CouriersPlease has invested millions in technology and infrastructure to improve efficiencies and productivity for its franchise partners.
Three new depots in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are testament to this. The new hubs are a response to both increasing demand and future planning, with more spacious depots delivering a better environment for courier franchises, as CEO Richard Thame explains.
“These depots are part of our strategic mission to expand our depot space nationally to meet growing parcel volumes and help grow our franchisees’ businesses,” Richard says.
Pavithra Dambarage bought her first CouriersPlease territory in October 2023, and was operating out of the long-standing Perth depot near the airport. Now, with new territories under her belt, and a green-star rated 5400sqm depot as her base, business is booming.
“There is a huge difference between the old depot and the new one,” she says. “We didn’t have much space before, now there is lots of room for franchisees.”
She describes the 58-bay depot as “magnificent” and an investment by CouriersPlease that has paid dividends in terms of convenience and time saved.
Investment has improved efficiencies
The extra space and efficient layout has proved a boon in the busiest period.
“In December, in our peak time, we deliver 150 to 200 boxes a day. The new depot gives us lots of space to cope with all the parcels. I do a lot of Kmart pick ups, and these are processed by sorting staff, I can just pack the parcels in a cage. I sort all my other parcels manually.
“The time is the key thing. We all prefer to start early and we can then fit in more pick-ups,” she says.
The airy new depot enables franchise partners to enter, operate in and exit from the back of the facility while the large interstate trucks use the front of the building.
“This has been good for my business,” says Pavithra, “and a good investment by CouriersPlease.”
The new depots are also designed and built to advance sustainability, a stated goal of the CouriersPlease business.
So the Perth depot has provisions for future solar panel installations, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging points.
Greater convenience in Sydney
In New South Wales the Pemulwuy, Sydney, depot unveiled its 28,644sqm space last year. Its eco-friendly features include rainwater reuse systems, solar panels and solar hot water systems, recycled asphalt, bicycle parking, native landscaping, and five electric vehicle charging stations.
The hub is also adopting a high-tech sorting automation system, which is exciting established courier franchisee Hei Yp.
“There has been a lot of investment in the future by CouriersPlease and I am expecting the processes to be so much easier once the sorting automation is fully functioning,” he says.
“The depot has been designed for greater convenience and greater safety and ease of transport in and out,” he adds.
CouriersPlease also opened a brand new location in Victoria. The 15,550sqm depot in Dandenong South, Melbourne, has strong eco-credentials. These include rainwater reuse infrastructure, energy-efficient fittings, solar hot water, LED lighting and light harvesting.
CouriersPlease automation adds to benefits of new depot
Sreekanth (Bobby) Chinthakunta has been his own boss as a franchise partner with CouriersPlease for 16 years. Last year he elevated his business and now recruits and manages drivers for the eight courier vans he owns.
“This year I started managing rather than driving the vans, and this involves teaching the new recruits. I love teaching, and it’s easy with the new depots and automation tools at CouriersPlease, it’s such a good product.”
CouriersPlease set up an automated sortation system in the new depot.
“It’s made my life easier,” he says. “I was working in the depot doing bulk pick-ups and watching them install the sorting automation.”
Bobby is impressed with the new working environment, and the positive impact on business.
He says the automated system means the unloading and loading process is twice as fast as the manual operation.
“The sorting belt automatically charges customer for parcels over a certain size. We don’t have to do this ourselves now.
“This automation has changed our lives, big time. It makes the sorting process very much quicker and smarter and it helps revenue-wise.
“The service we operate now is much more professional, and the customers appreciate it. With automation customers can track their parcel at any time.”
He says CouriersPlease’s investment in improved efficiencies has helped him recruit couriers for his business.
“It’s much more sophisticated, so I can upsell the franchise,” he says. “Any franchisee can grow their business; the way CouriersPlease runs now is very easy to operate.”