SPSR, one of the largest Russian express delivery companies, again generated high double-digitgrowth last year despite the unstable economic environment in the country.
In 2008, the Moscow-based company increased revenues by 30% even taking into account thecompany’s decreased business activity in the fourth quarter of the year. In December alone, SPSRdelivered more than 1,000 tons of mail items, not counting freight shipments. The absolute revenuefigure for last year was not disclosed.
The company said that it has developed a programme of anti-crisis measures to support itscustomers during the current difficult economic situation in Russia. The implementation ofstate-of-the art technologies and the optimisation of shipment handling processes have reducedhandling time and costs which enabled the company to reduce prices of several services whileincreasing quality indicators.
Another important factor contributing to the improved customer service was the optimisationof a single routing network. New inter-regional routes have been implemented reducing deliverytimes to the most remote regions of the country. Thanks to an intensified use of the routingnetwork in the Siberian region, the cities of Western and Eastern Siberia are now interconnected.
After the realisation of some anti-crisis measures, the transportation capacity within thecities is now used more widely including logistics hubs where transit centres and exchange pointsof the company are located. The cities include St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg,Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.
In 2008, SPSR further improved the infrastructure of its branch network. The company addedtwo more branches in Surgut and Novokusnezk and 13 new offices. It now counts 119 branches and 90offices in all Russian regions and CIS countries. In addition, 18 branches and offices were movedto new larger sites as well as production and warehousing facilities that meet all currentrequirements. This has enhanced the quality of handling bringing it to a considerably higher levelwhile reducing delivery times, SPSR said.
To provide more convenience to customers, the company launched Saturday delivery and pick-upservices. It also opened a state-of-the-art customer service centre in St. Petersburg where thecustomers not only have the possibility to place an order or pick up their shipments but also getthe most detailed information on the whole service portfolio.
Moreover, about 20% of the company’s fleet has been renewed. One of the measures for ensuringsmooth Christmas delivery in Moscow last year was the implementation of 50 new vehicles withdifferent load capacity.
SPSR said that it has also developed its activities as a 3-PL provider at a time when mostcompanies prefer a whole service package when choosing a logistics partner. The management hasworked out different customer service approaches providing individual logistics solutions accordingto the specific needs of a particular industry. These include insurance, banking sector,manufacturers and suppliers of electronics, telecommunications solutions, technical equipment,high-priced clothes and shoes, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, car suppliers andmanufacturers and distance trading. Using these individual services has helped customers not onlyreduce their expenses for freight transport and warehousing logistics but also optimised businessprocesses as a whole.
