Author: Archive

Minister orders probe into shambles at the post office

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri on Friday promised “no individual will be spared”, as she announced details of a far-reaching probe into the turbulence and infighting at the SA Post Office.

The turmoil at the board of the Post Office and allegations of corruption at the top have threatened to undo the improvements in service in recent years as it finally returned to profitability after years of wallowing deep in the red.

Matsepe-Casaburri stepped in this week to calm tensions at the Post Office board which had simmered in recent weeks, but boiled over last week when CEO Khutso Mampeule was “suspended” from his post after he refused to take a “leave of absence”.

Bickering has been the order of the day since news surfaced two months ago that Mampeule had laid a criminal complaint against his predecessor, Maanda Manyatshe, over tender irregularities.

The person she appointed to do the probe is Andrew Maralack of auditing firm SizweNtsaluba VSP Forensics to investigate the matter. Maralack is also a director on the board of the SA Broadcasting Corporation, another under-fire institution that falls under Matsepe-Casaburri’s portfolio.

There will be two-prongs to the probe. Firstly, Maralack will investigate “governance issues”, a broad topic that is expected to include the allegations against Manyatshe, the manner in which they were made, conflicts of interest at the board level, and the counter-allegations against Mampeule.

Next will be a look at management issues, including low staff morale. Matsepe-Casaburri said the probe would be treated urgently “to avoid lowering of staff morale and to restore corporate governance”.

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Amtrak's Government Mail Partnership Takes Off

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

Amtrak Express Parcels is set to deliver millions of packages for the government following the launch of a new mail service aimed at the thousands of Government departments and offices around the country.

Government Mail is the result of a partnership between Amtrak and The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). The new nationwide service gives Government direct access to a network of 100 delivery centres and 2000 vehicles providing next day delivery of documents and parcels.

Government Mail builds on a distribution service first established during the Second World War to carry mail between Government departments. Government Mail offers a true one-stop-shop solution to meet all of the varied collection and delivery requirements of Government and the wider public sector.

Part of the Department for Transport (DfT) Government Mail will be providing next day delivery to destinations nationwide. Through the partnership with Amtrak, Government can now single-source all mail and parcel requirements, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

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DHL going regional

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

The Illawarra region in New South Wales is one of the first places in Australia where DHL has entered into an agreement with a local owner-operator courier to trade under the DHL brand, ensuring locals get all the benefits of a global company delivered with a good dose of local knowledge.

And according to Mr Neil Carter it’s been a busy start: “It has also been a challenge to make sure that I am taking the time to get to know my customers’ wants and needs and ensure I’m helping them out.

The dedicated service to the Illawarra region is giving local businesses, in particular, speedier access to DHL’s door-to-door express services, meaning they can quickly and easily send a package across the country or to any of the more than 220 countries serviced by DHL worldwide.

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Postal Benchmarking Club successfully launched at the UPU Strategy Conference in Dubai

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

Triangle was able to successfully launch its Postal Benchmarking Club during the recent UPU Strategy Conference in Dubai. The inaugural group of small and medium size Post Offices, ranging from Malta to South Africa, will meet for the first time in the New Year via telephone conferencing.

Triangle will be coordinating the Club and it is expected that in time the group will develop into various sub-divisions of interest. “Triangle is a long established research company based in the UK but operating worldwide, and is well placed to develop this much needed initiative for the mail and postal world”, said Paul Jackson, Chairman of Triangle. “We will be commissioning research where appropriate, and we are confident that this important new venture will attract a sizeable membership that will grow as the word spreads and more Post Offices become involved.”

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New Eurodis Partner in UK and Ireland

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

A new partner has joined Eurodis, the European distribution network run by trans-o-flex, the combi-freight operator based in Weinheim: Tuffnells Parcels Express has been the exclusive delivery partner for the UK and Ireland since the beginning of November, replacing the previous partner Business Post. trans-o-flex decided to make the switch after a successful test phase: “Tuffnells are an excellent match for us with their great flexibility and range of services. Apart from parcels and pallets, they also carry time-definite and chilled goods and handle pick-up orders and partial deliveries. With Tuffnells as our partner, we can offer our customer-tailored solutions in the UK and Ireland in an ideal way,” says Klaus J. Heinz, trans-o-flex CEO.

For trans-o-flex, this switch in the UK and Ireland is only the latest step in the process of strengthening its international network. In October, Pan Nordic Logistics became the new Eurodis partner for Sweden. Before that, trans-o-flex’ subsidiary in the Netherlands entered the Eurodis network. Last year, the organisation which has been in existence since 1993 established its own management company, Eurodis GmbH. Its main responsibility is to establish and coordinate special trans-o-flex services Europe-wide. Via Eurodis, trans-o-flex guarantees full market presence in Europe and assures the customary rapid and reliable delivery of customers’ goods across European borders.

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Experts gather in Hong Kong to share knowledge on building brands

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

To identify the future trends and practices for industry players, the International Conference on Brand Management will take place in Hong Kong for the second time. Jointly organised by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Asian Centre for Brand Management and the Hong Kong Design Centre, the event will enable experts on branding and industry leaders to exchange views and discuss the way forward.

Keynote speakers include Roland Rust, a professor from the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, who will discuss how service changes brand management, and Rod Brodie, professor of marketing from the University of Auckland, who will examine the role of integrating consumer and relationship marketing to create value.

Top executives from Hong Kong and the mainland will also join the conference to share their experiences in brand development and management. Among them are Alan Wong, director of marketing with DHL Express (Hong Kong); Viveca Chan, founder of WE Worldwide Partners; Margaret Leung, general manager of HSBC; Alfred Chan, managing director of Hong Kong and China Gas; Sun Xianhong, vice-president of Mengniu Dairy; and Eden Woon, vice-president for Greater China of Starbucks (China) Coffee Company.

Professor Tsui said branding was becoming increasingly important for Hong Kong as its economy was now mainly service-oriented.

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Big banks want to buy the Postal Bank, too

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

The two largest Israeli banks, Leumi and Hapoalim, have requested to be allowed to participate in the state tender to integrate the services of the Postal Bank into the commercial banking sector.

A month ago, treasury accountant general Yaron Zelekha sent letters to dozens of institutions that may be interested in buying the Postal Bank. Among the local bodies Zelekha approached were insurance companies and the medium-sized banks.

A month ago, a joint team from the Israel Post and the treasury started examining the option of allowing a financial institution to use the Postal Bank’s network of branches to sell its products and services. The partner could be an Israeli insurance company or medium-sized bank, or an international financial body or foreign postal bank. Another possibility is turning the new postal company into a completely commercial bank that operates with an official license and is subject to Bank of Israel supervision.

The team is supposed to finish its work and decide which model is preferable by the end of March 2007. In January, team members are scheduled to travel to visit various foreign institutions that have shown interest in working with the Postal Bank.

The plan received support from a foreign source yesterday, as the chairman of the Supervisory Board of the German Postbank, Dr. Klaus Zumwinkel, arrived in Israel and met with Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson and the Bank of Israel head Stanley Fischer. Zumwinkel explained the German Postbank model to them and to outgoing banks supervisor Yoav Lehman, who also attended the meeting. The possibility of cooperation was raised.

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UPS CapitalSM expands role in small business lending

Posted by | Nov 28, 2006 | |

Continuing its commitment to small businesses, UPS CapitalSM, the financial services arm of UPS, has become one of the nation’s top lenders under the government-guaranteed 7(a) loan program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
For the SBA’s fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2006, UPS Capital Business Credit, a unit of UPS Capital, facilitated 304 SBA 7(a) loans valued at USD190.7 million. That activity puts UPS Capital Business Credit among the SBA’s top 15 lenders as measured by dollar value. Compared with fiscal 2005, UPS Capital Business Credit’s SBA activity in 2006 increased more than 22 percent in both the number and dollar value of loans facilitated.

UPS can offer solutions to small businesses that combine financial services with the company’s core package shipping and supply chain capabilities. One beneficiary of this comprehensive portfolio is TrueWave, LLC, a producer of high-end audio equipment under the brand name Wadia.

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