inbound
The holiday peak season can be a double-edged sword for retailers, delivering
a big boost to the bottom line while simultaneously placing enormous stress
on the back end of the operation.
A television commercial launched in November gives a nod to the behind-the-scenes fulfillment activity. Produced by none other than e-tailing behemoth
Amazon.com Inc., the ad follows an order placed by a harried commuter on
her smartphone all the way through to delivery to a delighted young girl. The
lighthearted ad depicts animated versions of Amazon’s cardboard boxes being
whisked along conveyors through a bustling warehouse. Using the silhouetted
smile logo printed on each Amazon package, the boxes appear to sing a version
of the 1970s-era pop hit “Give a Little Bit” as they move through the DC.
The ad exhorts viewers to order gifts for distant relatives, with the tag line
“Say hello to our singing boxes – here to help you send a smile this holiday.” But
anyone who’s spent time in an automated DC knows that it’s not the boxes that
make fulfillment happen, it’s the specialized warehouse machinery. Fittingly,
the Amazon ad features automated handling equipment like high-speed shoe
sorters, automatic label applicators, gravity chutes, and extendable loading conveyors. You can watch it on You Tube.
Give a little bit
Last-mile delivery has always been a
headache and a half for the e-commerce supply chain. But the problem
has taken on new urgency in a world
where consumers now demand
same-day deliveries, often within a
narrow time window. That’s led to
the rise of on-demand services like
Amazon.com’s “Amazon Flex” program and Uber’s “UberRush,” which
use citizen couriers to deliver the
goods when and where consumers
want them.
One of the latest entrants in the
space is Roadie Inc., an Atlanta-based startup. Like the other “social
delivery” specialists, Roadie aims to
connect businesses or individuals
with items to ship with drivers who
are willing to transport them. But
the app comes with a twist: The
company only matches senders with
drivers who are already heading in
the right direction, thus avoiding
unnecessary trips and saving time
and fuel.
With Roadie, shippers post details
and pictures of the item(s) they want
to send—a “gig” in Roadie parlance—via their computers or smartphones. Drivers who are headed that
way then make offers based on location, price, and availability. By taking
advantage of the extra space that
already exists in passenger vehicles,
the Roadie app eliminates the time,
cost, and carbon emissions associated with dispatching a dedicated
driver on that route, the firm says.
Roadie supports door-to-door
delivery in 50 states, offering insurance and real-time tracking for each
gig. Drivers earn anywhere from $8
to $50 for local gigs and $650 or
more for long-distance delivery, the
company says.
“Green” delivery
app promises to save
miles, fuel
Tesla Inc. electrified the trucking world in mid-November with news of
the launch of its battery-powered Semi tractor. Companies like UPS Inc.,
Schneider Inc., Sysco Corp., and PepsiCo Inc. quickly lined up to place orders
for the $180,000 vehicle with a 500-mile range. But they’re going to have to
wait to take delivery of the vehicles: The first Tesla trucks won’t roll off the
assembly line until 2019.
In the meantime, rival electric truck
maker Daimler has beaten Tesla to the
punch. In mid-December, Daimler
announced that it had handed over the
first units of its Fuso e-Canter all-electric
commercial vehicle to four customers in
Europe for pilot tests. The customers, all global logistics companies, include
Deutsche Post DHL Group, DB Schenker, Rhenus Logistics, and Dachser.
Although both run on batteries, the Daimler and Tesla trucks are not comparable models. Daimler’s light-duty Fuso e-Canter is smaller than the full-sized Tesla Semi, and at 62 miles, has a much shorter range. However, its quiet
and emissions-free operation makes it a natural fit for urban delivery routes
and city centers, the manufacturer says.
While the specific applications vary, all four Daimler customers plan to
use the vehicles for city transport and deliveries in and around Berlin. For
example, Rhenus will begin using three Fuso eCanter trucks this month in
home-delivery trials, ferrying goods between the company’s central warehouse
in Hoppegarten and end customers in Berlin, while Dachser will begin operating two of the trucks in Berlin and Stuttgart this spring. Dachser said it will
put the vehicles to use delivering pallets of industrial goods both to micro hubs
and directly to customers.
Daimler delivers first electric trucks in Europe
