The week that was: 2 September, 2011
America’s East Coast recovers after Hurricane Irene, PostNord makes changes to respond to declining volumes, and Brazil’s Senate passes key postal reforms… It’s the end of the week, so time to look back on the biggest stories that have really shaped the mail and express world in the past seven days.
US East Coast recovers from hurricane
US delivery firms recovered operations on the East Coast following the passing of Hurricane Irene.
Although the impacts of the hurricane were less than had been feared, there were still widespread power outages and major flooding in many areas, even after the storm weakened as it passed through New England and Canada.
Blackouts were the most common impact, with thousands affected even some days after the storm.
Over the weekend around 9,000 flights were cancelled, along with regional trains, though transport was generally getting back to normal from Monday.
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PostNord looks to consolidate as volume declines accelerate
Nordic mail and logistics operator PostNord is making management changes ahead of a SEK 1bn ($156m USD) cost-cutting program, as it faces up to accelerating mail volume reductions.
Two years on from its formation as a merger of Post Danmark and Sweden’s Posten, the company CEO announced changes that it hopes will boost its efficiency, competitiveness and profitability.
A new shared services unit is being set up to co-ordinate a range of administrative and product development activities, while a new corporate strategy group is to be set up as the company looks to its future direction.
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Postal reforms complete passage through Brazil’s Congress
ECT celebrated the approval by the Brazilian Senate of postal reform legislation to modernise and strengthen its services.
The company stressed that the new law will mean the Post Office remaining a “100% public” organisation “in a more modern, competitive and profitable postal market”. The company said it now has the means to compete on an equal footing with large multinational logistics businesses.
ECT president Wagner Pinheiro de Oliveira said: “Our response will be accelerating the development of the company and the general improvement of our services. The approval is a victory for the company and all employees of ECT.”
And finally…
Online retail giant eBay is experiencing “phenomenal” growth in exports from Asia, and revealed that some of that growth is thanks to its relationships with key postal operators including USPS, China Post and HongKong Post. Click here to find out more »
