German bulky parcels and ‘ugly goods’ specialist GEL Express has expanded its product portfolioand boosted volumes dramatically by adding a one-man delivery service to its traditional two-man
service.With the new service, “GEL-Uno”, the operator provides deliveries of bulky shipments up to 35kgby only one employee in addition to the already established “GEL-Duo” with two deliverers who areable to carry heavier goods up to 120kg.
The franchise company, based in Willich near Düsseldorf, said this move has boosted its volumesby 400% in the first half of 2012. “These two services already have a high value for the GEL systemand we plan to expand them with new service options in the years ahead,” commented managingdirector Norbert Keimeier.
GEL Express offers delivery of bulky, fragile or other special parcels and freight items up toas much as 2.5 tonnes with a choice of time-definite next-day, 24-hour or 48-hour transittimes.
Launched in 1991, the company operates through a franchise network with more than 90 depots and4 logistics centres. With a total of 1,650 employees, it operates 900 vehicles and handles 1.7million consignments (equalling 94,000 tonnes) per year, generating revenues of €95million.
The operator has also expanded its network with the creation of a new subsidiary,TREX-Transport, covering 60 independent franchisees and 15 additional locations, to complement itsexisting nationwide franchise system. In addition, the company’s owners recently approved financialinvestments to further expand the franchise system and to open new depots.
GEL’s focus on ugly freight, though not excluding standard services, entails a need fornon-standard sorting procedures. As it offers overnight delivery of shipments with a weight of upto 2.5 tonnes and 6 metres in length and also handles particularly expensive goods as well as smalllive animals, the company entirely refrains from using automatic sorting equipment in itsfacilities, relying on manual sorting instead.
In order to expand its operations into international markets, GEL Express launched NetExpressEurope in cooperation with SEUR, Calberson and City Link in 1999. Based in Paris, NetExpress linksits 17 partners’ regional networks, thereby enabling GEL Express to handle intra-European andinternational shipments.
