Postal Operators

Vertical AI data solutions will enable posts to remain competitive

Why Postal Operators
Choose Hurricane

Streamline Customs

Enhanced data to enable streamlined customs clearance, whilst reducing the need for manual intervention.

Ensure Compliance

Technology driven compliance solutions to meet regulatory requirements.

Speed & Accuracy

Market leading API speed and accuracy levels, without volume limitations.

Provide DDP Solution

Duty & Tax calculation to support a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) solution.
Cross Border Postal Services Solutions

Challenging Market

Cross-border global trade is responsible for the handling and distribution of over 9.3 billion orders with 60% of those orders intercontinental (McKinsey & Company 2022).

Global retail eCommerce sales are currently in the region of $5.7 trillion – around 22% of which are cross-border (Statista). This figure is forecast to grow to over $8trillion by 2026.

Postal operators have traditionally dominated this market with over two thirds of parcels being delivered via the International Mail Service.

This international service is characterised by competitive pricing, reliable transit times, simple customs clearance procedures and access to the postal delivery network which is characterised by its density and is ideal for B2C parcels.

However, the rapid growth of mail parcels delivered via this channel has been severely impacted in recent years, mainly due to several important regulatory developments and initiatives.

SECTOR
PAIN POINTS

Increasing security and product safety demands which are driving key regulatory events including ICS2, the US STOP Act and Type86 clearance, along with other initiatives requiring complete and accurate advance electronic data (AED).

Increasing geo-political tensions around the world, resulting from the Ukraine-Russia conflict and other events. This has resulted in ever greater number of sanctions, which is putting increasing demands on the screening of parcels and the exchange of AED regarding content, country of origin, sender and addressee.
Indirect tax and customs reforms have resulted in the abolishment of the VAT threshold, the creation of the EU’s Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) and the increased responsibility/liability for marketplaces and retailers. The number of countries that are working on tax and customs reforms and that are reviewing the responsibility and liability of marketplaces and other international sellers for the collection, declaration and payment of indirect taxes is growing fast.
The increase in international postal supply chain costs is not only due to the various regulatory events. The implementation of the new UPU ‘Self-Declared Rate’ tariff system has since 2020 also contributed to a delivery cost increase and the deployment of different bulk transport, clearance and direct injection solutions.
The creation of efficient cross-border eCommerce supply chains that are guaranteeing acceptable transit times and that are requiring the electronic exchange of complete and valid data, data that is required for the efficient performance of the required export and import border formalities.
The avoidance of compliance risks which can lead to serious fines for postal operators and their customers.
The availability of IOSS and DDP solutions that are enabling marketplaces and sellers to collect taxes and duties from the recipient and declare and pay taxes and duties in the country of destination.

HURRICANE
SOLUTIONS

Partnering with Hurricane gives a postal operator a unique selling point in enabling it to support its customers with the required complete, accurate and valid data sets for cross-border global trade.

Hurricane Solutions

CASE
STUDIES

The streamlining and upgrading of international retail offer

A leading postal operator has made use of Hurricane’s data services to upgrade the international parcel offer in its retail network. This includes supporting the consumer with the provision/validation of the correct…

Validation and completion of datasets that are handled via major customer platforms

A leading global postal operator has integrated Hurricane’s data solutions in its 2 major customer platforms and in its first year is already covering 65% of all exported small parcel volume…

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David SpoTtiswood
Co-founder

Interesting Fact: I am an amateur baker, but I still have no idea how sourduogh starter actually works, and am intrigued how it all reacts together to produce an incredible taste.

Favourite Music: November Rain by Guns ‘n’ Roses.  Going to Wembley with my wife our go to fun thing in our early years, our youth with long hair and rock clothing and not a care in the world other than getting the best spot in the house.

Favourite Quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results ” – Albert Einstein

Harry Reilly
Non-exec

Interesting Fact:  I learned Arabic for five years!.

Favourite Music:  A Long December by Counting Crows.  Memory of best family time together in California.

Favourite Quote: “Don’t forget execution, boys. It’s the all-important last 95%”

Tom Lee

Technical Director

Interesting Fact:  I am completely self-taught from a technical skills persepctiuve, and left formal education at 18.

Favourite Music:  Blink 182 – Aliens Exist.  Brings back fond memories of stickly floors and cheap beer.

Favourite Quote: “He sprayed water in my face – thta’s not allowed” – James Haskell.  The whole event surrounding it is hilarious and shows the power of a good wind up

Martin Palmer
Co-Founder

Interesting Fact: I started my working life training to be an accountant but decided I hated numbers. (Ironically I now love them!). I really wanted to join the Hong Kong Police force but couldn’t do that until i was 24. I took a temporary job in Imports and 47 years later here I am.

Favourite Music: There only was one choice. Harry Chapin. Meant a lot to me in my early years as an import broker. We played Chapin for hours and this one seemed to cover so many modes.

Favourite Quote: “No man is an island”

Neil Harmer

Operations Director

Interesting Fact:  As a Geologist my idea of the perfect beach holiday is going to the beach and investigating the rocks in the cliffs behind.

Favourite Music:  Broken Stones – Paul Weller, I’m a huge Paul Weller / The Jam fan; Broken Stones is a very relaxing song, I love the use of the electric piano in it

Favourite Quote: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. This is a great quote by Benjamin Franklin, to have in your head when working through a series of tasks to help keep focused.

Robert Dundas
Sales Director

Interesting Fact:  One of my life goals is to be able to speak French, I’ve been doing Duolingo every day for the last five years, and I’m still rubbish! 

Favourite Music: Where do I even start! Tom Petty Running Down a Dream, this is my top-down driving next to the ocean song

Favourite Quote: “This time will pass”

ASHLEY DEXTER
CFO & Co-founder

Interesting Fact: I was nearly named Battle Dexter (I would have probably now been residing in one of His Majesty’s establishments)

Favourite Music: Even though I spent a few years in the music industry my taste of music was always a cause for concern with my colleagues, so to surprise them all my current favourite is Kids by MGMT (absolute belter)

Favourite Quote: “Quitters never win and winners never quit”

Ian Venner
CTO & Co-founder

Interesting Fact: Runs Red Lantern Records, a not-for-profit, ethical label as a side project, whose artists have regular national BBC radio airplay.

Favourite Music: Tom Waits, pretty much all of his work.  Beautifully observed avante-garde vignettes of life.  Oh, and anything really loud!

Favourite Quote: “It’s not the mountains we climb, but the grit in our shoe that grinds us down” – which sums up taking a business from start-up to enterprise.

Martyn Noble
CEO & Co-founder

Interesting Fact: Played a high standard of semi-professional rugby union (too many years ago now!)

Favourite Music: Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven…my first live gig – Knebworth 11th August 1979, the track never grows old and is the iconic song of ‘hope’ whatever mood you are in when listening too it…and I’m still trying to work out what the lyrics mean!!

Favourite Quote: “Know your customers, Know your People, Know your Numbers” – plagiarised from Sir John Harvey Jones when I met him very early on in my career and values I stick to in my business life.