IRCE Highlight – Proship
One of the most interesting vendors I ran into at IRCE was ProShip, Inc, a Neopost Company. While I can’t apply their talents to my current line of business, I wish I had met them during my previous tenure at Taylor Gifts. You see, ProShip is a logistical software and product solutions company. These are the folks you go to when you need experts in supply chains, logistics, and parcel lockers. Of the vendors, I chatted with at IRCE, these were some of the most interesting people I talked to. Although it isn’t my area of expertise, I’ve always been fascinated with the whole concept of logistics and warehouse management. I mean, that’s why I love watching robots move packages around.
The first thing they excel at is software. They have industry leading software that will help you reduce your packing and shipping costs by smartly shopping for the lowest rate for what is actually being shipped. If one carrier gets you a better deal with smaller packages and another carrier does a smashingly cost effective job with larger packages, this software will sniff out those savings. You do not need to keep complicated spreadsheets to squeeze every nickel and dime out of your shipping costs. ProShip's software will do that for you. This software also provides you amazing analytics so you can make decisions to streamline your shipping process and eliminate the problems that cause bad customer experiences.
Another area they really stand out in are…ROBOTS! They have robots that will help pack, seal, and send your packages. The robots and the software that runs them will put together smaller parcels so you are not shipping wasted space. Employing these robots really reduces your shipping costs all around. Granted, this may or may not be how Terminator 2 started, but hey you got to take some chances right? Their robots give you the ability to increase your capacity when you need it, so no more hiring seasonal labor during the holidays. You’ll be able to really speed up your shipping time and reduce your overall costs.
Finally, ProShip has developed a series of parcel lockers. What are these? How do they work? These specialized lockers are designed for buildings where a lot of people live or conduct business. In an apartment building or a condo, there is usually a big bank of small mailboxes where you get your letters. Bigger packages could be left with the building manager, left on the floor, or you have to go to the post office for pick up. For a large business, a mail room might take care of sorting mail and delivering packages. With ProShip’s parcel locker, you solve many of the drawbacks of these systems. This digital locker system allows a carrier flexibility. Letters, parcels, and packages are put in lockers they fit in. Then the recipient is alerted they have mail. They come to the digital touch screen, punch in their information, and then the correct door opens for them. When a big package come, it gets put into the big package locker.
Overall, if you want to save money with shipping and logistics, check out ProShip and the other great solutions of Neopost.
