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Courier Companies – Profile – Dawn Wing
Spreading their wings
Danette Breitenbach
At the beginning of March last year, Dawn Wing entered into a joint venture with Dynamic Parcel Distribution (DPD), which is owned by the French Post Office.
DPD is one of Europe’s largest international courier and logistics companies, while Dawn Wing has long been one of South Africa’s leading courier companies, with a national footprint, servicing the whole of South Africa with established distribution hubs in all major cities.
Dawn Wing CEO, Mike Fanucchi explains: “Through this partnership, we have increased our capacity internationally so that now we are not just one of the leading courier companies in this country, but throughout the world. The network we have through our DPD partnership means we are able to deliver throughout Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. For example, we deliver to France and the United Arab Emirates within two days.”
The company stays ahead in the domestic and international express parcel business in southern Africa by offering excellent service, value, reliability and tailor-made logistics solutions.
“We have always been a flexible organisation that, while providing core services, is customer-centric in terms of solutions. We have always met with clients to tailor our services to meet their needs, while being quick, smart and reliable – a philosophy we live by on a daily basis.”
Another way in which the company has always ensured customer satisfaction is through innovation in technology. “Innovation through the development of technology to enhance our services and our delivery efficiency has always been a key factor for us. As a result, we have developed a number of technologies that are now widely used by other courier companies in the country.”
A recent innovation has been the introduction of electronic hand-held devices.
Fanucchi explains how the technology works: “When our driver collects the parcel from your offices, the scanner acts as an electronic waybill. You sign to confirm the collection on the electronic keypad and the scanner instantly registers at the central hub that the parcel has been collected. From this point forward, parcels can be accurately tracked all the way to delivery.”
The time of delivery can be predicted to an accuracy of within 10 minutes and an automatic proof of delivery (POD) is generated as soon as the recipient signs the electronic keypad, acknowledging receipt. Automatic
Pods can be accessed on the website within five minutes of delivery. The benefits of the technology include a reduction in any chance of loss or theft, as the parcel is constantly tracked. Fanucchi says this streamlines the courier process. “This saves time as the parcel is automatically and instantly logged at the central hub, with the additional benefit that PODs are electronically generated within minutes of delivery. Instant proof of deliveries to our customers means improved customer service and cash flow, in that customers are able to contact and invoice their customers as soon as they have received confirmation of deliveries.
“The product has been especially useful for clients involved in the movement of high value shipments such as the financial sector and pharmaceutical sector, and has also enhanced their offerings to their clients.”
When implementing the technology, the company invested in training its staff to ensure that all staff embraces the new technology. “People are very important to us and it was imperative that the users of the technology bought into it. We achieved this through providing a thorough understanding of the technology. This has also empowered our drivers, the main users thereof.”
Currently, Dawn Wing has a staff complement of close to 500 employees and services 200 routes daily, locally. Dawn Wing was founded in 1990 and became a subsidiary of diversified logistics company, The Laser Group (Pty) Ltd in 1999.
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