Purolator launches ‘direct-to-store distribution’ service

VANCOUVER — Purolator Courier’s recently opened Global Supply Chain Services facility in Richmond, B.C. will open up the world to Canadian businesses, says the company.

Based at a new 106,000 sq ft facility in Richmond, the hub is fully integrated with Purolator’s courier and freight distribution networks, thereby reducing the time to get product from overseas to store shelves in Canada.

Purolator Global Supply Chain Services combines a range of Purolator’s services to meet individual customer needs including transporting goods from a foreign country to Canada using a third party ocean or air carrier; the process of clearing customer’s goods through customs; providing short term storage of goods until they are ready for distribution; sorting and combining a variety of goods into a customized combined shipment for each store or customer; and direct-to-store distribution through Purolator’s courier and freight network across Canada.

Purolator’s global supply chain service is based on direct-to-store distribution, where (after clearing customs) the container is unloaded at a Purolator deconsolidation centre near the port and a store-specific shipment service is provided from there. By going direct to store from the port the overall transit time can be reduced by up to one week, the carrier says.

Imports of containers to Canada have increased dramatically over the last decade, particularly Asian imports through the port of Vancouver, which have achieved a compound annual growth rate of almost 20 per cent since 1996.

“Canadian businesses are increasingly competing in a global and complex marketplace and require supply chain solutions that can provide them with a competitive advantage — whether that is in cost, efficiency or flexibility,” said Robert C. Johnson, President and C.E.O. of Purolator. “This new service enables Canadian businesses to eliminate steps from their global supply chain so that they can get their product to market faster and more efficiently and with greater visibility.”