Rhenus Archives

WhatsApp, Chatbots Improve Customer Experience in Logistics

Posted on 11 June, 20251 August, 2025 by David Priestman

The logistics industry is undergoing rapid change, with 87% of logistics operators planning to digitally transform operations in the near future, writes Richard Hanscott (pictured below), CEO at Esendex. Key areas of focus include better route planning and demand forecasting, as well as a wealth of improvements to the vehicle fleet such as predictive maintenance capabilities.

Less discussed, though, is how the customer experience is going to evolve. A 2024 Ofcom report found that over two-thirds (67%) of consumers had run into problems with a delivery in the past six months. Worryingly, more than half are still dissatisfied with the process of contacting delivery firms to discuss an issue, with satisfaction increasing a mere three percentage points since the 2023 report.

Rising customer expectations

For many logistics firms, phone support remains the default method for customer service. However managing call volumes can be challenging, often leaving customers facing long wait times, particularly during peak periods. When customers are getting in touch to report an issue, being kept on hold can often exacerbate their frustration, diminishing trust.

Today’s consumers are not only more demanding, but also more digitally savvy. Customers now expect to engage with businesses on their own terms, using the social media platforms, messaging apps, and communication channels they already use. This shift is driven by a desire for convenience, immediacy, and personalisation in every interaction.

Modernising customer communication

To address these rising expectations, delivery firms need to consider modernising their call centre operations. Evolving communication offerings beyond the simple telephone can help to transform customer interactions, reducing the number of support queries while making it simpler and quicker for them to get help.

Understanding where customers are located or most active is a critical first step. In the UK, WhatsApp is the most-commonly used messaging app, with 76% of adults using the platform within the last three months. Leveraging a familiar platform allows businesses to meet customers where they already are, lowering barriers to engagement and increasing adoption of digital support options.

Advanced digital tools now enable seamless integration of two-way WhatApp messaging and chatbots into existing customer service workflows. Automation allows businesses to rapidly scale support capacity during busy periods without compromising service quality. Initially, chatbots can handle straightforward queries, such as delivery tracking, rescheduling, or FAQs, and gradually take on more complex interactions as their capabilities improve through ongoing optimisation.

Why change your approach to customer communications?

For customer service staff, the shift to a more modern system can make a huge difference. Routine, repetitive queries can be offloaded to automated systems, freeing up agents to focus on complex, high-value customer interactions. This not only elevates the customer experience but also helps reduce stress and burnout among call centre teams – an increasingly important consideration in workforce management.

From the customer perspective, speed and convenience are essential. Delivery recipients often need support outside traditional office hours – perhaps to report a missed delivery after returning home or to reschedule a large furniture shipment on short notice. Rather than having to find a quiet place to make a call and sit on hold, customers can interact with chatbots on-the-go for an instant response.

Richard Hanscott, Esendex

For example, we’ve worked with Rhenus Home Delivery to add a WhatsApp and chatbot functionality to its communications, which replaced the helpline telephone number. Simply put, the change has been remarkable as customers calling the helpline previously had an average wait time of 25-40 minutes. Now, as a result of the chatbot, responses are instant, even out-of-hours.

When human assistance is required, the chatbot can efficiently triage queries to agents, while ensuring that the entire conversation history moves across too. This saves valuable time and means the customer doesn’t need to repeat themselves multiple times – a common source of frustration.

Statistics show six in 10 consumers check the status of their parcel at least once a day. When this information is only available via call centres, it can quickly lead to an overwhelmed support team. With the latest upgrade, tracking updates are provided automatically in real-time, giving customers the information they need before they’ve even had a chance to ask for it.

Building stronger brand loyalty and competitive differentiation

Seamless, responsive communication not only resolves issues faster but also helps build emotional connections with customers. Companies that invest in delivering quick, personalised, and convenient support foster higher levels of trust and loyalty. In the competitive logistics sector, this can be a crucial differentiator that drives repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Furthermore, integrating digital communication channels signals innovation and customer-focus – traits that resonate strongly with modern consumers. This can strengthen brand reputation and position a logistics provider as a leader in customer experience.

Future-proofing logistics operations with omnichannel communication

Looking ahead, logistics companies must prepare for an increasingly complex communication landscape. Customers expect to reach out via multiple channels – phone, SMS, WhatsApp, social media, and soon, emerging platforms like voice assistants or augmented reality support. By adopting an omnichannel strategy that integrates these platforms, businesses can provide a consistent, unified experience. This flexibility will become a competitive necessity as customer preferences continue to change. Moreover, investments in AI and machine learning will enable even greater automation, predictive support, and personalised interactions, further enhancing efficiency and satisfaction.

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Next Step in Supply Chain Digital Transformation

Weserport Rail Loading Facility

Posted on 11 January, 2024 by Keith McKinley

For more than 25 years, Rhenus Weserport Bremen has stood for expert and professional transshipment of various goods and materials. As a member of the Rhenus Group, the port agency has previously focused on transferring cargo from seagoing vessels onto trucks and inland waterway vessels.

But for its recently forged partnership with Nabaltec AG, Rhenus Weserport is now substantially extending its existing railway line. The rail loading facility in Germany’s southernmost seaport will be used for the shipment of imported aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide.

Nabaltec AG supplies growing markets all over the world with eco-friendly flame retardant fillers and specialty alumina. Due to high energy costs, and given the trend towards de-industrialization, which is expected in Germany as a result, the company is looking to expand its ability to purchase aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide, two materials which are of vital importance for its product portfolio, from smelters in Europe, in Brazil and – depending on cost and quality – all over the world.

The materials are shipped to Germany by sea, as German ports offer cost advantages for Nabaltec over Dutch and Belgian ports and storage of the materials in Bremen ensures a reliable supply.
“The decision to route the aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide through Rhenus Weserport was made because of its existing railway line, which is perfectly suited for a project-based extension. Other crucial factors included the direct link to oceangoing traffic and the existing loading and storage facilities. The materials are shipped by rail from Bremen right to us in Bavaria. We expect to see cost benefits due to the extension of our supplier portfolio, which will allow us to continue offering our products on a competitive basis,” explains Johannes Heckmann, the CEO of Nabaltec AG.
Aluminum hydroxide is a flame retardant and a key component in plastic cables and other metallic conductors. Aluminum oxide is used in the production of technical ceramics and in the refractory and polishing industries.

Rhenus Weserport has already started shipping goods for Nabaltec. By extending its facilities for the shipment of cargo by rail, the port services provider is positioning itself for the future: “This new area of business is an important development for us. Our first rail loading facility will allow us to unlock new markets and potential relationships,” explains Rudolf Egbert, Managing Director of Rhenus Weserport. “This creates new opportunities for us, particularly in a time when Germany is de-industrializing.”

Until the new fully automated rail loading system in Terminal 4 is completed, Nabaltec is temporarily using Terminal 2, in Bremen’s industrial harbor, for the shipment of aluminum hydroxide. The licensing procedure for the alterations to Terminal 4, as well as the construction process, are fully underway. The new system is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2024. With the extensions to the terminal and the automated rail loading system, Nabaltec will be able to meet its target of shipping 70,000 to 140,000 tons of aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide per year.
The contractual agreement between Rhenus Weserport and Nabaltec has been concluded for a term of 10 years, with an option to extend the term of the agreement.

State of the art Logistics Campus

Posted on 5 December, 202331 July, 2025 by Keith McKinley

Glencar, a UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that it has completed construction of the final warehouse of 771,000 sq ft for leading pan-European and industrial development company Baytree Logistics Developments and its customer global logistics provider Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK at its new 64-acre, 1 million sq ft logistics campus at a site in Nuneaton in the West Midlands.

Baytree Nuneaton, known as the ‘Rhenus Campus’, comprises of two warehouses of 210,000 and 771,00 sq ft on 64 acres and sets new benchmarks in environmental and social responsibility within the logistics sector.

The scheme, developed by Baytree, was designed by award winning architectural practice Chetwoods and has been developed to achieve significant reductions in whole life carbon, designed with reference to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Framework Definition for Net Zero Carbon Buildings, ensuring that Rhenus can reduce their own carbon emissions but also potentially support its customers with reducing theirs. Renewable energy will be generated on-site, with solar panels.

Included on the site is a three-storey 30,000 sq ft office headquarters with a structure constructed entirely from CLT and Glulam. This is pioneering because it’s one of the first cases in the UK of timber being used in the build of a large-scale structure within an industrial and logistics setting by a logistics developer.

When compared to conventional materials, procuring timber structural elements can deliver significant embodied carbon savings, especially as timber also sequesters carbon in its creation. The value of timber is demonstrated by the estimate that there are around 1,000 metric tons of sequestered carbon in the timber frame of the office at Nuneaton – the equivalent of enough embodied carbon to power a 20w lightbulb for 21,853 years or to drive around the world approximately 208 times.

The development also incorporates MUGA sports pitches, allotments, edible planting, wildflower grasslands, extensive networks of footpaths to encourage cardiovascular exercise and external break out areas for staff wellbeing. The site, which is bounded by the Coventry Canal, features landscaping with extensive native tree planting, and other works aimed at generating biodiversity such as log piles, locations for apiaries, bat and bird boxes, as well as an extensive balancing pond overlooked by a projecting terrace for staff relaxation.

Internally the facilities will benefit from the latest in robotics, AI and warehouse management systems to provide flexible solutions and control of the supply chain. When fully operational, the development will help Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK achieve its goals of reducing direct carbon emissions. Both state-of-the-art, sustainable warehouses will offer a wide range of warehousing and distribution services to a diverse customer base of Global retail brands, particularly those in the fashion, toy, FMCG, home and health & beauty sectors.

Commenting on the project Glencar CEO Eddie McGillycuddy said: “It is with a tremendous sense of pride and happiness that we today can formally announce practical completion has been reached and we are handing over this truly incredible new dedicated logistics campus to Baytree and Rhenus. This cutting-edge project is one of the largest and most sustainable developments Glencar has ever had the privilege of delivering and we are absolutely delighted with the outcome. The vast scale of the warehouses coupled with the latest emerging warehousing and logistics technology and innovations looks set to ensure Rhenus can accommodate customers well into the future. As a BREEAM Outstanding certified building we are enormously proud of the hard work and dedication that the team has put in to achieve this outstanding success. I would like to thank everyone involved and look forward to seeing the building come into life and enable Rhenus to meet growing demand and exceed its customers’ expectations.”

Also commenting, Amit Babbar, Baytree Development Director said: “We are delighted to have reached practical completion on this industry leading development for Rhenus. The development incorporates a number of industry firsts on a development of this scale and represents our commitment to pioneering advancements in both the environmental and social elements of industrial and logistics buildings. We are extremely pleased with the collaborative approach taken by all involved to create a new benchmark in the sector.”

Harry Wheelhouse, Business Development & Marketing Director at Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK added: “This new site will allow us to meet the demands of our growing business and attract new customers, whilst enabling us to deliver our high-quality, personalised service. More importantly, our new, sustainable warehouses can potentially support our customers in achieving their own carbon-reduction goals. Every aspect of our warehouse environment, will be measured using the latest in digital technology including CO2 levels by area. As all companies will need a plan to achieve a carbon-zero supply chain by 2050, Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK is perfectly positioned to help its customers document their own roadmap to deliver this.”

Setlog and Rhenus Join Forces

Posted on 30 October, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The software vendor Setlog has been part of the Rhenus Group since October 24th, 2023. Setlog was founded in 2001 by Guido Brackelsberg, Ralf Duester and Jakob Gielen and has since developed into one of the world’s leading software specialists for end-to-end supply chain management solutions.

The digitalization of the supply chain by Setlog is characterized by transparency, consistent data communication without media breaks and the replacement of manual processes. With the Setlog system OSCA, customers can network collaboratively with all partners along their supply chain. Integration via a central platform enables comprehensive communication and data exchange. Holistic control of the end-to-end supply chain is therefore guaranteed at anytime and anywhere.

Both companies already know each other through their collaboration within the non-profit organization Open Logistics Foundation. Setlog and Rhenus see the merger as an opportunity to further expand Setlog’s software solutions, market them worldwide and thus make them accessible to even more industries and customers. “We have always seen ourselves as a reliable partner in exploiting the full potential of our customers’ supply chain.

The merger with Rhenus immediately offers us another opportunity to respond to the constantly changing and increasingly complex requirements in logistics. The affinity of both companies and our complementary skills will therefore promote our growth in the long term,” says Ralf Duester, co-founder and board member of Setlog. He further describes the partnership as a strategic investment through which new solutions for customers can be developed and implemented together. There will be no change in day-to-day business for employees and customers, who primarily come from the Textile & Apparel and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods sectors. The software developer continues to operate independently under its own logo and with its own business. The neutrality of the company is fully maintained and is a prerequisite for further expansion of the business.

Through the partnership, both companies benefit from each other’s expertise. “As Rhenus, we can already look back on a long-standing and excellent partnership with Setlog. With Setlog, we as Rhenus add a missing component to our offering for our customers. The interlinking, complete transparency and control of the supply chain has become increasingly important in recent years, not least due to more volatile markets. We will continue to expand this together with Setlog. We rely on the neutrality of Setlog. This enables us to further develop the software in a flexible and agile manner, as well as to create additional added value for customer-oriented solutions,” says Tobias Koenig, Chief Commercial Officer at Rhenus. “By combining our know-how as a logistics service provider with Setlog’s expertise in state-of-the-art software technology, we can serve our customer bases even better, expand our range and offer new products.”

Setlog Holding is a provider of Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions. The central product is the cloud-based software OSCA with the solutions Procurement, SRM, Global Logistics, CSR and Quality Control. OSCA, which stands for “Online Supply Chain Accelerator”, is used by more than 150 brands in the apparel, electronics, food, consumer goods and hardware sectors. With the help of OSCA, companies connect their supply chain partners, suppliers and service providers to optimally coordinate their supply chain and efficiently manage supply chains.
Setlog GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Setlog Holding AG. The company was founded in 2001 and is today one of the leading providers of SCM software with over 40,000 users in 92 countries. The software house employs 60 people at its locations in Bochum (headquarters), Cologne and New York.