MarkLogic Corporation today announced that DHL Parcel Benelux has gone live with a new, rapid-response, consumer-facing Track and Trace system built on MarkLogic’s Enterprise NoSQL database platform.
The new system, built on the MarkLogic database and developed by MarkLogic partner DIKW, was created, fully tested and went into production in just ten weeks. During testing and since being deployed, DHL Parcel Benelux has seen dramatic improvements in response times, with no degradation in system performance even at peak times.
Average response time for consumers wanting to check the status of a parcel is currently below 200 milliseconds, well within DHL Parcel’s customer SLA (Service Level Agreement) levels. The short timescale for going live has given DHL Parcel the benefit of a much faster return on investment than would be possible using a traditional database.
“Delivering an unrivalled parcel service to our valuable online retail customers and their customers is at the core of what we do. We selected the MarkLogic Enterprise NoSQL database platform as the basis for our new Track and Trace system because the Proof of Concept showed such incredibly fast response times, even at peak loads. It was also immediately apparent that the technology is fully scalable and that response times will not be unduly affected as we grow to meet the rising demand for online shopping,” said Ad Hermans, IT Director, DHL Parcel Benelux.
DHL Parcel Benelux currently ships around 150,000 packages a day to consumers on behalf of online retailers. DHL Parcel wanted to overhaul its consumer track and trace system quickly to ensure that it could offer a first-class, speedy service to its retail clients and their customers as parcel volumes continue to rise.
“Working with our partner DIKW, we were able to build and put into production a new Track and Trace system within a matter of weeks, allowing DHL Parcel to immediately offer sub-second response times to consumers wanting to know the status of a package. The beauty of our platform is that we can quickly and cost-effectively add new features to the Track and Trace system to further enhance the consumer experience – for example, more accurate delivery windows based on changing traffic and weather reports,” said Adrian Carr, group vice president at MarkLogic.
“In the future, DHL Parcel Benelux is looking to use MarkLogic’s flexibility and speed to enhance its service to customers and consumers. For example, adding weather and traffic reports to the mix would allow the company to optimize routes and offer more accurate delivery windows, saving time and money while also delivering an optimal service to consumers,” added Hugo Koopmans, managing partner at DIKW.
