Crawley-based Global Freight Solutions (GFS) has launched a suite of products it claims will make it easier for retailers to manage their interaction with parcel carriers.
GFS said that faced with an ever-increasing volume of parcels, primarily generated by online retail, some parcel operators have attempted to manage the strain on infrastructure by setting limits on the number of items which they are prepared to carry.
This was seen last month Yodel said it had capped the amount of parcels it will handle during the Christmas peak, to a maximum of 4.25 million parcels during its busiest week, after the high volumes it experienced last year.
GFS director Simon Veale said: “Whereas, in companies of old, parcel shipments were only handled by a few employees, the direct or indirect elements of such business permeate right through e-commerce firms.
“A sales team will generate a consumer purchase meaning a warehouse has to dispatch a parcel. That has to be managed by a customer service department, and then paid for by accounts, while all that activity is being monitored by managers keen to see a business plan remain on-track.
“We have come up with a single platform to handle all those disparate functions more effectively and without stress, strain or unnecessary expense.”
Veale said the GFS Enterprise Carrier Management would enable retailers to meet their objective of increasing contingency by expanding the range of potential delivery partners, whilst remaining “as simple as dealing with a single carrier”.
See our News Extra: too much of a good thing? for more on the challenges and opportunities e-commerce growth is providing.
