Fifteen years of development at Moldova Post
Valentin Vizant, General Director S.E. “Posta Moldovei”, writes for Mail & Express Review. Creating a New Postal Organisation
Founded on April 1, 1993, the State Enterprise Posta Moldovei has been through a period of essential reorganisation in order to extend postal communications in the country. Having the widest retail network, Posta Moldovei guarantees the reception and distribution of domestic and international postal items throughout the Republic of Moldova, which lies in the central part of Europe and occupies an area of some 33,844 square kilometres. The new country required new qualitative postal communications that would support the further progress of Moldovan society.
Nowadays, Posta Moldovei comprises a complex network with 37 branches, which manages the activity of 1148 post offices and agencies. During the last fifteen years it has established international postal items exchange with all the member countries of the Universal Postal Union. Postal traffic is ensured through 24 air companies, using 24 direct and 135 transit air flights. Within the state borders mail is carried out on 97 routes, the daily length being about 17300 kilometres.
In 1993 postal employees processed and delivered about 34.5m letter items. By 1996 this volume had decreased to 13.5m. It was only after 2002 that the volumes started to increase so that now approximately 40m letters and parcels, 28m newspapers and magazines, 180,000 money orders, and about 8m pension and compensation payments are handled each year.
Providing New Services
Posta Moldovei now provides to the public new services such as copying, fax sending, express mail, commercial advertising mail, transportation of occasional goods, booking photo services, dividend payments, delivery of identity cards, reception of contributions and retailing the policies for compulsory medical assistance insurance.
The first working places of copy services were organised in 1995. By 1997 this service was provided in all territorial centres.
In February 1996 the international express mail service was launched. Previously, the EMS service had functioned on the basis of a cooperation agreement with Russia. Currently, the EMS Moldova service provides for the receipt of items in all post offices and delivery to all countries throughout the world. Under the auspices of the UPU, Posta Moldevei subsequently launched track and trace (IPD Web Tracking) of EMS and registered items.
Also in 1996 Posta Moldovei implemented the Bureau-Fax service, and between 1998 and 2000 it signed contracts with investment funds regarding dividend payments. Moldovan Post has established cooperation relationships with the postal administrations of France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel and Portugal for the introduction of international money orders.
Between 2002 and 2004 the following new services were implemented: delivery service of identity cards through the postal network; reception of contributions and retailing the policies for compulsory medical assistance insurance; and transportation of occasional goods.
Since 2005 Posta Moldovei has joined the IFS-STEFI UPU information system that enables the exchange of international money orders through e-mail.
During 2005 and 2006 working places in Postal Centres were opened to provide for the payment of state charges, order and bill payments for documents issued by the Ministry of Information Development, DocService services, and seasonal services such as Santa Clause by Post.
The Process of Modernisation
Posta Moldovei pays special attention to IT equipment, modernisation and technical and material renovation of its network. It has made considerable investments in post office modernisation, the renovation of mail processing and transport centres, the installation of heating systems in postal units, and the endowment of work places with modern technical equipment.
Counter machines for re-equipment of working places, cash desks with fiscal memory, stamping machines, conveyors, over 600 computers, in excess of 1300 scales, including almost 500 electronic ones, around 60 fax machines, Xerox machines, subscription boxes, franking machines, and other items were purchased. The vehicle fleet is regularly updated.
A considerable contribution to postal modernisation has been through the technical assistance provided by developed countries. For example, in 2000, as the result of a PostEurop meeting, a collaboration agreement with La Poste was signed, as a consequence of which the French provided Posta Moldovei with 30 Renault and Citroen vehicles to be used for mail transportation. In 2004 the Chinese Post offered 200 bicycles. Another cooperation project has resulted in the donation of 4 Fiat Ducato vehicles for mail transportation, provided by the posts of Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Information Technology and Quality
All the changes mentioned above created the preconditions for integration of the Moldovan postal sector into the wider complex of modern communications.
The improving quality of traditional services and the development of new services would not be possible without the implementation of new information technologies.
Until the beginning of 2006 information systems in Posta Moldovei consisted of a number of servers installed in every regional branch office and connected to a central server in Chisinau, the capital. It was very expensive to maintain the system architecture because information about all the operations concerning money and payment reception could not be quickly transmitted to the central server. The important banking service contracts required online display of all information about payments, and the 36 local servers had high maintenance costs.
Between 2006 and 2008 the structure of information systems was therefore reorganised, and a common information network with one central server was created. All computers in branches and post offices are connected to the network via an internet connection known as MaxDSL, provided by MoldTelecom.
These investments allowed the creation of automated work places in post offices and enabled the provision of such services as the exchange of international money orders through electronic transfers.
“Quality service – satisfied customer” has become the fundamental principle underpinning Posta Moldovei activity. For example, the post has verified its quality standards by testing its own postal network. The test results demonstrated that Posta Moldovei is ready to sign bilateral agreements with postal administrations on end to end international postal service quality standards, and to take part in the monitoring of international air mail traffic, organised by the UPU between the postal administrations via the internet. The enterprise’s activity in this area contributed to obtaining the certificate that corresponds for postal services to the international quality system ISO 9001:2000 at the beginning of 2008.
State Enterprises Posta Moldovei is focused on customer needs and plans to develop traditional and e-services. Taking in consideration globalisation trends, the scale of migration and the development of informational technologies, Posta Moldovei is open for collaboration with other postal administrations in order to implement new services and to satisfy every client.
