by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Ford has launched a pilot trial of a last-mile delivery service in London that could combine logistic solutions using light commercial vehicles with cycle and even pedestrian couriers. The trial will be conducted in collaboration with parcel delivery courier Gnewt by Menzies Distribution.
Dutch Peter Appel Transport, Albert Heijn, DAF Trucks, Simon Loos, and TNO are testing driving electric trucks-with-trailers in cities. As part of the test, not only fully electric trucks are used, but also plug-in hybrid trucks, a European first. The partners want to determine which functional and operational requirements they have to meet in order to deliver …
In 2018 Ikea made a bold pledge. By 2025, the company will deliver every item worldwide by electric vehicle. It started with a full switch to EVs in five cities: New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam, and Shanghai by 2020.
Deutsche Post stops testing several new delivery technologies, says CEO Frank Appel in an interview in Tagesspiegel. In the foreseeable future, no drones will be used and no parcels will be delivered in the trunk of cars and behind the house door. Consumer interest is not big enough for profitable use of the new technology.
Last-mile delivery has created a continuing flow of issues that couriers and logistics companies have been working on for a long time. Recently, retailers have taken the issue into their own hands in attempts to ease the last mile headache themselves.
Amazon presented good results for 2018 despite increasing cost of fulfillment. Cost, as a percentage of sales, increased from 21% in 2017 to 24% in 2018. In 2011 fulfillment cost were only 11% of sales. US market is profitable, international not yet.
UPS has joined the coalition of the world’s largest consumer product companies and international recycling company TerraCycle to unveil an innovative reusable and returnable system for managing consumer product packaging. The system, called Loop, will be tested in Paris and New York as a first step toward full implementation in consumer markets.
Growing urban markets provide healthy prospects for omnichannel retailing. With limited household storage capacity, parking for vehicles, or shopping time, newer city dwellers are prime candidates for rapid omnichannel fulfillment.
Dachser Germany won an award for city logistics with its combination of micro hubs, electric delivery bikes, and trucks. The jury recognized that the emission-free solutions take into account both social and economic aspects and that these can also be implemented for other logistics service providers.
The Trens Solar Train provides comfortable passenger transport in historic city centers, on boulevards, or on routes to park-and-ride (P+R) facilities on the outskirts of inner cities, on the premises of nature and event parks and Business Centres. Passengers and pedestrians are instantly aware of the environmental-friendly character of the Trens Solar Train.