Hermes will increase the number of vehicles delivering larger items in response to demand from retailers.
The company plans to up volumes of items weighing more than 18kg by more than 20% per year going forward. While Hermes delivers 1 million smaller items per day, an unspecified number of larger items are delivered through a separate, dedicated van network which uses contracted service partners.
The company plans to recruit new drivers to support the service. It also said that the service would be supported by substantial infrastructure investment and the Digital Futures programme, which entails making use of technology and data in its operations.
Carl Lyon, operations director delivery experience at Hermes UK, said: “We are looking to increase our range of services for larger items across the UK, providing more frequent deliveries and collections.
“Getting the right service partners on board is key for us as they must be committed to delivering an exceptional service, whilst ensuring that we continue to meet the ULEZ emissions standards as they are rolled out across the UK’s major cities.”
“The number of parcels we deliver each year has jumped from 190 million in 2013 to 335 million in 2018, representing a rise of 76%,” wrote head of talent acquisition Leanne Hamley in an opinion piece for eDelivery.
“As a result, it is vital that we continue to attract the best talent in order to support our operation and plan for the future. However, in a highly competitive industry, and with a growing skills gap within the logistics sector, this is becoming more difficult.
Earlier this year, Hermes introduced the Road to Logistics programme to train more drivers.
This month Hermes announced plans to introduce a new smartphone-based barcode scanner.
