One of the top 3PLs for cross-border e-commerce shipping ePost Global, offers dependable and reasonably priced parcel delivery services from the United States to over 200 countries worldwide. The company, which specializes in technology-enabled logistics, offers quicker, traceable, and hassle-free shipping services to help online retailers grow internationally.
An innovative 3PL committed to leading ahead in modern logistics, ePost Global had set itself a goal of 100% automation across its operations. Yet 30% of parcels- those with unreadable barcodes, irregular shapes, or extreme sizes-could not be processed by their existing automation.
These exceptional parcels required manual measurement and data entry, slowing operations, increasing labor costs, and delaying their progress toward end-to-end automation.
To close this gap and move closer to true end-to-end automation, ePost Global turned to vMeasure parcel dimensioner.
What are the Challenges with Exceptional Parcels?
Prior to implementing vMeasure, ePost Global experienced a number of operational challenges that constrained its capacity to scale while ensuring top-quality cross-border shipping.
1. Limited Automation Coverage
Only 70% of the parcels were automated, while the remaining 30% exceptionals parcels are handled manually.
Those exceptional parcel covers:
- Unreadable barcodes
- Oversized or bulky parcels
- Very small or light parcels
“When pieces didn’t work on our automation, mainly unreadable barcodes, we had to manually process the parcel in our system.”
– David Gomes, General Manager 2. Labor-Intensive Manual Processing
Manual measurements caused excessive labor costs and distracted the warehouse team from more value activity with the number of details required to enter for each exception parcel, including:
- Weight
- Dimensions
- Reference numbers
This increased labor costs and diverted the team from higher-value work.
3. Risk of Human Error and Customer Impact
Manual handling resulted in:
- Reduced processing speed
- Questions from clients and possible conflicts
- Incorrect manual dimensions.
“Unit cost per piece increased due to manual processing, and customers challenged inaccurate capture of dimensions with a manual process.”
– Debora Deakin, Director of Operations
As parcel volumes grew, these inefficiencies made it increasingly difficult to maintain operational excellence and pursue 100% automation.
Why ePost Global Chose vMeasure?
Because vMeasure Parcel dimensioner offers multiple mounting options, ePost Global chose it for its compact setup and smooth integration making it the ideal choice to eliminate exception handling and scale automation.
Compact and Flexible Design
Due to its modest size, vMeasure parcel dimensioner requires minimal reconfiguration in their warehouse.
“The size of the equipment was perfect for our warehouse when I toured another facility that had this equipment.”
– David Gomes, General Manager Integration with Existing Systems
In a matter of weeks, vMeasure seamlessly integrated with ePost Global’s in-house logistics infrastructure such as their proprietary system
- Automated parcel dimensions were inputted directly into their proprietary system
- Team no longer needs to do extra manual processes to process packages.
“Our team worked to integrate the vMeasure solution with our own proprietary software, and within weeks we had the systems live and operational.”
– Debora Deakin, Director of Operations Cost-Effective and Scalable
- Reduced manual labor and errors
- Achieved fast ROI from improved efficiency
- Enabled growth as parcel volumes keeps increasing
“The flexibility of the systems and the low entry cost allowed for a faster ROI, which was critical for our operations.”
– Debora Deakin, Director of Operations | Attribute | Books | Electronic Tablets |
|---|---|---|
|
NMFC Code |
48160 |
116030 |
|
Freight Class |
70 |
175 |
|
Approx. Density |
25–30 lbs/ft³ |
22–30 lbs/ft³ |
|
Why the Difference? |
Dense, durable, easy to stack |
Fragile, high-value, sensitive to damage |
|
Key Risk Factor |
Low |
High (liability, handling, packaging needs) |
How were they able to streamline the exceptional parcel?
After deploying vMeasure parcel dimensioner, ePost Global was able to streamline exceptional parcels and saw quantifiable improvement in both operations and IT.
Operational Impact
Automation grew from 70% to 90%
Exceptional parcels are now processed automatically.
30% Labor Cost Reduction
The amount of time spent measuring parcels and entering data decreased significantly.
Faster Processing and SLA Compliance
Accurate dimensions sped up throughput and reduced client disputes.
“We went from a high 70% automation rate to 90% within weeks of installation, and we’ve now maintained a high 90% automation this year.”
– David Gomes, General Manager IT Impact
Quick Deployment
A fully operational system within weeks
Seamless Integration
Data flows directly into ePost Global proprietary systems
Scalable For Future Growth
The modular design would allow expansion to more facilities in the future
“Our IT and development teams worked closely with vMeasure, and within weeks we had the systems live and operational at multiple facilities.”
– Thanneermalai, Head of IT Driving 3PL Excellence and the Path to 100% Automation
With the implementation of vMeasure, ePost Global has reinvented its management of exceptional parcels, boosted automation from 70% to 90%, and enabled a 30% reduction in manual labor. This service improvement also improves service reliability, speed, and trust for the customer, moving the company further toward its vision of fully automated and scalable cross-border logistics.
As a technology-driven 3PL, ePost Global’s journey illustrates how innovation and the appropriate technology partner turn operational challenges into competitive advantages in global e-commerce shipping.