Industry chiefs to discuss mail transformation in Geneva
Key members of the mail and express industry in Europe are to gather in Geneva from Monday, to discuss the state of the market and best practice in the delivery of letters, packets and parcels. The World Mail and Express Europe Conference is being hosted this year by Swiss Post, taking place in the Hotel President Wilson on the shore of Lake Geneva from 21 May.
Keynote speakers at this year’s conference include Jurg Bucher, the Swiss Post chief executive, as well as Deutsche Post DHL chairman and CEO Frank Appel, and also Royal Mail Group chief executive Moya Greene.
Bucher is expected to address the challenges the modern postal operator faces under pressure from new digital alternatives to the traditional physical communications network. Swiss Post is working on some particularly innovative services bridging the interface between physical and digital networks, including the conversion of physical mail into electronic data by its Swiss Post Solutions unit, and the “Swiss Post Box” digital mailbox that allows people to receive their physical mail via their mobile phone or laptop.
Appel will be discussing the global approach Deutsche Post DHL has been forging, generating outstanding growth around the world even in today’s difficult economic conditions. The German logistics giant is in the process of investing more than EUR 1bn in upgrading its domestic mail processing and parcel networks, while achieving growth even in intercontinental logistics, the company is investing in its international network around the world at the moment, with a new hub opening soon in China and a considerable expansion of its North American hub currently underway.
As she addresses World Mail and Express Europe, Greene will be discussing an organisation in Royal Mail that had until recently lost around GBP 1bn over a four-year period, with mail volumes cut by a quarter since 2006, but has been going through one of the biggest transformations in British industry to modernise its network, and has now seen its financial performances begin to improve.
Other speakers at World Mail next week will include Correos chief executive Javier Cuesta, Austrian Post board member Peter Umumdum, bpost director Peter Somers, La Poste director of strategy Marc-Andre Feffer and SingPost group CEO Wolfgang Baier.
Future
Neil Jackson, the chief executive of World Mail and Express Europe organisers Triangle Management Services, said: “Postal operators – both public-sector and private sector – along with parcel specialists and express companies are all having to adjust to major changes in society at present, from the shift to digital channels to the explosion of e-commerce demand.
“Where the future lies for operators could be in digital, could be in logistics, financial services or the retail segment. It could involve moving up or down the postal value chain, or moving into new geographical areas.
“We are looking forward to some lively debates, seminars and networking as we welcome industry leaders from around Europe and further afield to Geneva next week. The questions are many, but the solutions are easier in this industry in collaboration and in sharing experience and knowledge.”
This year’s Geneva event kicks off on 21 May with the World Mail Awards, which will highlight excellence in the mail industry through 10 awards categories, from corporate social responsibility, customer service and innovation to ecommerce, people management and technology achievements.
