these high-tech systems are helping the depot to maintain momentum with winning new business for late afternoon parcel collections that are essential to customers who trade over the Internet.

With an increasing number of companies in the Huddersfield area using the web as a sales vehicle to gain customers nationwide, APC Pass the Parcel Overnight is providing the access point to the national APC Overnight network. This enables local businesses provide safe and reliable UK-wide next day delivery to their customers.

“This investment in new conveyor-based parcel processing technology is in response to the increasing number of online bookings we take for next day delivery. With the growth in Internet sales for our customers it is essential that we supply them with a rapid response service. We see our role as an extension of their business and we are pleased that they make use of the APC Overnight network via our depot. It is also part of our vision for continual investment in the business to secure its long term future,” says Jeremy Sutcliffe, MD, APC Pass the Parcel Overnight.

How to choose the right courier.

2008-09-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

We are now living in the age of the Internet. We can do virtually anything and everything on the World Wide Web. Online shopping is on the increase and figures predict that this year 65% of us will shop online this Christmas. How does our shopping get to us? By courier of course.

To meet demand, the number of courier companies out there is on the increase. As consumers and retailers we are now faced with a diverse, competitive range of options when it comes to our couriers. So how do we know who stands out from the others?

The natural instinct when choosing your courier is cost. But remember, the cheaper isn’t always the better. A retailer should consider their customer when it comes to delivery times. Do they only deliver during the day, or will they extend to evening and weekend delivery times when the customer isn’t at work?

The next thing to consider is the length of time it will take for your consignment to reach its destination. Delivery times are critical, especially at high-pressure times of the year like Christmas. Make sure that your courier offers you a good level of service not only on the road, but also in terms of customer service and how they deal with your queries and complaints.

Added value is an important aspect of any contract or purchase, and it’s no different with your courier. How does your courier stand out from the crowd? What is their unique selling point or USP?

Is your courier accessible? Can you contact them on the phone at any given hour, or can you access an online booking and tracking system to book and track the delivery of your consignment? Do they use the latest GPS tracking technology to keep you up to date with your delivery?

How far will your courier actually go? If you need to send a parcel from London to New York will your courier take it all the way or will they deliver to the airport and then sub contract the shipping overseas?

In summary, ecommerce retailers have to have reliable courier service to take care of their deliveries. The obvious factor when deciding on a courier company is cost, but other areas such as innovations, carbon neutral compliance, online booking and tracking tools and customer service and commitment are all equally as important when it comes to getting value for money.

Diesel prices - transport industry calls for support

2008-09-25T04:51:00.001-07:00

The Freight Transport Association says that bulk diesel prices are not falling in line with the current dramatic reduction in the world price of oil. Despite the slowing world economy, diesel and gas oil remain at a price premium compared to petrol and jet kerosene - indeed the price premium has increased rather than reduced since mid-July when world oil prices started to fall. A year ago there was broad parity between diesel and petrol prices. Today there is a premium of 10 pence per litre for diesel.

FTA's Chief Economist Simon Chapman said, ‘Our concern is not about oil company profiteering. The prices paid by operators are in line with world commodity prices for diesel and gas oil. But our frustration is with the UK Government, which although it wrings its hands about UK industry struggling at a time of economic recession, does absolutely nothing about it.

‘UK Couriers, consuming substantial quantities of diesel in the process of delivering the UK economy, are getting the worst of all worlds at the moment when it comes to fuel prices. In addition to the price premium for diesel, sterling has lost value against the US dollar, making UK fuel prices more expensive, and world oil prices are see-sawing wildly, making budgeting and forward buying difficult.

‘The Government must recognise that diesel and gas oil are industrial fuels which are essential in the production and distribution of goods and services for industry and the consumer, and should tax them accordingly. Elsewhere in Europe, member states tax diesel at a lower rate than petrol and many have introduced rebates for operators to deal with the worst excesses of fluctuating diesel prices. This is not the case in the UK. Instead we have parity of duty between diesel and petrol, with the diesel duty rate of 50 pence per litre (ppl) double the European average of just 25ppl.

‘Yesterday's (22 September) substantial increase in the world price once again demonstrates the volatility of the oil market and the need for the Government to support UK industry.'

Last week FTA met with Treasury minister Angela Eagle in a further call to the Government to take action to decouple fuel duty charged on commercial vehicles from that for cars. The Prime Minister, when Chancellor, undertook to take action on this matter in 2000 but has so far failed to do so despite constant pressure from the road transport industry. Fuel now constitutes up to 40 per cent of the operating costs of a heavy lorry.

We are Carbon Neutral

2008-09-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

In the cut and thrust of London’s courier industry, MPCExcel are leading the way in technology, excellent service and competitive pricing, offering in excess of twenty vital support services. These include, same-day couriers, U.K. overnight couriers, international couriers, specialist pick & pack and warehousing and distribution.

The courier industry by its very nature will contribute to carbon dioxide emissions but by changing all company owned vehicles to LPG and in partnership with The CarbonNeutral Company using worldwide projects to offset unavoidable emissions, MPCExcel have made huge progress in becoming a Carbon Neutral company.

2008 National Courier Awards Dinner

2008-09-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

A gala dinner was held on the 16th Of September 2008 at the Institute of
Directors, Pall Mall, London SW1 for the annual National Courier Awards

200 guests representing all the top courier companies in the UK enjoyed
fine wine, excellent food and a noisy evening.

Marc Chauveau FFIOC, MPCExcel's managing director was chairman of the
judging panel and was keen to point out in his speech that he was not
able to vote or influence the panel for short listed candidates from
MPCExcel and went on to explain how the merger of MPC and Excel had
proved so successful and urged other courier companies to explore the
benefits of such a merger.

The National Courier awards are the courier industries version of the
Oscars and tense rivalry gave way to much applause as the winners were
finally announced.

MPCExcel triumphed in two categories, Mel Gabitas in the 4 wheel
category and Lee Lloyd, Office category.

MPCExcel has unique and unrivalled record of a national courier award
for the last 5 years.

A very enjoyable evening was had by all.

Free fuel with the EcoTrak Trial

2008-09-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

CMS SupaTrak are giving away free trials of the EcoTrak vehicle management solution to prove to UK Courier fleets and businesses just how much money they can save.

EcoTrak is an innovative solution, which in addition to providing vehicle tracking, can allow fleet operators to measure actual fuel usage and carbon emissions of each journey by recording and reporting on vehicle management parameters, including driver style, mpg and engine load.

Jason Airey, Managing Director of CMS SupaTrak comments; “This is a completely no obligation trail. We are so confident with the products that we offer that we guarantee to save you money. Many of our clients are already experiencing the benefits of EcoTrak and our other tracking solutions so now we’re urging all fleet managers to take the fuel saving challenge. Fuel prices and the economy are currently so unstable, your business can not afford to be without an EcoTrak vehicle management and tracking solution.”

The effective management of driver behaviour allows operators to reduce fuel usage and typical savings of up to 10% on fuel costs have been experienced. Real time identification of vehicle abuse and faults also increases the operational efficiently adding further reductions in vehicle running costs and off road time.

For further information call 0844 477 4870 or visit www.supatrak.com

Another Courier company falls......

2008-09-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

The following statement has been released by Courier Finance Ltd:

"We regret to announce that Courier Finance Ltd has ceased trading at the end of Wednesday 10th of September 2008.

The closure of Netfold and Amtrak owing Courier Finance Ltd considerable money was just too much.

This in turn has brought down MTvan.com.

To those of you who have supported us in the past, our sincere thanks.

To those of you who are owed money our sincere apologies."

Parking fines top £600 million per year

2008-09-11T03:10:00.000-07:00

With Penalty Charge Notices for commercial operators having topped £600 million a year, the Freight Transport Association has challenged traffic authorities to sort out ‘Critical Delivery Zones'. Traffic authorities, particularly Westminster, Camden and Transport for London (TfL), have too long relied on a lack of clear data as an excuse for not sorting out the desperate shortage of loading and unloading provision in central London. FTA has resolved this by commissioning an in-depth study of delivery ‘hotspots' across the capital and producing a clear list of ‘Critical Delivery Zones' where traffic authorities need to focus their attention and resources. The study has been part-funded by the TfL Freight Unit.

The four zones are ORB (around Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street), Soho/Covent Garden, Holborn, and Tottenham Court Road. In each of these zones there is a demonstrable need to improve access for commercial operators. Some areas need new loading bays, others need more flexibility of current loading limits or a better understanding of the rules by drivers and civil enforcement officers alike.

FTA is not asking traffic authorities to work alone. One of the key challenges is to bring together the various business groups that are already working in these areas - many of which can relieve the problems with more flexible delivery arrangements. FTA has also invested heavily in products to support operators and their drivers in avoiding and managing PCNs and to improve levels of compliance.

Rising costs, including fuel and parking fines, have put extreme pressure on UK Courier and transport firms, with some already going out of business. Action needs to be taken sooner, rather than later, to avoid the devastation of the industry.

Another Courier loses out to rising fuel costs....

2008-09-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

Ramage Distribution is one of the larger UK hauliers, employing over 390 people and turning over last year £30m. Operating on a much larger scale than most of the UK Courier companies, but within the same marketplace, and facing the same challenges as couriers. This week saw Ramage Distribution enter receivership, with trading factors, and notably the rising fuel costs, being listed as primary factors in the downfall of the business.

Almost everything that everyone in the UK buys, wears or eats has been delivered. The costs of delivery and haulage impact on every single person's lives, but it is an issue that the average man in the street doesn't perceive as having a direct impact on them. When the price of fuel goes up people tend to think about the price of a tank of petrol, not that that's going to increase the price of a loaf of bread, a bag of potatoes, or even the price of a plant from a garden centre.UK Couriers & hauliers are operating in one of the most challenging market places.

Their customers are either the large businesses who are able to impose their delivery prices on the couriers, or smaller businesses fighting to keep their delivery costs as low as possible to compete with the big boys. The large haulage businesses, supplying the largest retailers in the UK frequently are unable to pass on the rising fuel prices, and end up with their profit margins getting squeezed more on every fuel price increase. And the costs of operating a courier business in the UK just keep on increasing too. With tolls, expanding congestion charging zones, increasing insurance costs, and of course, fuel.

Couriers face price conscious customers, who look to shave every pound possible off their rates, but couriers also have to take into consideration the cost of running a half empty van, And this results in a trade off, the loss of which is usually the profit margin.Couriers give their customers contract rates, so that the customer knows where they stand, and can make informed decisions about the pricing and sales strategy of their goods. But with the fuel price increasing on almost a weekly basis, this leaves the courier absorbing the loss. And a few pennies on the price of a litre, or a couple of pounds on the price of a tank, can equate to over a hundred pounds a day for a firm of couriers running 40 vehicles.

They can't go back to the customer and ask for a top up, you can't renegotiate prices every week. So who is it that takes the hit of these fuel price increases?We know. And the industry will not be able to continue to do so for much longer, and Ramage is a warning light.

Tougher Laws threaten Courier firms

2008-08-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

A new piece of legislation will leave thousands of businesses within the transport, courier and distribution sector at risk of folding overnight unless they can demonstrate employee training and health and safety precautions within the workplace are regularly monitored.

The warning comes from Phil Brown, Managing Director of online HR toolkit creators Youmanage, on the back of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 which has now come into effect.

The Act is designed to drive down the number of fatal accidents in the workplace. From now any such accidents will be subject to a police investigation rather than the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr Brown said: “This new piece of legislation now makes it easier for businesses to be prosecuted in the event of an employee being killed at work.

“Before the Act was brought in businesses could only be convicted if its policies were controlled by one individual. As most companies are headed by more than one manager it made it difficult to bring about successful prosecutions. Statistics show there have only been half a dozen successful cases in the last 16 years and none of these were against large companies.

“As of now if a company is unable to demonstrate its management systems are regularly maintained and monitored, and always adhered to, it could face closure overnight.”

In 2006/7 241 people were killed at work.

In the event of an accident, if a company is unable to prove that its employee was given proper information during their induction or that necessary training requirements were kept up-to-date, it could face substantial fines – enough to put some companies out of business overnight.

An advisory panel has suggested fines should equate to around five per cent of the firm’s annual turnover – rising to 10 per cent or more in extreme cases and dropping to 2.5 per cent in cases where company’s can prove mitigating evidence.

Mr Brown urged businesses within the sector to take all reasonable steps to safeguard themselves from legal proceedings under the Act by ensuring that all staff had received the necessary training to do their jobs.

He also highlighted the importance of a business being able to demonstrate its stringent policies and training methods in the event of a tragedy at work. “Companies now have a legal as well as a moral responsibility to make sure that managers follow correct processes and that employees are given proper training.”

The Youmanage solution gives a rounded history of an employee’s life cycle within a company. As well as personal details including full name, date of birth and duration of employment with a company, it also gives details of the training history, personal development and appraisals, all within an easy-to-access single source solution. The system enables New Starter Checklists to be automatically created for all new employees which can be accessed by both managers and HR, making it easier for companies to ensure mandatory induction training is carried out.

Mr Brown said: “With company managers often having to contend with heavy workloads it is often a case of priorities and tasks such as completing an induction or maintaining records of an employee’s training history are very often put on the backburner.

“But with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 coming in it means it is essential now more than ever to keep on top of these issues as it could one day prevent a very hefty payout, or even the closure of a firm.

“Having the necessary tools to simplify the process could prove to be invaluable and mean the difference between a company being able to successfully prove it took all reasonable care to protect that employee, or closing down overnight.”

Amtrak in receivership

2008-08-28T00:36:00.000-07:00

Amtrak Express Couriers has gone into receivership for the second time in as many years. A statement from the company is expected on Tuesday (26 August)

This time it is highly unlikely that anyone will buy-out/save the company.

On Friday evening (22nd August) all staff were contacted to be told that they no longer had jobs until further notice. They employed nearly 1,000 workers with countless other self-employed workers in driving positions.

It is unknown whether workers will receive their last due pay. Self-employed drivers are highly unlikely to receive the money due to them.

City Link Expansion

2008-08-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

UK Couriers, City Link has announced the opening of a number of new depots as well as the extension of several existing sites as part of a programme to expand the company’s nationwide depot network.

The company will open four new depots by the autumn and extend a further two depots.

New depots will open at Worcester, Norwich, Coventry and Stoke all by October in an aggressive build programme which will also see Cwmbran depot refurbished and the Oxford depot extended.

Stuart Godman, City Link’s Sales & Marketing Director, said: “These new depots will increase our capacity and will help us further improve our levels of customer service, which is at the very core of our operation. “The investment marks our commitment to continue to grow the business and provide our customers with exceptional service.”

Major Courier in Administration

2008-08-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

A major courier company based in the West Midlands has gone into administration threatening the jobs of more than 900 people. Joint administrators from Ernst & Young were appointed by the directors of Netfold on Friday. Netfold, which trades as Amtrak. The business is headquartered in Aldridge and operates two distribution hubs in Aldridge and Warrington together with 36 distribution depots across the UK, employing over 900 people. High costs and the continuing squeeze on consumer spending have been blamed for the collapse of the business. One of the joint administrators said: “Amtrak has found trading in the current economic climate challenging. It is a business led by consumer demand and as consumer spending power has weakened Amtrak’s business has suffered. We are currently assessing the financial situation of the business, and as a result the collection and delivery of goods may be disrupted.”