Hermes Germany's 2-man handling unit Hermes Einrichtungs Service (HES) recorded a shipping volume increase of 15% last year with over 4.5 million deliveries of furniture, household and television equipment to German consumers. By 2020, the business expects to increase its shipping volumes by 2 million to 6.5 million.
"We have been continuously generating considerable increases in shipping volumes for years. In addition to winning new business customers, our growth is particularly due to the success of our big existing customers," Carsten Meinders, Commercial Director of HES, said.
Although large furniture and household appliances are not typical Christmas presents in distance trade, HES shipping volumes clearly increased since October last year. Even in the first weeks of the New Year, the company’s handling capacities are being fully utilised.
Michael Dildey, responsible for operations at HES, said: "As we expect further growth of the industry and successful wins of new customers, we will continue to strongly expand our capacities. In addition to the significant performance increase we have achieved through our new HUB operation in the short term, we are now focusing on the expansion of our depot network. We need to create the necessary conditions to continue offering our shippers and their end-customers a first-class service and quality.”
To respond to the increasing number of administrative staff, Hermes built new headquarters in Löhne, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, with 170 employees moving into the new offices at the end of 2015. The new building provides space for 40 additional jobs with expansion capacity.
Also in Löhne, the new HUB operation of HES with a processing area of around 15,000 sqm is currently being created. It is directly connected to the new warehouse of Hermes Fulfilment. From April 2016, up to 30,000 furniture and large equipment deliveries will be made from the HES facility in Löhne to the HES depots in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In addition to 43 locations in Germany, the 2-man teams from ten depots in the neighboring countries ensure deliveries to private customers and additional services such as furniture assembly and device connection.
