2015
SELFDELIVERY
During my first exchange semester in HfG Offenbach, I took a course under the direction of Prof. Peter Eckart named “Last Mile City Logistics”. We should research and find solutions about the Last Mile - the last part of a logistic process, when the delivery finaly get to the receiver. Absent receiver is an oftenly found situation on the last mile: customers are usually not at home and, instead, they spend their whole days out at work or studying. Even when they are at home waiting for their packages, sometimes the postman doesn’t knock, as a quick search on customer’s complaints on the internet points out. A lot of solutions have been developed due to the frequency of failed delivery attempts, such as delivery to a preferred neighbour, package stations, package mailbox, scheduled delivery and so on. Unfortunately none of these options covers the big issue of when the receiver is not properly able to pick it up by himself a heavy package that end up in a far away postoffice.
SELFDELIVERY
During my first exchange semester in HfG Offenbach, I took a course under the direction of Prof. Peter Eckart named “Last Mile City Logistics”. We should research and find solutions about the Last Mile - the last part of a logistic process, when the delivery finaly get to the receiver. Absent receiver is an oftenly found situation on the last mile: customers are usually not at home and, instead, they spend their whole days out at work or studying. Even when they are at home waiting for their packages, sometimes the postman doesn’t knock, as a quick search on customer’s complaints on the internet points out. A lot of solutions have been developed due to the frequency of failed delivery attempts, such as delivery to a preferred neighbour, package stations, package mailbox, scheduled delivery and so on. Unfortunately none of these options covers the big issue of when the receiver is not properly able to pick it up by himself a heavy package that end up in a far away postoffice.
Considering the eldery, 25 people with disabilities, students and the fact that not everyone has a car, picking up online ordered products like a 10 kilogram-weight TV or maybe furniture, like a bookshelf, might demand an effort as big as buying in a physical store would. This set of circumstances results in a bad user experience, once it frustrates the expectation of easily receiving a parcel of which the shipping has already been paid. Not only inconvenient, once delivery companies waste fuel and CO2 on each failed attempt. Space, time and labour are also wastes to be considered. Facing the fact that a solution is needed, Selfdelivery was developed as a concept of pick-up based delivery service, which aims to offer an easy, cheap and independent way of collecting a parcel.
Selfdelivery consists in a trolley rental service, to be available at some “key” public transport stations in Frankfurt am Main and Offenbach. In order to rent one, the client would go tho the nearest rental station, buy a ticket with debit or credit card, get a trolley, pick up the package and then bring the trolley back. It can be done anonymously or with previous registration on the website — special offers are provided to registered clients. The costs are affordable enough for people to use it, even when they have already spent money on shipping costs. In case of late return, the extra time is automatically charged on the debit or credit card provided for that rent.
Demand study, that pointed out which stations had the highest numbers of package shops on its surroundings.
Truck and its positions: storage position, handtruck position for small and medium packages and platform truck position for bigger packages
Thank you!
