Postal Hub podcast

Paul Buijs, Assistant Professor in the Department of Operations at the University of Groning, and co-author of "A greener last mile: Reviewing the carbon emission impact of pickup points in last-mile delivery," joins me to discuss just how green out-of-home delivery might be: Defining pickup points (out-of-home alternatives to residential delivery) Out-of-home (OOH) delivery improving delivery rou...

Daniel Rueda, CEO at Open Pricer, on how parcel pricing can be leveraged to help deliver sustainable logistics solutions. The relationship between pricing and sustainability How can investments in new technology and new delivery vehicles be Are consumers ready to pay for environmentally sensitive delivery solutions? Paradoxes in delivery: price, speed, convenience (in-home vs out-of-home delivery)...

Jonathan Bouaziz, CEO and co-founder at Kardinal, discusses next-generation route optimisation: The traditional use case for route optimisation in the delivery sector Why doesn't classic route optimisation work any more? Inability of some route optimisers to deal with dynamic parcel volumes and volatility Impact of B2C parcel volumes on route optimisation Maximising productivity and profitability...

Mindaugas Cerpickis, Managing Economist at Copenhagen Economics, discusses the state of the European postal sector, including declining letter volumes, growing parcel volumes, competition in the last mile, sustainability, and more Postal sector in Europe is expanding in terms of revenue and headcount Growth in total carbon emissions Larger, heavier parcels in the delivery stream Is e-commerce bett...

Luke Lloyd, Head of Markets at the IPC, discusses some of the key findings from IPC's most recent Cross-border E-commerce Shopper Survey. How IPC surveys customers on their delivery preferences Reasons why consumers are overall buying less The value of free delivery E-retailers most used for most recent cross-border purchase Do consumers really know when they're buying cross-border? Importance of...

Dean Maciuba, Managing Partner North America at Crossroads Parcel Consulting, discusses the two US retail giants - Target and Walmart - and the competition with Amazon in the last mile: Walmart and Target's retail footprint, and where their stores are located Grocery as part of Walmart's retail offering Target and Shipt - and its success in BOPIS (buy online, pickup in store) Walmart and Target re...

When is a contractor not a contractor? Roel Gevaers, Professor in Last Mile Logistics and Supply Chain, University of Antwerp, discusses proposed legislation that will directly impact postal and delivery contractors: Background to proposed legislation targetting sham contracting / false self-employment Legislation only focuses on postal and parcel delivery drivers BIPT (postal regulator) will admi...

Logistics and quick delivery expert Quaid Combstock discusses the state of quick commerce, q-commerce and ultrafast delivery. We cover: Is the ultrafast local delivery model viable? Operational and financial perspectives on q-commerce Death of the 15-minute SLA Access to "dark stores" in different markets Inability to batch orders with 15-minute delivery guarantee Ultrafast grocery delivery operat...

What's holding back the widespread deployment of electric vehicles in delivery fleets? Electric van expert Paul Kirby discusses the practical realities of setting up an EV delivery fleet. We cover: Are commercial electric vehicles price-competitive compare to ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles? Safety, ease of driving, and practical advantages of electric vehicles Improvements in the drivin...

Ann Snitko, Chief Product Officer at Omnic, discussing parcel locker network strategy, including optimisation, co-opetition, open networks, and real-time locker management. State of the parcel locker market The human issues around parcel lockers Why growth isn't sustainable in some markets Optimising the loading process for parcel lockers Carrier specific vs carrier agnostic vs open networks Co-op...

Has postal reform had any effect on the US Postal Service? Mike Plunkett, President at PostCom, and Mark Fallon, President of the Berkshire Company, discuss the impacts of recent legislative reform: Why reform of the US postal system is important to the rest of the world UPU reforms show US is willing to take the lead Main components of the Postal Service Reform Act  Mandated six-day-a-week delive...

Swiss Post is encouraging innovation through partnering with and investing in start-ups. Swiss Post Director Open Innovation and Venturing Thierry Golliard explains. Why should a postal operator be interested in start-ups? Partnering and investing in start-ups, and accessing talent and resources that aren't currently inside the post Ensuring that start-ups aren't "lost" inside the post What succes...

Asia Pacific Post Cooperative (APP) Managing Director Sid Hart on APP's work and initiatives in the postal world, including cross-border packets and sustainability objectives. We cover: What the APP is and the geographic spread of its members Providing commercially-focused postal solutionsThe changing nature of the postal business Bringing postal operators together and formulating products and ser...

Three delivery experts join me to talk about the trends that will shape e-commerce and delivery in 2023. Thiemo van Spellen, Group Global Accounts Managing Director at DPDgroup, discusses: Impact of geopolitical events on parcel industry Ecommerce growth trends Finding balance between managing price pressure and dealing with cost increases Retailers looking for cross-border growth Second-hand / se...

There's a lot of talk in our sector about sustainable logistics and green delivery… but how can it actually be done? Johan Peeters, an expert in sustainable logistics, talks about the role logistics and delivery plays in creating liveable cities: What is emission-free delivery? Eliminating tailpipe emissions and sourcing green electricity Creating healthier and liveable cities How do delivery comp...

Escher Group CEO Brody Buhler deep dives into some of the major themes unearthed in Escher's Future of Posts 2022 research, including: The tale of two networks: delivery and retail Service models - including self-serve - in post offices Making delivery and retail networks work together Exploiting returns A problem for retailers - but an opportunity for posts Tailoring returns experiences Making re...

Roel Gevaers PhD, Professor in Last Mile Logistics and Supply Chain, University of Antwerp, joins me to discuss the trend of global shipping companies investing in e-commerce delivery: Cashed-up shipping companies investing in last mile delivery and e-commerce fulfilment European-based container shipping companies such as Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM making e-commerce fulfilment and delivery acquisiti...

Caryn-Ann Allen, Associate Director of Sustainability at DPDgroup, joins me to discuss DPDgroup's strategy for achieving net carbon zero: DPDgroup's 2040 net zero target submitted to SBTi DPDgroup's interim target for 2030 Why decarbonisation and lower emissions is important to DPDgroup's partners and customers How science-based targets work Getting to net zero across DPDgroup's entire business, i...

Professor Alan McKinnon, Professor of Logistics, Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg, joins me to discuss five strategies to decarbonise urban logistics: Rationalisation - Route optimisation Realistic solutions compared to ambitious longer-term options Switching to lower carbon transport modes Rail Cargo cycles Filling delivery vehicles better and reducing distance travelled Micro-hubs and consol...

Daniel Rueda, CEO of Open Pricer, discusses parcel pricing strategies, dynamic pricing, fuel surcharges, and more: Key parcel pricing challenges Volatility, inflation, and fluctuating demand influencing costs Impact of fuel price increases Fuel surcharges (or energy surcharges) and limitations of fuel indexation Other surcharges, such as safety surcharges Differentiating price increases per custom...

Rob King, co-founder and CEO of Zedify, talks about his experience running a cargo bike delivery firm. We cover: Creating better cities via zero emission deliveries Delivering from urban micro-hubs Decoupling trunking and last mile delivery Consolidating consignments for local delivery Partnerships with 3PLs Recycling and reverse logistics Case study of battery recycling Practical aspects of deliv...

Dr Laetitia Dablanc, Professor at the University Gustave Eiffel and head of the Logistics City Chair, discusses recent research she co-authored entitled "Response to COVID-19 lockdowns from urban freight stakeholders". We discuss: A survey focusing on labour, traffic, regulations, and any other issues relevant  Need to adapt to the volatility and variability of e-commerce orders Delivering "essent...

Roel Gevaers PhD, Professor in Last Mile Logistics and Supply Chain, University of Antwerp, joins me to talk about the log-com bubble. We cover: Twenty years after the dot-com bubble, should we prepare for a log-com bubble? Quick commerce, easy and cheap money, and the drive to acquire customers/market The real business model of IT-driven quick commerce delivery companies such as Gorrilas and Geti...

Professor John Colley from the Warwick Business School joins me to discuss the profitability of gig economy delivery and ultrafast grocery delivery (q-commerce). We discuss: Who is swimming naked in the fast grocery delivery sector The conditions that have led to funding flowing into grocery delivery startups Inflation and other factors putting downward pressure on consumers' spending power Invest...

Abdulla Mohammed Alashram, Group CEO of the Emirates Post Group Company, discusses the impact of COVID on the Post's programme of transformation: How the entire company showed resilience Focus on digitisation and speed of digitisation transformation Building partnerships with startups and tech companies How the post can be involved in the Metaverse Then Peter Somers, CEO of Emirates Post, discusse...