Packs tracking

Express delivery in the Benelux since 2012

Packs is a logistics carrier specializing in parcel delivery, recognized for its dense network in the Benelux and its fast and reliable distribution service. Founded in 2012 in the Netherlands, it has developed to become a major player in express delivery in its region, while expanding its services internationally. It relies on a solid infrastructure, advanced tracking technologies, and a range of diversified services to meet the needs of businesses and individuals alike.

The history of Packs begins in 2012 with the creation of Packs Special Care B.V. in Leerdam, Netherlands. From the start, the company positioned itself in the accelerated delivery segment, offering "overnight" services - next-day delivery - for the Benelux. Over the years, Packs has built its reputation by focusing on reliability and speed, presenting itself as a trusted "pakketdienst" - parcel service - for the region. Specializing in fast distribution, the company quickly distinguished itself by its ability to handle demanding or specially constrained shipments. Indeed, Packs emphasizes its long-standing expertise in urgent overnight deliveries and shipments with special requirements.

Faced with the growth of e-commerce and the demand for express deliveries, Packs has gradually expanded its geographical footprint. Initially focused on domestic deliveries in the Netherlands, it quickly expanded into Belgium and Luxembourg, forming a coherent Benelux network. The company invested in opening regional distribution centers and establishing local partnerships, which allowed it to increase its capacity and reduce transit times. At the same time, Packs expanded its service offerings to cover not only standard parcels but also specific segments such as fresh products or international shipments.

In recent years, the Packs network has experienced significant expansion. The company now has more than 70 affiliated distribution centers, called Packs Centers, spread across the Benelux. Its main platform, the centralized transit center - COP -, is located in Leerdam and serves as a hub for the reception and overnight redistribution of parcels throughout the network. Thanks to this strengthened infrastructure, Packs now delivers thousands of parcels daily to recipients, whether they are professionals or individuals, even during peak periods.

In terms of partnerships and clients, Packs has gained the trust of important players. For example, the online gift and flower company Greetz has partnered with Packs for the distribution of its products, benefiting from deliveries ensured seven days a week, including Sundays. This collaboration, renewed over several years, illustrates the level of service and reliability achieved by Packs as well as its ability to adapt to specific logistical needs - delivery of flowers, balloons, gift parcels, etc. -.

Transport services for all needs

Packs offers a complete range of parcel transport services, both nationally and internationally, to cover all the logistical needs of its clientele. For domestic shipments in the Benelux, the company provides a standard parcel service with fast delivery the next business day after pickup, which corresponds to its basic express courier offer. Customers can choose different levels of service depending on the urgency or nature of the shipment, whether it is a standard delivery or a priority delivery before a given time.

Internationally, Packs enables parcel shipments to many countries by relying on a network of partners and its customs expertise. Its unit dedicated to international shipments ensures border crossings under the best conditions, leveraging a vast global logistics network and advanced tracking systems to guarantee smooth and reliable delivery to any destination. Whether sending a parcel to a neighboring European country or to other continents, Packs coordinates transit efficiently. Intra-European deliveries are generally carried out in partnership with local carriers when necessary, while maintaining unified tracking via the Packs platform.

In addition to traditional parcel courier services, Packs offers specialized services for specific needs:

• Flower Packs: a service dedicated to sending flowers and floral arrangements. Packs ensures the transport of fresh bouquets quickly and carefully, allowing flowers to be delivered from the producer to the final recipient while maintaining their freshness.
• Fresh Packs: a service oriented towards fresh and perishable products. Without using refrigerated vehicles, Packs is capable of transporting refrigerated or even frozen foodstuffs while ensuring the cold chain is maintained throughout the journey. This offer is particularly aimed at agri-food companies or online food retailers.
• Mail Packs: a solution for small postal shipments - documents, small parcels - that can be deposited directly in mailboxes. This service concerns small-format shipments - up to about 38 × 26.5 × 3.2 cm for a maximum of 2 kg - deliverable without signature. It allows mail or small parcels to be delivered economically, with the courier depositing the shipment in the recipient's mailbox.
• Priority Packs: a priority delivery service for urgent shipments that need to be delivered faster than the standard time frame. Packs offers guaranteed deliveries before defined times, for example before 12:00, 10:30, or even 9:00 the morning following the shipment. This premium service ensures accelerated handling and priority distribution for critical parcels or important documents.

Furthermore, Packs offers freight services for large or heavy shipments. Its freight service can organize the transport of pallets or large cargoes by combining different modes - road, air, sea - depending on the needs, while providing customized logistical solutions for professional clients. With the rise of e-commerce, Packs has also developed solutions dedicated to e-merchants. This includes IT integration with online sales platforms - via connectors or APIs - to facilitate label printing and tracking, efficient stock and order management, as well as reverse logistics solutions - facilitated returns -. This is evidenced by its tools such as webshop koppelingen - links with online stores - and the return service offer with home pickup - Pick Up Return - which simplifies the retrieval of a returned parcel at the customer's home. To meet specific delivery requirements, Packs offers additional options. For example, the "No delivery to neighbor" option ensures that the parcel will only be delivered to the main recipient and will not be left with a third party in case of absence. Similarly, for shipments of regulated products - such as alcoholic beverages -, an "Age check" option can be activated, requiring the courier to verify the recipient's age and only deliver the parcel to an identified adult. These additional services illustrate Packs' flexibility and adaptation to legal constraints and shippers' preferences.

Logistics network and modern infrastructure

Packs' coverage area extends across the entire Benelux, thanks to a tight network of regional logistics centers. The network includes more than seventy partner depots - Packs Centers - spread between the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. These regional centers, operated in collaboration with local partners, play a key role in service proximity: they ensure the collection of parcels from shippers in their area, transit to the central sorting center, and final distribution to recipients in their region. This decentralized network organization allows Packs to always be "close to" its customers and to guarantee great responsiveness in the transport of shipments.

At the heart of Packs' infrastructure is its main sorting center, located in Leerdam, Netherlands, which serves as a central transshipment platform - Central Overslag Punt -. Every night, parcels collected in the various Packs Centers are transported there to be sorted, grouped by destination, and then shipped to the relevant regional centers before dawn. This hub-and-spoke sorting model optimizes inter-city routes during the night and allows for deliveries as early as the next morning in most cases. The choice of Leerdam, a locality in the center of the Netherlands, as the central hub, facilitates the balancing of distances to be covered across the Benelux.

In terms of equipment and fleet, Packs primarily relies on road transport to move parcels between its sites. Trucks and light commercial vehicles ensure night shuttles between the Packs Centers and the central sorting center, as well as local delivery rounds. The network also relies on more than 70 drivers and distribution partners covering urban and rural areas daily, including weekend deliveries. Indeed, one of the strengths of Packs' coverage is the ability to operate 7 days a week: the company guarantees parcel distribution every day of the week, including Sundays, to meet the demands of some of its key clients. This exceptional performance is based on the commitment of its partner network and an adapted scheduling organization.

Furthermore, Packs has specific infrastructures to meet its specialized services. For example, for the Fresh Packs service dedicated to fresh products, the company has implemented efficient isothermal containers and packaging, so that perishable goods remain at a controlled temperature during transit without resorting to refrigerated trucks. Similarly, the network carefully handles shipments of flowers and sensitive plants via Flower Packs, avoiding unsuitable warehouses and minimizing transit times to preserve product freshness. Each regional center is equipped to manage these special shipments separately from standard parcels if necessary. Finally, all depots and the central sorting center are connected in real-time to Packs' central system, ensuring complete visibility of all parcel movements in the network.

Optimization of the logistics process

Packs' logistics process is designed to optimize every step, from parcel collection to final delivery. It all starts with the pickup of shipments from shippers. Regular professional clients can arrange daily pickup rounds, while occasional or individual shippers have drop-off points or can schedule a pickup. A Packs driver - or its local partner - takes charge of the parcel at the shipping address, immediately scanning its tracking label to register it in the system.

Once collected, the parcel is transported to the nearest local Packs center. There, it is possibly grouped with other shipments from the region, then shipped to the central sorting center in Leerdam during the night convoy. During this transit phase, parcels mainly circulate at night, taking advantage of less congested roads, to arrive at the central sorting center before dawn. Each major movement - departure from a center, arrival at the sorting center, etc. - is subject to a tracking scan, allowing the parcel status to be updated in real-time.

At the central sorting center, shipments are sorted by final destination. The parcels are then loaded onto return transport lines to the various regional Packs Centers of destination. This dispatching operation takes place late at night or early in the morning. Upon arrival at the recipient regional center, each parcel is prepared for local delivery. A final exit scan triggers the status indicating that the parcel is "out for delivery," and then the parcel is entrusted to a courier for the day's round.

Final distribution is carried out by delivery drivers in time slots generally between the morning and afternoon, depending on the area. The courier presents themselves at the recipient's address and attempts to deliver the parcel against signature - except for Mail Packs shipments that can be deposited in mailboxes -. If successful, the "delivered" status is immediately recorded, and the delivery is thus concluded. If the recipient is absent during the visit, Packs' policy is to make a second attempt with immediate neighbors. If a neighbor agrees to receive the parcel, it is handed over, and the main recipient is informed via a notice left in their mailbox, specifying with whom the package was deposited. The status then becomes "delivered to a neighbor," indicating that the delivery took place at an alternative address.

In the event that neither the recipient nor a neighbor can receive the parcel, the courier leaves a "Niet Thuis Bericht," which is a notice of passage containing instructions to reschedule a delivery. This document notably includes the phone number of the local Packs Center responsible for the shipment. The recipient can then contact this center to arrange a new delivery date at their convenience. During this time, the parcel is kept on hold in the regional depot. Once the delivery is rescheduled with the recipient, the parcel is taken out and delivered again, usually on the next available business day. This process ensures that the second delivery is made in the presence of the recipient.

For Mail Packs shipments - small parcels/letters without signature -, the operation differs slightly during final distribution. The courier does not ring and does not necessarily seek the recipient's presence: they directly deposit the shipment in the mailbox, provided it is accessible and standardized. To provide proof of delivery, the system records the GPS geolocation at the time of the Mail Pack drop-off. Thus, even without a signature, the shipment's traceability is ensured. If the recipient's mailbox is inaccessible - internal building mailbox, etc. - or nonexistent, the courier will treat the Mail Pack as a regular parcel - attempt at hand delivery -. In the particular case of deliveries subject to an age restriction - Age check service -, the parcel is only delivered to the adult recipient after verifying an ID, and in case of absence, the parcel is neither entrusted to a neighbor nor deposited without control. This ensures compliance with regulations on the concerned products.

Overall, Packs' logistics scheme is optimized for speed and reliability. The pickup-sorting-delivery cycle takes place in less than 24 hours within the Benelux perimeter in most situations, thanks to the nighttime organization of transit. The close coordination between the different centers and real-time tracking allows for quickly identifying any setbacks - delay, incident - to address them as soon as possible. Thus, despite the multiplicity of steps, Packs manages to maintain a high level of service quality in the delivery of each shipment.

Real-time shipment tracking and traceability

Packs uses an efficient online tracking system - track & trace - to ensure the traceability of each shipment from the origin depot to the final destination. From its registration, each parcel is assigned a unique tracking number. This tracking number is generally composed of a letter followed by a long sequence of numbers. For example, a typical number may appear in the form A0060201423811. This 14-character code is printed on the parcel's label as a barcode or QR code and serves as an identifier throughout the parcel's journey.

Packs parcel tracking is accessible to customers via the carrier's official website. To check the status of a shipment, the user enters their tracking number and the recipient's postal code on the dedicated search page. The requirement of the postal code provides additional security by ensuring that only concerned parties can obtain delivery details. Once this information is entered, the system immediately displays the current status of the parcel and its journey history.

Several tracking statuses can be successively recorded for the same shipment, reflecting each important step of the transit. For example, a newly shipped parcel will appear as "Shipment created," then move to "Picked up by Packs" once collected by the courier. During transport, statuses such as "In transit" or "Arrived at sorting center" will indicate progress. Just before final delivery, the status will become "Out for delivery," and finally "Delivered" once the delivery is completed - or a specific status if the delivery has an issue, e.g., recipient absent -. All this information is updated in real-time thanks to scans performed by employees at each point of passage.

Packs' tracking system being developed in-house, it is closely adapted to the company's operations. The online tracking platform, called Packs Online, is maintained and improved by Packs' own IT teams. This allows offering customers up-to-date features and integrating specific requests. For example, in case of a delivery anomaly, Packs' customer service can add an explanatory status - such as "Incident" or "Exceptional delay" - to inform the recipient of the situation. Additionally, the system proactively sends progress notifications - by email or SMS - if the sender has planned it, so that recipients are alerted to the imminent arrival of their parcel. Thanks to this robust digital infrastructure, Packs ensures total transparency on the parcel's journey and provides peace of mind to its clientele who can track their delivery's progress at any time.

Commitments to quality and innovation

Packs is committed to providing a parcel transport service that is both reliable, transparent, and innovative. The company's first commitment is to delivery reliability. In concrete terms, this translates into a high rate of successful deliveries within the announced timeframes and serious handling of each shipment. By internalizing key operations and working with selected partners, Packs maintains control over service quality at every step. Its positioning as a "trusted carrier" in the Benelux is based on rigorous procedures and a fine knowledge of the local terrain, ensuring that parcels arrive safely in the best conditions. Even in the face of increased volumes related to online commerce, Packs maintains this commitment by adapting its resources during peak periods - strengthening teams at the end of the year, etc. - to preserve the reliability of rounds.

Packs' second major commitment concerns traceability. Aware that visibility on the routing is essential for shippers and recipients, Packs continuously invests in its tracking system. The Packs Online tool allows detailed real-time tracking, with automatic status updates at each scan. Each parcel is tracked to the letter, and customers can know its last known location and the next step at any time. Packs goes beyond standard practices in terms of traceability, using, for example, GPS geolocation to certify the delivery of parcels without signature deposited in mailboxes. Moreover, the company keeps the complete history of statuses, which helps analyze and improve the logistics process and provide evidence in case of disputes. This transparency in tracking strengthens customer trust, knowing that no parcel disappears without explanation in the network.

Finally, innovation is at the heart of Packs' strategy to differentiate itself in the logistics sector. The company quickly adopts new technologies and methods likely to optimize its efficiency or enrich its services. For example, Packs has deployed an automated scan tunnel in its sorting center: this "scan tunnel" system instantly measures the dimensions and weight of parcels passing through it and records this data in the system. This ensures reliable billing and more precise sorting, while speeding up the processing of large volumes. In terms of services, Packs innovates by developing tailor-made offers for specific sectors - flowers, fresh products, etc. -, showing its ability to step out of the classic generic parcel scheme. The company is also involved in sector modernization initiatives: it is a member of the professional organization Transport en Logistiek Nederland - TLN - and adheres to codes of good practice, for example in terms of safety and sustainable development - eco-friendly packaging, ergonomic work for couriers, etc. -. This focus on innovation also encompasses customer relations, with the facilitated integration of Packs tracking into partners' e-commerce sites, or the sending of personalized notifications.

Thanks to these commitments, Packs seeks to ensure a high level of service quality from end to end. Operational reliability translates into increased customer satisfaction and a solid reputation. Enhanced traceability offers transparency and reduces uncertainties for shippers and recipients alike. As for innovation, it allows Packs to adapt to market changes and evolving expectations - ever faster deliveries, environmental respect, specific requirements of certain sectors -. By combining the tradition of reliable service with modern tools, Packs consolidates its place among the reference logistics carriers in its market.