{"id":37484,"date":"2025-10-30T10:38:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T10:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preprodjj.wpengine.com\/?p=37484"},"modified":"2025-10-30T10:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T10:43:00","slug":"peak-seasoned-kieran-bourke-international-carrier-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/resources\/scale-up\/peak-seasoned-kieran-bourke-international-carrier-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Peak Seasoned: Kieran Bourke, International Carrier Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to Peak Seasoned<\/em>, our behind-the-scenes series exploring how different teams across J&J Global Fulfilment prepare for the busiest time of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode, we speak to Kieran Bourke, International Carrier Manager, about how his team keeps deliveries running smoothly when order volumes reach their peak, and why strong partnerships with carriers are key to maintaining a seamless experience for our clients and their customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Role of Carrier Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As order volumes rise, the Carrier Management team becomes the crucial link between our fulfilment centres and the end customer. Every order picked, packed and dispatched relies on a carrier to complete the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kieran explains that this connection is what makes the team\u2019s role so pivotal during Peak. The operational excellence within the fulfilment centres can only go so far without reliable carrier performance. \u201cWithout the carrier, the end-to-end experience is spoiled,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Carrier Management Team\u2019s partnership with our carriers ensures that customers receive the same high standard of service at Peak as they would at any other time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing for Peak<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Preparation for Peak begins months before sales come online and volume increases. Kieran and his team start by reviewing performance across all carrier partners and confirming that each has the capacity and resilience to handle increased demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus is on working with proven carriers, those with years of experience managing high seasonal volumes. Forecasting plays a major role, too, with projected order numbers translated into expected vehicle capacity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario planning then tests every assumption. What happens if a depot closes? How quickly can volumes be rerouted elsewhere? By the time Peak arrives, every contingency is covered. \u201cWe plan for every possibility,\u201d says Kieran, \u201cso when the unexpected happens, we can pivot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing Bottlenecks and Maintaining Flow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When networks are under pressure, bottlenecks can occur. Kieran\u2019s team monitors data from across the carrier network to identify any signs of strain early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They track scan times at carrier hubs and compare performance against agreed service levels. If something looks off, the team acts fast, liaising directly with carrier leadership to add capacity, move traffic through different routes, or inject directly into another hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Kieran, it\u2019s this agility that makes the difference. \u201cWe can\u2019t control everything, but we can control our visibility and our response,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting the Customer Experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the Carrier Management team\u2019s work is deeply operational, its impact is felt most by the end customer. Kieran sees the team\u2019s role as an extension of the fulfilment centre, ensuring that the customer journey remains seamless from checkout to doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an eCommerce customer myself, if I receive something late or damaged, I don\u2019t care where the issue happened,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s the overall experience that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agility and Partnership<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Years of experience across different logistics environments have shown Kieran what sets J&J apart. It\u2019s the combination of autonomy and partnership that allows his team to build genuine relationships with carriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the year, J&J collaborates on joint initiatives and process improvements, creating trust long before Peak begins. \u201cBecause we\u2019ve worked with carriers on their own projects, they\u2019re more likely to go the extra mile for us when it counts,\u201d Kieran explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an approach that not only helps navigate the busiest season but also strengthens the entire delivery network for the year ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atmosphere at Peak<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Across J&J\u2019s fulfilment centres and partner networks, there\u2019s a shared energy that builds as volumes rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real sense of camaraderie,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone\u2019s working hard towards the same goal, and when you see the results come through, it\u2019s incredibly rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear From Our Other Leaders <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to watch conversations with J&J leaders from the People and Tech teams, check out our interviews with Clara Buckingham, Chief People Officer<\/a>, and Alex Sims, Solution Architect & Sr. Software Engineer<\/a>, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to Peak Seasoned, our behind-the-scenes series exploring how different teams across J&J Global Fulfilment prepare for the busiest time of the year. In this episode, we speak to Kieran Bourke, International Carrier Manager, about how his team keeps…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":37485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[376],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scale-up","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"James Dillon","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kieran-thumb-2-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kieran-thumb-2-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"J&J Global Fulfilment","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/author\/james-and-james\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecommercefulfilment.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}