Premium logistics at market price: Quality manufacturers are choosing zipmend

It's 16:45 on a Friday. The phone rings on the logistics manager's desk — never a good sign at this hour. On the other end: the carrier. A brief cancellation, capacity issues, the lorry isn't coming. The delivery deadline to the key account in southern France is about to collapse, and in the assembly hall sits a custom-built unit worth as much as a mid-range car.

And so the goods end up at short notice on a vehicle from Hamburg-based express logistics specialist zipmend. CEO Timm Trede knows these scenarios all too well. "What never ceases to amaze me is the almost fatalistic acceptance with which many logistics managers put up with the failures of their regular carrier." Many companies believe that 'mediocre' is as good as it gets from their partners.

Yet the interesting part is not the first order zipmend takes on — the classic 'firefighting job', often a few pallets in a 3.5-tonne van. It is what happens afterwards.

"We observe a massive shift in thinking among customers who have realised that we often handle their part loads by lorry more efficiently than any traditional groupage distributor," says Trede. While conventional carriers tranship goods through multiple hubs — multiplying the risk of damage and delays — zipmend relies on direct deliveries.

The result surprises many financial controllers: although zipmend delivers without detours or transhipment, the pricing is often remarkably close to the standard market — whilst delivering a vastly superior service.

A clear trend is emerging: more and more quality manufacturers are using zipmend for their regular shipments, utilising the full fleet range up to and including the 40-tonne lorry.

"It's a process of logistical maturation," Trede concludes. "First, customers book with us because they have an emergency. Later, because they've understood that a direct delivery, precise time windows and a straightforward booking process are the only sensible standard for their own products."

Press contact:

Timm Trede
press@zipmend.com