Table Of Contents
Shipping services
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Fast and Reliable Deliveries across Europe
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Pick-up Requests
Special services
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Weblabeling Facilities
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Quick Expansion across the several US States
Technology services
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Track and Trace Facilities
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Official GLS Application
About GLS
GLS, also known as the General Logistics Systems BV, is a British logistics company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They operate in several countries across Europe, as well as in eight US States and two Canadian provinces. It deals with parcels, logistics, and express services, processing a total volume of about 870 million parcels in 2021-22. It registered annual revenue of 5 billion Euros in the same year, with Germany and France accounting for almost 54.6% of the revenue.
General Logistics Systems BV was first founded by Rico Back in Germany in 1989 as German Parcel. German Parcel acted as a national service provider before expanding operations in Europe and rebranding as General Parcel in 1992. In 1999, the company was sold to Royal Mail, a British-owned international postal service.
Between 1999 and 2002, several other smaller companies were integrated into the General Logistics ecosystem. For instance, GLS acquired US-based parcels delivery companies such as Golden State Overnight (GSO) and Postal Express. GLS is now one of the largest and most extensive ground-based postal networks in Europe. The firm has approximately 37,000 delivery vans and 4500 long-distance trucks serving 70+ distribution centers. In 2019, it was estimated that GLS ran on an operating profit of about 180 million Euros.
GLS offers a variety of delivery services. Its Parcel Delivery option allows domestic parcels to be sent and received within 24 hours. In Europe, delivery times may range from anywhere between one to five business days. GLS also frequently makes accommodations and allows special delivery facilities for its customers, such as Parcel Shops and Drop-off Boxes. As for freight transport, the company maintains distribution networks in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands. GLS ensures that all safety standards for freight transport are met responsibly and are handled with special care if required.
The firm also offers a range of Express Delivery options for fast, safe, and reliable communication of mail and parcels. The Express Delivery features are offered in European nations such as Italy and Denmark, as well as in North America. To supplement these delivery options, it would be a prudent choice to make use of third-party logistics technology platforms such as ClickPost, which can take care of all your shipping API and integration needs.
FAQs about GLS
1) How to track shipments containing multiple items?
The best thing about GLS is that customers only need a single tracking number in order to be able to track all packages and shipments even if they include multiple items. The only caveat is in the case of international shipments, where a separate tracking number is needed for each individual parcel.
2) What does ‘Shipment Waiting in Storage’ mean?
Whenever a buyer receives the ‘Shipment Waiting in Storage’ notification, it is an indicator that the shipment is currently at the GLS depot and awaiting the receiver's pick-up. In order to receive the parcel, proper identification and reference number of the parcel is a necessity. The original recipient can even nominate someone to pick up the parcel for them. For this purpose, they will need the tracking number, the receiver’s identification, their own identification, and an authorized letter from the recipient.
API | Description |
Manifestation and shipping label generation API: |
Create order on Courier Partner, fetch waybill and shipping label and place pickup request |
Track Shipment API: | Track your GLS shipment using AWB and Courier Partner |
Cancellation API | Cancel shipment manifested on Courier Partner for faster returns |
EDD API: | Show estimated delivery date for shipments on the order checkout page |
NDR Action update: | Updates the after NDR action directly on courier company’s database |
Return Web-hooks: | Track your return shipment using AWB and Courier Partner using web-hooks |
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