SkyNet and Hellmann: Streamlining Cross-Border E-Commerce

SkyNet Worldwide Express and Hellmann Worldwide Logistics have struck a strategic partnership aimed at compressing lead times, improving visibility and simplifying cross-border e-commerce for merchants worldwide. 

For procurement leaders wrestling with volatile trade lanes and rising customer expectations, the tie-up represents a credible hybrid alternative to postal and premium express that promises speed at a sharper price point.

What the partnership delivers

The partners will co-create an end-to-end service that connects brands to consumers across 190+ destinations, spanning warehousing, fulfilment, re-fulfilment, B2C deliveries and returns management. 

SkyNet brings three decades at the forefront of cross-border e-commerce, plus gateways in Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, New York, Miami, Singapore and Sydney. Founded in the US in 1972, it operates the largest independently-owned express network and is known for flexible door to door services.

Hellmann contributes global freight capability across air and sea freight, road and rail transport as well as contract logistics, with operations in 61 countries and more than 20 million shipments a year. 

Together, they intend to lift supply chain efficiency and transparency, offering trackability across regions and modes with coherent handoffs through to last mile.

“Global parcel shipping is our core business," says Tommy Erasmus, Group CEO, SkyNet Worldwide Express. "With this partnership, we are combining SkyNet’s deep e-commerce expertise with Hellmann’s infrastructure and market reach to create a true end-to-end solution for merchants of all sizes."

Tommy positions the collaboration as a single accountable chain that reduces complexity for buyers while protecting delivery experience at scale.

Data and integration for single-pane control

The solution is built around SkyNet’s digital tools and API connectivity so merchants can manage global shipments via one integration rather than fragmented systems that increase risk. 

With a single integration point, every data element sits in one place, improving label accuracy, event-level visibility and exceptions handling. 

Hellmann’s warehousing footprint and freight infrastructure provide the physical backbone to scale these digital workflows in any location.

Risk, compliance and cost control

The collaboration targets a known procurement gap between slow postal and costly time-definite express. 

By integrating both companies’ solutions into one, the partners aim to deliver a fast and reliable service that is faster than postal shipping at a more cost-effective price than express options. 

That blend can support category strategies focused on value delivery where on-time performance, first-time delivery success and return cycle time matter as much as rate cards.

The design also acknowledges customs complexity. The joint offer covers pick-up, import and export customs clearance and delivery, giving buyers a single provider accountable for compliance, documentation and transit predictability.

For organisations diversifying routes to market, including marketplace fulfilment and direct-to-consumer, this reduces multi-party handoffs that often drive failures and hidden cost.

“Fast cross-border deliveries are essential for sustainable global growth," adds Martin Habisreitinger, COO Airfreight at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. "With SkyNet Worldwide Express as our new partner, we are embarking on an exciting and ambitious journey."

“Our new cross-border e-commerce solution connects warehouses directly to customers around the world. Together with SkyNet, we combine Hellmann´s global logistics expertise with reliable last-mile delivery in over 190 countries.” 

Martin underlines the goal of a line-of-sight flow from warehouse to doorstep that procurement teams can govern through unified KPIs.

The service will launch first for shippers in the EU or UK before expanding globally. That phased approach allows procurement to pilot, validate performance and codify SLAs, data sharing and governance ahead of a wider rollout. 

The partnership is also set to broaden Hellmann’s mix beyond B2B and warehousing into B2C distribution, with coverage for SMEs and global enterprises, giving buyers a scalable path as volumes and geographies evolve.