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GLS NEWS TELEGRAM DECEMBER 2004GLS Ireland: new products – improved delivery timesSince the beginning of December 2004, GLS Ireland has been offering customers its new cash on delivery service. GLS Ireland, a company which emanated from the Williames Group, re-started six months ago. In context of the preceding restructuring programme, the company’s portfolio was realigned in accordance with GLS’ core business – parcel and express deliveries and logistics. New hardware and software were implemented and operative processes made more efficient. Renowned companies such as Hilti Ireland and Homecare Medical Supplies are now counted as key customers. In January 2005, GLS will expand the regular delivery time of 24 hours from the Republic of Ireland to also include Northern Ireland. GLS Netherlands: investments in Den Bosch and Zwolle GLS Netherlands, the third largest parcel and express company in Holland, is building new depots in Den Bosch and Zwolle. The investment volume amounts to 7.5 million euros. Construction of the depot in Den Bosch began in November and the facility will go into operation in the spring of 2005. Using a modern automatic parcel-sorting system, GLS will be able to handle up to 12,000 parcels per day in the 3,000 square metres hall. A video monitoring system and powerful alarm system, which have now become standard in all GLS Netherlands’ depots, will guarantee security throughout the entire site. Construction works for the new depot in Zwolle will start in January 2005 and will be completed by the summer. The depot will be built in two stages; first of all, a total of 59 gates will be used to reach a daily capacity of 8,400 parcels. If required, the handling area can be expanded from 2,700 to 4,000 square metres. This will raise the capacity to 18,000 parcels per day. Completion of the two new depots will also mark the accomplishment of the company’s comprehensive restructuring programme for its national network, which began back in 2000. The programme includes new buildings (in Groningen, Wijchen/Nijmegen and Utrecht), extensions and modernisations that range from parcel sorting-systems to security systems and IT. Total investment volume in five years: 28 million euros. Swiss Post GLS – success with its new branding Within the Swiss postal organisation, more than a quarter of all international parcels pass through the GLS network. “This shows how important GLS is to the company“, explains Patrick Maier, General Manager at Swiss Post GLS. And the positive trend continues. Between January and August 2004, Swiss Post GLS achieved considerable volume gains just under the double-digit percent level – in both the import and export businesses.
Swiss Post GLS has been operating under this new brand name since April 2004. The GLS network partner in Switzerland is organised as an independent competence centre within the Swiss Post International, the international division of the Swiss postal organisation. The company, whose legal name is Swiss Post International Logistics AG, has successfully implemented the jointly developed network-partner branding on buildings, brochures and business cards, and has added the GLS network partner logo to 200 Swiss Post delivery vehicles. The name change has been communicated actively in customer magazines, press reports and mailings. In addition to this, employees of Swiss Post have been given intensive GLS product training. Further investment in the new partnership: on January 1st 2004, Swiss Post GLS opened a new NIF (national interface to the GLS network) in Basel, which has already helped to simplify operative processes considerably. Suitable IT links to the GLS network have also been put into place. Since the end of September, Swiss Post GLS has been connected to “Cross Border” to facilitate its import/export business. Cross Border is the GLS’ shared, Internet-based shipping system for international parcel transportation.
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