Meeting the growing demands for next day delivery
Parcel delivery company DPD has recently announced its plan to hire an additional 700 part-time, weekend drivers due to the growing demand for next-day deliveries.
The company also confirmed the opening of an additional 100 warehouse jobs in their regional depot network to support the new infrastructure.
The decision came after the company recorded a 40% increase in weekend delivery requests last year.
Customers’ expectations for fast delivery are clearly on the rise and attractive subscription schemes, including Amazon Prime, can intensify this demand.
A recent survey from Royal Mail has found that one in four online shoppers in the UK now subscribe to a delivery service and on average receive three deliveries each month from the same retailer.
An optimised packaging operation can improve efficiency, ensuring your customers have their orders when promised.
Your warehouse layout has a strategic importance in increasing the speed of your packaging lines. Warehouse accessories such as pick bins and shelving are great for helping you organise your packing area and maximising floorspace.
To find out more about effective warehouse management, read one of our previous blogs – The 5 sins of warehouse management.
Your packers will work more effectively if their packing benches are neat, well-organised and offer an easy access to all the packaging materials they use.
Shadow packing boards are a great, custom-made tool to help you identify which box offers the best fit for your products.
The mechanism behind this is very simple. All your packers need to do is to put the item on to the shadow board and see which colour square closest matches the size of the item (each colour represents a different box size in your range).
There are also many automated packaging solutions available on the market that will help you ensure all your products are packed to the same high standard quickly and efficiently.
Automation takes different forms from auto-bagging and auto-boxing equipment to automated strapping and tape machines, but the principle remains the same.
The apparatus measures the dimensions of your items and automatically adjusts the size of the packaging you need to offer the best fit and protection for your products.
To find more about packaging automation and different options available, read our Short guide to packaging automation.
At Macfarlane Packaging, we can review your entire packaging operation including your warehouse, logistics and delivery capabilities and the organisation of your packing benches.
Get in touch to speak with one of our packaging experts and ask for a free, non-obligation, packaging review: https://macfarlanepackaging.com/contact/
References:
DPD hires more drivers to cope with weekend delivery growth: https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/dpd-hires-more-drivers-to-cope-with-weekend-delivery-growth/2018050129358
Understanding the needs of online shoppers in the UK in 2017: https://www.royalmail.com/business/system/files/Delivery-Matters-UK-2017.pdf
