XPO partners with leading crop protection business UPL on comprehensive fourth-party logistics (4PL) support

XPO has partnered with UPL for a three-year partnership to offer a comprehensive fourth-party logistics (4PL) solution for the entire agriculture ecosystem, including major production sites in France and Belgium.

The XPO state-of-the-art 4PL solution, Key-PL^®, will manage tens of thousands of transport orders in the region for UPL, providing a significant opportunity to enhance UPL’s operational performance. The Key-PL^® solution ensures that every transport plan is carried out in the most efficient way possible, bringing together more than 1,400 connected carriers and 180 loading points, resulting in significant savings by improving operational and financial performance for customers.

Key-PL^® is based on three fundamental capabilities:

1. Engineering and management of all customer flows (physical, financial and information)
2. Transparent and neutral procurement management, independent from carrier selection
3. A control tower, organised with dedicated experts, for 360°visibility

Central to the partnership agreement with UPL is the completeness of the XPO 4PL product, which provides an end-to-end digital solution integrating everything under one proprietary Order Management System (OMS). This allows UPL to maintain their current transport organisation and benefit from a fully outsourced service, with no requirement to set up an OMS or Transport Management System or hire additional staff to manage flows effectively. It also offers an integrated pricing methodology and uniform visibility across all flows and can manage both land and sea flows seamlessly – which is critical to the UPL business model.

XPO puts continuous improvement and gains sharing with partners at the heart of its Key-PL^® solution, ensuring a positive feedback loop that delivers ongoing value and excellence. On this, Christophe Busca, Head of Logistics Europe, UPL, said: “We couldn't be happier with our partnership with XPO. The transition from our former 4PL solution to XPO has been seamless and has really showcased their exceptional teamwork and professionalism. The implementation, in particular, was managed excellently with no disruption to our customer service. This change has been transformative for UPL, enabling us to provide a more proactive customer experience, while the improved cost management has made us more competitive in the market.”

XPO has tailored its 4PL solution to meet the specific needs of UPL, which operates a large and complex business. This includes pre-billing and freight audit services and an emphasis on sustainability through collection of CO² emissions measurements and an associated progress plan. The adaptable and innovative capabilities of Key-PL^® enable its customisation to suit a variety of businesses.

Remy Guyot, European Business Development Director Key-PL^® – Europe, XPO Logistics, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with UPL for their 4PL solution. As a global leader in sustainable agriculture solutions, UPL requires a managed transportation model that can meet their high demand. XPO’s strong sector expertise and mastery of the implementation process, alongside our in-house digital OMS, will help achieve that. By focusing on a continuous improvement model and a solution tailored specifically for UPL, we hope to meet and exceed their ambitions for the next three years.”

In addition to 4PL solutions, XPO Logistics is a leading innovative supply chain company in Europe. It offers end-to-end logistics solutions that combine full-truckload, less-than-truckload, pallet distribution, last-mile delivery, global freight forwarding, and warehousing services. The company tailors its solutions to the specific needs of its customers in a wide range of industrial and consumer sectors.

www.xpo.com

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