Retail News CRM

Category: Logistics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Logistics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • L’Oréal Collaborates with Bolloré Logistics to Donate Skincare and Haircare Products

    L’Oréal Collaborates with Bolloré Logistics to Donate Skincare and Haircare Products

    In December 2017, L’Oréal Singapore partnered with Bolloré Logistics Singapore to donate and deliver nearly 12,000 skincare and haircare products to National Cancer Center Singapore (NCCS) and Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME).

    L’Oréal Singapore reached out to both philanthropic organizations to provide and transport daily necessity products that would be beneficial to them, while Bolloré Logistics sponsored the pick and pack process.

    Products donated to NCCS will be for cancer patients, survivors’ caregivers, staff and volunteers. Dovetailing on SingHealth’s Giving Week from November to December 2017 which encourages giving back to society, staff were treated to L’Oréal Singapore’s skin and haircare products in appreciation for their conscientiousness in caring for their patients, and also to celebrate life and the friendship forged in the fight against cancer. Paying it forward, staff members at NCCS made donations to the Community Cancer Fund to help needy patients pay for their treatment expenses.

    Products donated to HOME went to migrant and domestic workers in Singapore who face problems such as mistreatment and abuse, and the shelter services provide a place of refuge and social support for those who have suffered or have been trafficked. At the shelter, these hair and body wash products are a daily necessity, and take a huge burden off the expenses needed to run the shelters.

    Bolloré Logistics Singapore Managing Director Frederic Marcerou said, “Bolloré Logistics Singapore teams are proud to be included in this meaningful cause”. “We are greatly supportive and happy that we can contribute our L’Oréal and Garnier products to assist NCCS and HOME’s causes”, said Supasita Kraisri, General Manager of L’Oréal Singapore Consumer Products.

    “It is very close to our hearts to be a supporting light to these causes and provide encouragement
    and care in practical ways”, shared Isabelle Lim, Corporate Communications Director of L’Oréal
    Singapore.

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  • RELEX Solutions Strengthens Asia Pacific Presence with New Partnership

    RELEX Solutions Strengthens Asia Pacific Presence with New Partnership

    RELEX Solutions, the pioneer of unified retail planning technology, and one of the world’s fastest growing supply chain technology companies, has taken a major step towards establishing a truly global presence.
    A new partnership with FMCG Retail, the retail-focused consultancy, will put RELEX in front of major brands across the APAC region, where the Australian firm has quickly built a reputation for expertise and for helping retailers achieve success.

    The step is a natural progression for RELEX. RELEX’s customer base has spread from the Nordics, where it’s the dominant player in retail planning technology, right across Europe.

    More recently it has started to establish itself in North America and has announced several
    high profile deals with key retailers. Melbourne, Victoria headquartered, FMCG Retail will sell, implement and provide consultation on RELEX’ solutions and services across the region, having worked with brands in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

    “FMCG Retail and RELEX share the same work ethic, commitment to customers’ success and a focus on providing powerful but practical solutions,” says Jukka Uskonen, Business Director for Partnerships at RELEX. “We’re thrilled to find a team of seasoned local industry experts to partner with, and FMCG Retail are perfectly placed to boost our entry into a new market.”

    “With customer-centricity and localization being growing retail trends, RELEX provides cutting-edge retail planning technology in this area that really works,” says Matthew Muir, Principle Consultant at FMCG Retail. “They have a whole stack of references from great retailers pointing to amazing results. Its solutions have proved outstanding time and again and we’ll be able to recommend it to our wide customer base completely wholeheartedly. It’s a great opportunity both for us and RELEX.”

     

  • Vincent Yong Takes The Helm at DHL Global Forwarding Indonesia

    Vincent Yong Takes The Helm at DHL Global Forwarding Indonesia

    Southeast Asia logistics veteran Vincent Yong is the new Managing Director of Indonesia for DHL Global Forwarding. In a statement issued yesterday (24 July), DHL said that Yong was “no stranger to complicated situations”.

    The company explained: “As Chief Operating Officer of DHL Global Forwarding Thailand, Yong steered his team through political upheaval in 2006, catastrophic floods in 2011 and numerous changes to the country’s transport infrastructure – significantly expanding the business and consolidating operations in a 100,000-sqft Multimodal Hub at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the process.”

    Yong added: “My time in Thailand saw us go from one ‘adventure’ to another – which helped me develop a practical understanding of challenges; from air and ocean logistics operations to crisis management, security, and overall macroeconomic current affairs – and will prove particularly useful in managing our dynamic business operations in Indonesia.

    “In addition, my most recent role as Regional Head of Technology leads to my strong belief that technology will be a powerful proponent in propelling Indonesia to the next level.”

    “As Indonesia continues to invest in technology and infrastructure — like its Mass Rapid Transit network and expanded airport terminals — we expect the costs of trade and doing business to further ease. Moreover, as the world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia still holds vast potential for growth in domestic consumption despite slowing growth in imports and exports alike. I’m looking forward to strengthening DHL’s competitive advantage in this fast-evolving market.”

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  • Hubbed Signs Deal with DHL eCommerce to Launch New International Delivery Service

    Hubbed Signs Deal with DHL eCommerce to Launch New International Delivery Service

    HUBBED has recently partnered with DHL eCommerce to launch the latest and convenient international delivery service.

    HUBBED is currently offering competitive rates to sellers who are using eBay’s eCommerce platform— and will help them save at least 20 percent on HUBBED’s international standard rates.

    “We’ve partnered with HUBBED to offer you a competitive international shipping service with DHL eCommerce.” DHL Spokesperson

    This offer is only available to eBay sellers and will give them access to HUBBED locations for parcel drop-offs, HUBBED’s international standard rates, quick access to their eBayaccounts, and parcel tracking with email notification on their delivery.

    All rates include parcel tracking, PO Box delivery accepted, insurance coverage of up to $50, and email notifications. Special rates are only valid until 15 February 2018.

    eBay sellers need to link their store to HUBBED and start shipping orders in bulk in a few minutes.

    All import orders from their eBay account go directly into their HUBBED Parcels account. Sellers will then have to package their items, complete the transactions, and then generate their own consignment label.

    Once the packages are all set, sellers will then have to drop off their parcel at any of the 1000+ HUBBED locations near their area. They can track the parcel directly from their HUBBED account and will also receive email notifications for the items.

    Never miss any delivery with HUBBED

    HUBBED offers a much better way for retailers, customers, and carriers to deliver their parcels. They also provide hassle-free returns process at any of their locations.

    They also have the innovative technology solutions that can help you track and deliver your order easily. The company is currently working with several logistics company such as TOLL, BP, Couriers Please, Singapore Post, UPS, and many others.

    What do you feel about HUBBED’s partnership with DHL e-commerce? Share your thoughts down below.

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  • Ace Turtle, CEVA to enable freight forwarding for international brands in Southeast Asia

    Ace Turtle, CEVA to enable freight forwarding for international brands in Southeast Asia

    Ace Turtle, Asia’s omni-channel platform company, has partnered with CEVA Logistics to manage global freight forwarding for International brands that Ace Turtle will power through its cross border solution in Southeast Asia.

    Ace Turtle, with its proprietary platform Rubicon which integrates offline and online channels automating and optimising Omni-channel fulfilment for brands will also be enabling cross border commerce solutions for international brands. Ace Turtle’s Cross Border solution will enable brands to reach new customers in newer geographies where the local customers can shop within the same ecosystem of e-commerce which they are used to.

    CEVA will handle international air-freight service, local transportation in origin and destination countries and manage custom clearance for the international brands. Under the agreement, CEVA will provide international freight forwarding services for the following countries, US – Singapore, China – Singapore, China – India, India – Singapore, India – Malaysia, and subsequently from Europe to APAC region.

    Speaking on the partnership, Nitin Chhabra, CEO, Ace Turtle said, “In Southeast Asia, cross border e-commerce has a significant contribution in the total e-commerce sales. With the launch of Cross Border solution, our solution is now complete for Southeast Asia. Through our platform, brands will be able to expand their reach in Southeast Asia. Our partnership with CEVA is a step towards this direction, as we envisage in providing high class logistic service to enable cross border business for international brands in Southeast Asia.”

    Elaine Low, executive vice president, SEA, CEVA Logistics said, “We are excited to partner with Ace Turtle in their e-commerce journey, providing logistics solutions including freight management and cross border trucking across Southeast Asia and other regions. We are confident that CEVA’s commitment to operational excellence coupled with Ace Turtle’s technology will increase service delivery quality to all their customers. We look forward to a partnership that creates more value and efficiency in a growing e-commerce market.”

    Backed by Singapore based Vertex Ventures and C31 Ventures, the venture capital arm of Capitaland, Ace Turtle’s technology helps in drastically reduce the costs and complexity of Omni-Channel transformation for enterprise retail clients by using the existing framework of their legacy system.

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  • GreyOrange launches GreyMatter for robotics warehouse automation at Nitori

    GreyOrange launches GreyMatter for robotics warehouse automation at Nitori

    Automation and robotics company, GreyOrange, has announced the release of its next-generation software platform, GreyMatter, at the launch of the latest warehouse of the Nitori Holdings Group, Japan’s largest furniture and home furnishing chain with over 400 stores. The Butler robotics system from GreyOrange is deployed at the Osaka centre of Home Logistics, a logistics subsidiary of Nitori Holdings which operates 34 distribution bases and a logistics network for product delivery to stores and e-commerce customers across Japan.

    The GreyOrange goods-to-person robotics system at the Osaka warehouse of 160,000 square metres is one of the largest Butler sites in the world. It has been designed to handle automated inventory storage (putaway) and picking using self-navigating robots to bring mobile shelves of inventory to the operator to accelerate putaway and order fulfilment.

    In the Butler system, GreyMatter is an end-to-end Intelligent Order Fulfilment software solution from GreyOrange that controls and manages automation in a warehouse via collaboration among devices comprising Butler robots, storage racks, pick-put stations, charging stations, among others. Central to the GreyMatter software is its Artificial Intelligence (AI) which operates at several levels to drive autonomous collaboration to automate warehouse functions and processes.

    Its always-on AI algorithms learn from large amounts of data and identifies patterns quickly to perform in real-time to make super-smart decisions. It adapts to changing inventory profiles and order fulfilment requirements to optimise path planning and navigation of the robots and racks. This enables the team of robots to work together to maximise storage, streamline zoning, improve space utilisation and accelerate order fulfilment. This is particularly important for operations handling same and next day deliveries that require faster efficiency and accuracy, and a higher throughput in a volatile multi-SKU environment. The GreyMatter software is applicable across industries such as e-commerce, Store Retail and Factory Warehouses.

    Manabu Matsuura, CEO of Home Logistics said, “For a start we stocked the most popular items capable of fulfilling over thousands of online orders a day. The Butler robotics and advanced software collaborate among the devices to take efficiency to new heights. The most number of items are brought from the racks to be picked in the shortest time, which is a very productive process. Over time as the system is continuously learning about our products, we expect to see increasingly higher levels of efficiency. Our staff appreciate working with these new processes as it is easy and they are seeing good results in their output.”

    Nalin Advani, CEO – APAC, GreyOrange commented, “GreyOrange and GROUND Inc., our distributor in Japan, are honoured to work with the Nitori Group to deploy our Butler robotics solution and launch our next-generation Artificial Intelligence, GreyMatter, at the Home Logistics centre. E-commerce growth in Japan is forecasted to grow to US$200 billion within the next three years, and will accelerate annually in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We are excited to play our part in this exhilarating journey.”

    He added, “On top of Nitori’s industry-leading warehouse operations, we worked together to layer the AI-powered software to create a revolutionary process for order fulfilment. Within the AI of GreyMatter, the Industry Engine we have designed for e-commerce provides control at even more granular levels than before. Using machine learning and analytics, it is able to predict product popularity and seasonal trends, and more, to magnify the efficiencies for order management.”

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  • Dachser feted for commitment to sustainability

    Dachser feted for commitment to sustainability

    As part of the presentation of the European Transport Award for Sustainability (ETPN), this year Dachser received the Special Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. The company came first in the Transportation and Forwarding Companies category.

    Awarded by Munich-based specialist logistics publisher Huss-Verlag, the Special Award recognises a company’s commitment to sustainability. It takes into account environmental protection, corporate social responsibility, corporate culture, and a commitment to the science community and to safeguarding the future. A key consideration is for this commitment to be in line with corporate objectives. “What most impressed us about Dachser was the sustainability of its overall concept as a family-run company,” the jury said

    “We have been committed to social, ecological, and economic sustainability for many years. This award is both a welcome recognition of our efforts and motivation to continue,” said Dachser CEO Bernhard Simon. Dr. Andreas Froschmayer, corporate director Corporate Development, Strategy & PR at Dachser, accepted the award in Munich on behalf of the company.

    The jury was made up of six editors of trade publications at Munich’s Huss-Verlag publishing house. Each member of the jury was permitted to propose up to three candidates for each of this year’s categories: Transportation and Forwarding Companies, and KEP Services.

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  • Honeywell invests in, forms JV with FLUX to pursue opportunities outside China

    Honeywell invests in, forms JV with FLUX to pursue opportunities outside China

    Honeywell has signed an agreement to acquire a 25 per cent ownership interest in FLUX Information Technology, a leading provider of warehouse management and related supply chain software in China. Honeywell will also form a new joint venture company with FLUX’s founder to serve customers outside China. Honeywell will hold a 75 per cent stake in the new joint venture, which will initially focus on opportunities in the Asia Pacific region. The investment in FLUX is expected to close by the end of the fourth quarter pending Chinese regulatory approvals.

    FLUX develops and implements warehouse management systems and other software for customers in multiple industries, and is a leading player in China’s booming e-commerce, apparel, pharmaceutical, retail, third-party logistics, cold chain and manufacturing sectors. FLUX’s supply chain execution solutions include its Warehouse Management System, Transportation Management System, Order Management System and Data Exchange Platform.

    FLUX’s offerings complement those of Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions, which develops hardware and software that improve productivity, enhance worker safety, and increase accuracy and throughput of supply chains.

    “We are pleased to be partnering with a dynamic, emerging leader with a proven track record in a fast-growing market,” said John Waldron, president and CEO, Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions. “FLUX’s strong software capabilities fit well into Honeywell’s Connected Supply Chain strategy, complementing the warehouse expertise of our Honeywell Intelligrated business. FLUX’s warehouse, transportation management and order management offerings complement Honeywell’s data capture technology, worker productivity and warehouse automation solutions, and enable us to maximise customer satisfaction in the digital age.”

    Over the past decade, FLUX’s business has grown significantly. Its software now manages more than 12 million square metres of warehouse space in China alone. During China’s November 11 “Singles’ Day” online shopping festival – the largest e-commerce day in the world – FLUX’s solutions helped process up to 650,000 orders per warehouse per day. E-commerce sales currently total more than US$1.3 trillion in the Asia Pacific region according to expert estimates, and sales are expected to more than double to US$3 trillion by 2021.

    “We are pleased to team up with Honeywell to further expand in China and to play an active role in the global warehousing and logistics industry by offering our leading Warehouse Management System solutions,” Shi Zunli, founder and CEO of FLUX. “Honeywell has outstanding industry reach and strong global presence, which will enable us to fulfil our vision of globalisation. With this strategic partnership, we will connect, collaborate and create more value for our customers.”

    Li Ning, president of Honeywell SPS Greater China & India, said, “This partnership will allow Honeywell to accelerate the pace of executing our connected strategy in China and the Asia-Pacific region and create a win-win situation for both companies. This agreement strengthens our position as a software-industrial company and supports our efforts in developing and acquiring capabilities in China that are relevant for a global customer base.”

  • Courts Invests in Growth by Reimagining Its Omni-Channel Retail Experience

    Courts Invests in Growth by Reimagining Its Omni-Channel Retail Experience

    Specialising in electronics, IT and furniture, COURTS Singapore has put more than a year into researching and redesigning its in-store experiences and omni-channel customer journey. The results are two recent announcements: the relaunch of its e-commerce website, built by e-commerce agency SmartOSC, together with the opening of its newly redesigned Megastore in Tampines, transforming the store experience to serve a wider range of customers seamlessly across touchpoints.

    There has been a significant change in the way customers shop around the world, and they now take a more sophisticated path by engaging with both online and offline channels to collect information and make purchasing decisions. With the new releases, COURTS seeks to catch multi-channel customer generations who, according to recent research published in HBR, spent an average of 4% more on every shopping occasion in the store and 10% more online than single-channel customers. Even more compelling, with every additional channel they used, the shoppers spent more money in the store.

    The new COURTS Online now boasts over 17,000 SKUs, making it their largest store across COURTS’ regional network. SmartOSC, COURTS’ e-commerce partner, has helped them to establish a new mobile first and user-centric experiences with features that connect their digital and physical stores. COURTS customers can research and purchase online to later pick up in-store or ship-from-store, all while accessing their personal accounts. The system also gives COURTS customer service and retail associate teams the information they require to meet customers’ end-to-end needs by connecting all of their touchpoints.

    Built upon Magento Enterprise 2, combined with innovative solutions for omni-channel retailing, marketing automation, and content management, COURTS’ new e-commerce system offers a real-time single view of inventory and customer profiles, activated through integrations with ERP and retail management systems. The website has also been built to be easily navigable, featuring a completely refreshed intuitive navigation, search and faster check-out experience.

    Mr. Stan Kim, Chief Strategy Officer at COURTS Asia shared, “The COURTS Online relaunch was timed strategically around key retail events of the year such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Powered by the new platform, online sales for both events grew almost 100% year-on-year. Engaging with the right partners has proved to be pivotal to our e-commerce growth this year. COURTS will continue strengthening its back-end infrastructure to offer customers the seamless online-to-offline experience they expect from best-in-class retailers. We will continue to drive online growth, and our ambition is to grow online sales to comprise 10-15% of the business in five years’ time.”

    The relaunched COURTS e-commerce site augments the transformed retail experience in the physical stores, delivering the ultimate in ‘bricks and clicks’ shopping. The newly redesigned COURTS Megastore in Tampines stands as an aspirational hub featuring the latest in-store experiences, with dedicated experiential retail spaces that have been redesigned to be more immersive, focusing on memorable and informative experiences that will bring customers into the store to encounter the products firsthand.

    COURTS features a 30-day lowest price guarantee and 30-day hassle-free returns both online and in all stores, and tourist tax free scheme to help customers feel secure and confident with their purchase decision. The retailer operates more than 80 stores across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, spanning over 1.6 million square feet of retail space.

  • DHL Express has been named 2018 Top Employer for Asia Pacific

    DHL Express has been named 2018 Top Employer for Asia Pacific

    DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has been named 2018 Top Employer for Asia Pacific as well as eight countries in the region: Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

    The award was conferred by Top Employers Institute, a global organization recognizing excellence in employee conditions, making this the fourth consecutive year that DHL Express has received the award. This further establishes the company as a regional leader in employment practices and talent development, with a workplace culture built on respect, recognition and equal opportunities.

    In 2017 alone, DHL Express received a total of 49 awards for its workplace and corporate culture in Asia Pacific, up from 39 awards in 2016 and 34 awards in 2015. This year’s string of accolades are the latest additions to the 96 other awards that DHL Express Asia Pacific has received since 2014, many with strict judging criteria based on employee feedback.

    “The DHL culture is built on the two R’s — respect and results. When we value our employees, and provide them with opportunities to achieve, we’re able to deliver the world-class results that our customers rely on to grow their businesses,” said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific. “It is an honor to be acknowledged as a leading employer and an excellent workplace in Asia Pacific once again, and a testament to the hard work and effort that all our employees invest in really making DHL Express a byword for excellence.”

    The Top Employer award has consistently recognized DHL Express’ sustained investment in talent growth, including its Certified International Specialist (CIS) and Certified International Manager (CIM) programs that have trained over 43,000 employees in Asia Pacific. Nearly 75% of executive positions in the region end up being filled by internal candidates thanks to the company’s talent development initiatives, and women hold 1 in 3 management roles in DHL Express.

    “Diversity in leadership and the workplace help us better understand the full range of our customers’ needs and stories — resulting in more effective service for their businesses,” said A. Mateen, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, DHL Express Asia Pacific. “Thanks to a strong Diversity Management framework in place, coupled with comprehensive feedback from our annual Employee Opinion Survey, we’ve established a workplace culture where everyone has not only a voice, but also the opportunity to grow to their full potential.”

    This year, DHL Express was also named Best Employer 2017 for Asia Pacific and nine other countries region-wide, as well as “Best Employer for Women in the Workplace” in South Korea and Taiwan, by human capital firm Aon Hewitt. The Great Place to Work® Institute also recognized DHL Express as one of the “Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia” for five countries as well as the broader Asia Pacific region.

    “The success of any logistics operation depends on the skill, adaptability, and resilience of its people, translated across numerous cultures and geographies,” added Ken Lee. “At DHL Express, we’re committed to creating an environment where all employees can thrive and grow. We’re extremely proud to have nearly doubled the number of awards for our culture and workplace this year compared to 2016: each award encourages us to keep working towards a more inclusive, effective, and empathetic culture in every market where we do business.”

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  • China’s Alibaba on road to deliver $100 million to XpressBees

    China’s Alibaba on road to deliver $100 million to XpressBees

    China’s online commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings is in advanced talks to pick up a significant minority stake in logistics company XpressBees by making an investment of up to $100 million, said three persons with knowledge of the matter.

    The transaction, which is in the final stages of negotiations, will be Alibaba’s sixth investment in the Indian market as it builds a string of assets to take on homegrown market leader Flipkart and global rival Amazon.

    “The deal is likely to close in the next two-three weeks,” said one of the persons mentioned above. The exact stake Alibaba is picking up in XpressBees could not be determined. Alibaba and XpressBees didn’t respond to queries.

    XpressBees is the logistics business spun out of baby and maternity products retailer FirstCry, known for its acquisition of Mahindra’s Babyoye in 2016. The company competes with other online retail-focused logistics services providers like Delhivery and Ecom Express.

    Talks between XpressBees and Alibaba have been on for about 18 months.

    ET had reported in June 2016 that Alibaba was looking to buy, or invest in, an Indian logistics company specialising in deliveries for online retailers, and toward this end had held talks with Delhivery and XpressBees Logistics.

    If the XpressBees investment goes through, it will help Alibaba build what founder Jack Ma calls the “iron triangle” of businesses in ecommerce (Paytm Mall, Bigbasket), payments (Paytm) and logistics, which can feed off each other.

    In China, the Alibaba Group has online retail businesses called Tmall (B2C, focusing on brands) and Taobao (C2C) and a payments business under affiliate Ant Financial, popularly known as Alipay.

    In September, it increased its stake to a majority in one of China’s largest techenabled logistics companies, Cainiao, which is valued at close to $20 billion. At the time, Alibaba had said it plans to invest over $15 billion in the next five years to develop its global logistics network.

    “Alibaba wants to make Xpress-Bees the Cainiao of India, and over time logistics operations for all companies like Paytm Mall and Bigbasket may get consolidated under it giving it a larger captive customer base,” said the second person mentioned above.

    The impending deals in Bigbasket and XpressBees will take total investments in India by Alibaba along with its payments affiliate Ant Financial to about Rs 11,000 crore, or $1.7 billion, out of which over two-thirds is invested in Paytm. In addition, Ant Financial is also said to be in talks to invest up to $200 million in restaurant discovery and food delivery platform Zomato.

    Shifitng Kaurndia as the portfolio in India grows, Alibaba Group is also likely to move one of its key executives from Hong Kong, senior director Kshitij Karundia, to the country to work more closely with the businesses and look for more investments, said the third person familiar with matter.

    FirstCry entered logistics in 2012 when it decided to start express deliveries of its products and began third-party logistics (3PL) at the beginning of 2015. The company was spun off as Busybees in September 2015 and has ramped up orders significantly since then.

    The business has been built by FirstCry founders Supam Maheshwari and Amitava Saha. After the demerger, Saha has been leading the logistics business as CEO while Maheshwari has been heading First-Cry. XpressBees investors include SAIF Partners, IDG Ventures India, NEA, Vertex Ventures and Valiant Capital, some of which may sell a part of their stake in this deal.

    The company saw revenue go up by 121% in FY17 to Rs 185.42 crore while losses grew 61% to Rs 57.71crore, according to filings with Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

    Owned by Busybees Logistics Solutions, XpressBees has built the business on about Rs120 crore of capital till now, which is in contrast with competitors Delhivery which has raised Rs 1,600 crore, and Ecom Express, which has racked up around Rs1,000 crore in capital.

    With capital coming in from Alibaba, experts said an XpressBees deal could trigger consolidation. While industry sources pegged Delhivery as the market leader with around 300,000 shipments a day, XpressBees is currently logging 170,000-200,000 while Ecom Express has 120,000-130,000. Large players like Flipkart and Amazon India have also built their own logistics operations, which handle most of their shipments.

    The market for logistics-technology businesses, which include delivery startups, truck aggregators and warehousing firms, is expected to surge to $9.6 billion by 2020 from $1.4 billion in 2015, according to a report by investment bank Avendus Capital. Online retail logistics startups will dominate this space with a market size of $6.6 billion by then.

  • Bukalapak teams up with TIKI to ease delivery

    Bukalapak teams up with TIKI to ease delivery

    E-commerce platform Bukalapak kicked off on Wednesday the expansion of its partnership with courier service and logistics company TIKI to facilitate small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in selling their products.

    The new partnership will enable vendors to accelerate product delivery.

    For instance, TIKI provides a “booking code” feature in which vendors can fill in the data of senders and receivers online before sending the packages. When vendors arrive at a TIKI branch, they do not need to wait for TIKI employees to fill in the information anymore.

    “There will be [system] integration between Bukalapak and TIKI. The new features will be launched soon,” Bukalapak co-founder and chief financial officer Muhammad Fajrin Rasyid told at its headquarters in Kemang, South Jakarta.

    Another new feature offered to vendors is pick-up service that allows TIKI couriers to pick up goods from the vendors’ locations. Bukalapak has more than 1.7 million vendors with more than 38 million products offered on its online marketplace. About 500,000 vendors at Bukalapak use TIKI’s services.

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  • DHL Express named Asia Pacific’s best employer for fourth consecutive year

    DHL Express named Asia Pacific’s best employer for fourth consecutive year

    DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has been named 2018 Top Employer for Asia Pacific as well as eight countries in the region: Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

    The award was conferred by Top Employers Institute, a global organization recognizing excellence in employee conditions, making this the fourth consecutive year that DHL Express has received the award. This further establishes the company as a regional leader in employment practices and talent development, with a workplace culture built on respect, recognition and equal opportunities.

    In 2017 alone, DHL Express received a total of 49 awards for its workplace and corporate culture in Asia Pacific, up from 39 awards in 2016 and 34 awards in 2015. This year’s string of accolades are the latest additions to the 96 other awards that DHL Express Asia Pacific has received since 2014, many with strict judging criteria based on employee feedback.

    “The DHL culture is built on the two R’s — respect and results. When we value our employees, and provide them with opportunities to achieve, we’re able to deliver the world-class results that our customers rely on to grow their businesses,” said Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific. “It is an honor to be acknowledged as a leading employer and an excellent workplace in Asia Pacific once again, and a testament to the hard work and effort that all our employees invest in really making DHL Express a byword for excellence.”

     The Top Employer award has consistently recognized DHL Express’ sustained investment in talent growth, including its Certified International Specialist (CIS) and Certified International Manager (CIM) programs that have trained over 43,000 employees in Asia Pacific. Nearly 75% of executive positions in the region end up being filled by internal candidates thanks to the company’s talent development initiatives, and women hold 1 in 3 management roles in DHL Express.

    “Diversity in leadership and the workplace help us better understand the full range of our customers’ needs and stories — resulting in more effective service for their businesses,” said A. Mateen, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, DHL Express Asia Pacific. “Thanks to a strong Diversity Management framework in place, coupled with comprehensive feedback from our annual Employee Opinion Survey, we’ve established a workplace culture where everyone has not only a voice, but also the opportunity to grow to their full potential.”

    This year, DHL Express was also named Best Employer 2017 for Asia Pacific and nine other countries region-wide, as well as “Best Employer for Women in the Workplace” in South Korea and Taiwan, by human capital firm Aon Hewitt. The Great Place to Work® Institute also recognized DHL Express as one of the “Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia” for five countries as well as the broader Asia Pacific region.

    “The success of any logistics operation depends on the skill, adaptability, and resilience of its people, translated across numerous cultures and geographies,” added Ken Lee. “At DHL Express, we’re committed to creating an environment where all employees can thrive and grow. We’re extremely proud to have nearly doubled the number of awards for our culture and workplace this year compared to 2016: each award encourages us to keep working towards a more inclusive, effective, and empathetic culture in every market where we do business.”

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  • DHL handles domestic conveyance of OFWs’ passports for renewal

    DHL handles domestic conveyance of OFWs’ passports for renewal

    DHL Express has made arrangements with the Philippine Embassy to handle domestic transport of passports to and from the embassy for renewal.

    “We are delighted at securing this deal to provide a safe and secure solution for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Faysal El Hajjami, Country General Manager. “Applicants can now rest assured their passports are in the safe hands of DHL Express and will be received, processed and delivered to them without delay.”

    According to statistics given by the Philippine Embassy, there are more than 800,000 Filipinos currently living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The embassy receives around 7,000 Philippine citizens’ requests for passport renewals every month.

    For Philippine citizens living in distant areas of the kingdom, the passport renewal process could be very costly since they need to travel all the way to Riyadh or Jeddah to hand in their passports, travel back to their place of residence, wait for 30-40 days, and then travel back to Riyadh or Jeddah to collect their passports. While citizens in the Eastern Province have to wait for the “Embassy on wheels” program which the embassy provides according to scheduled visits.

    With DHL providing this convenient solution for both the Philippine Embassy and the Overseas Filipino Workers in the kingdom, all that is required from the OFW is to visit the Riyadh Embassy one time only to register their biometric scans. Once the scan is completed Philippine residents will only have to hand in their passports to the closest DHL Express retail service point. DHL will then transport the passport from the service point to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and back to the service point.

    By handling all of the passport renewal deliveries, DHL will be effectively saving a huge amount of time and money for all Philippine residents who choose to use the DHL Express service.

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  • DHL and Air Hong Kong sign 15-year block-space agreement

    DHL and Air Hong Kong sign 15-year block-space agreement

    DHL Express extended its Air Hong Kong (AHK) agreement, which grants DHL Express access to AHK’s overnight air services. The new agreement extends to 2033.

    As part of the deal, DHL Express and AHK formalized a reorganization announced in July, under which majority owner Cathay Pacific will buy out DHL Group’s 40 percent stake in AHK. Under the terms of the new agreement, DHL will also purchase AHK’s eight A300-600 freighters, which will be leased back to AHK. The deal goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

    Once the deal takes effect, DHL will initially have the same access to AHK’s capacity granted by its current agreement, but over time will have more access to flexible aircraft deployment and route selection to support DHL’s growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

    “With Hong Kong’s merchandise exports between January and September 2017 growing by 8.5 percent compared to last year, we’re keenly aware of the upward momentum that the region’s trade lanes are facing,” said Ken Lee, DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO. He added that the deal offers the “greater flexibility” DHL needs to handle any unpredictable changes or demand increases in the region.

    In addition to the AHK deal, DHL Express recently announced an expansion of its Central Asia Hub at the Hong Kong International Airport. The expansion adds 8,000 square meters and improvements including automated x-ray inspection machines and material handling systems. The expansion is scheduled for Q1 2022 completion.