The Hermes Logistik Gruppe (HLG) and DPD are currently examining ways of intensifying their previously intermittent alliance. At present, the two companies are looking into ways of providing common services and into leveraging synergies arising from the cooperative exploitation of the available infrastructure and transport capacities.
“As a service provider with a clear focus in the B2B segment, intensifying our collaboration will not only provide certain cost benefits but will allow us to leverage added value for our clients previously not available on the market. The services and strengths of our two companies dovetail in a number of respects. We are now looking to plumb the specifics that this dovetailing may bring,” explains Arnold Schroven, CEO of DPD Dynamic Parcel Distribution GmbH & Co. KG.
The aim of any possible partnership between Hermes and DPD lies in being able to offer an end-to-end solution covering all logistics requirements.
“We’ve been working together with DPD on a number of issues for years now. This collaboration has been highly successful. Now we are looking at ways in which we can marry our individual services to offer clients one-stop integrated B2C and B2B shipping solutions and to meet the demands of the market in a much better way than we’ve been able to do in the past,” says Hanjo Schneider CEO of Hermes Europe Holdings.
At the heart of considerations is the development of a mutual range of services and the exploitation of synergies achieved by a jointly-operated international transport network. The companies are also assessing the cooperative use of the available infrastructure of both enterprises and the resulting service benefits for clients. The initial results of on-going talks should be ready by mid-2009.
Both companies are top players in their respective markets. Hermes delivers in the region of one million parcels daily to private households in Germany alone. Its 13,700 ParcelShops provide a nationwide network of collection points for private parcel deliveries and are also used as an alternative delivery address by distance sellers. Hermes also operates in Austria, the UK, France and Italy, currently enjoying around 22 percent of the European parcel market.
DPD is one of the leading international express and parcel delivery companies and is number two in Europe. The DPD network in the most efficient street network in Europe and covers the most important economic areas across the world. In Germany, DPD has been market leader in parcel deliveries to business clients for many years.