Development of the machine network in Poland and Europe requires new production capacity
InPost - a leader among e-commerce delivery platforms in Europe - is building a new factory and developing a research and development centre due to the rapid growth of the InPost network in Poland and Europe. The factory will be built within the newly created City Logistics Kraków Airport park, will occupy a total of 7230 m2 and will be equipped with photovoltaic panels. It will be put into operation as early as June 2021. In January 2021, InPost successfully debuted on the EURONEXT Amsterdam stock exchange.
The new plant will be built right next to the Balice II junction of the A4. This will enable InPost to increase the efficiency of its production processes while guaranteeing a convenient location for the workforce and increasing employment. At City Logistics Kraków Airport - in addition to the production of machinery including the electromechanical assembly of touchscreen modules - a research and development centre with two laboratories and a showroom will be developed. Development work will be carried out there, as well as tests of new solutions.
"The expansion of our infrastructure is not only about new locations for InPost devices - we are expanding the network at the unprecedented rate of 100 machines per week this year. The demand for new devices both in Poland and in Europe means that - alongside new sorting and logistics centres and investments in IT - our priority is to strengthen our position as the leading innovator and manufacturer of the Paczkomat® device in Europe. This will significantly increase our ability to deploy further devices, and we will be able to quickly introduce new, innovative solutions in our machines and be the first to test ideas that no one has yet applied on the market. We have patented most of the innovative components used in our machines - which gives us additional growth opportunities. We are now also expanding our research and development centre with laboratories to develop further innovations." highlights Rafał Brzoska, CEO of InPost.
This is yet another cooperation between Panattoni and InPost - so far the logistics operator has leased a total of around 250,000 sqm, of which more than 9,000 sqm in another Kraków park dedicated to city logistics - City Logistics Kraków I.
"Once again, we are announcing an investment in Kraków, which is part of the last mile and will additionally be located next to the airport. Therefore, it is worth emphasising the importance of the park, if only because of the not easy market of the heart of Malopolska. Kraków is characterised by a limited supply of land, resulting in its relatively high prices, and the second largest city in Poland in terms of both area and population should have its own warehouse facilities. This is why I am convinced that City Logistics Kraków Airport will allow many entities to spread their wings. This will happen, among other things, because of the Small Business Units formula available within City Logistics Kraków Airport. Modules with a minimum area of 1,200 sq m will be available as early as July 2021." - Robert Dobrzycki, CEO of Panattoni.
The carbon footprint calculator indicates that if traditional home courier deliveries were replaced by Parcel Machine® delivery, the reduction in CO2 emissions would reach up to 75%[1]. Delivering a parcel to an InPost machine means at least 0.35 kg less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere per parcel. This makes InPost the most environmentally neutral logistics service provider.
In 2020, InPost has implemented a revolutionary new service for sending parcels via an app. Parcels are posted at an InPost parcel machine - either to another parcel machine® or to a designated home address. There is no need to stick any labels on the parcel - just an electronically generated QR code or a sending code in the app. You can pay for your parcel with a BLIK code. Further payment options will appear in the app in 2021: payment card, fast transfers (pay-by-link), Apple Pay, Google Pay. The status of a shipped parcel can be tracked in the app, of course, but also on the inpost.pl website in the 'parcel tracking' section and via chatbot by entering the 24-digit parcel number. Thanks to the app, several people can receive parcels at the same time with one device, without having to stand in a queue. The application InPost Mobile can be downloaded from the Google Play, App Store and Huawei AppGallery shops. The InPost Mobile app already has 5.7 million active users.
InPost can also be contacted using Google Assistant. The conversation starts by calling a bot called ChatBot Mat with the phrase "Talk to InPost". Customers can ask about, among other things, the status of their parcel, the nearest Parcel Machine® and, new to the bot, the number for the courier. The same Bot is also available on Messenger, with all its functionalities.
InPost has also introduced a service "Parcel in a Weekend" - due to the growing demand for the service. It allows deliveries by Paczkomat® also on Saturdays and Sundays - the cost of the service is PLN 4.99 gross. As part of "Parcels at the weekend", parcels are delivered to customers at the weekend if the sending (i.e. handing over the parcel to Paczkomat® or POP or placing an order for courier collection), takes place by Saturday by 1pm.
The network of Paczkomat® devices (11,000 devices in Poland) has more than doubled the scale of Poczta Polska's own outlets (4,600[2]). Paczkomat® InPost is also available in Poland at shops: Dino, Lidl, Kaufland, the Delikatesy Centrum chain of shops organised by the Eurocash Group, as well as in Auchan Shopping Centres. InPost has also signed a contract with the Auchan shop chain for the delivery of Refrigerators . The functionalities of the InPost fridge machines allow for the safe storage and collection of food, beverages and frozen food ordered online at Auchan Direct. According to a study by Kantar TNS, up to 40% of online shoppers want to collect their groceries in InPost machines.
In addition, InPost - responding to market demand - has launched a Parcel Machine® InDoor specifically for indoor installation. With InDoor facilities, property owners provide their residents and tenants with the most advantageous and popular option for collecting their purchases. At the same time, they attract local residents to the location - allowing shops and service providers to generate additional profits.
According to a Gemius report[3], the Parcel Machine® is the most frequently chosen form of delivery - it has overtaken couriers. This type of delivery of goods is preferred by up to 61% of online shoppers. This represents an increase in the popularity of the service among internet users by as much as 9 percentage points compared to the results of the 2019 report. For the first time ever, Paczkomat® beat courier delivery in popularity, which is chosen by 55% of respondents - the first result of its kind in the world. In addition, as many as 68% of respondents declare that the possibility to pick up their purchases via InPost devices motivates them to buy from a specific online shop - a year-on-year increase of 7 percentage points.
InPost from 2019 is the leader in leasing warehouse space in Poland . In 2019, the company leased a total of 107,950 m² - 4% of the total net demand in the country[4] . InPost also led the KEP industry in terms of space delivered in 2019 - a total of 57,863 m² - ahead of DHL and Poczta Polska on the podium. The locations launched by InPost in 2019 position the company in the Top 3 most active e-commerce players in the warehouse logistics market - InPost is second only to Amazon and Zalando, the global e-commerce giants, in this respect.
InPost is also investing in green transport. The company has expanded its fleet of electric cars with 40 new Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia and announces the purchase of more. The cars provide a range of up to 200km in the city, 8m³ of cargo space and a payload of 580kg.
InPost is systematically introducing new services - in 2020, it launched a specialised Paczkomat® Urząd 24, which it donated to the needs of City Offices, including in Kraków, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Nowy Targ, Wołomin, Brodnica, Wolsztyn and Koszalin. They allow residents to deal with official matters without the need to enter a building and have direct contact with officials. Further installations of the machines at offices across Poland are planned - InPost is in talks with dozens more cities.
InPost has also introduced the InPost Fullfilment logistics service dedicated to business customers. The company provides infrastructure and know-how and supports customers at every stage of the warehousing process. As a logistics partner, InPost offers the highest quality of service and automation of the entire logistics process based on its own experience. Thanks to the InPost service Fulfillment e-commerce entrepreneurs can focus on growing their business and not worry about issues related to storage facilities, packaging of goods and shipping.
[1] Source: InPost B2B carbon footprint calculator, InPost's own data
[2] Source: biznes.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1401760,zarzad-poczty-o-podwyzkach-dla-listonoszy.html
[3] Gemius for e-Commerce Poland, E-commerce in Poland 2020, N=1544, March 2020
[4] Source: Cresa Polska, Industrial Research Forum (IRF)
