Author: Archive

Pall-Ex signs up two new members

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

Pall-Ex is set to strengthen its network further in Northern Ireland following the appointment of County Antrim-based Reid Transport, one of Northern Ireland’s leading logistics companies.

Established in 1980, Reid is located in a 125,000 sq.ft purpose-built logistics centre outside Ballymena. The company operates a fleet of more than 300 vehicles, ranging from 18-ton rigids to full articulated combinations.

Reid was specifically chosen as a Pall-Ex member because of its location close to Northern Ireland’s motorway network and ports, and its reputation for quality.

The Pall-Ex network in the Republic of Ireland is also set to expand following the appointment of new member, Dublin-based Ace Express.

Established in 1988, Ace Express is the country’s number one pallet network with a 250,000 sq.ft site in Lusk, Dublin. Ace Express operates in all 32 Irish Counties.

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Logistics, we've got to keep moving

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

If a small trading country is to successfully compete in the quickly developing global economy, we need to transport our goods to our markets via high-quality, low-cost transport networks.

Issa Baluch, the immediate past- president of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders, said at the World Bank’s Transport Forum in March: “Having visited over 80 countries, it has become clear to me that the most vibrant economies are found in countries that have healthy partnerships between Government and the private sector.”

Challenging times demand that the Government and industry co-operate to keep goods moving smoothly across our borders.

He cited Dubai and Singapore as two world trade hubs that were rising to pre- eminence not because of their strategic location but because of their public-private partnerships.

In Dubai, the USD33 billion (NZD49 billion) Dubai World Central complex, linked to Dubai Airport, will open next year and include a logistics zone three times as large as FedEx’s hub in Memphis. It will include warehouses, factories, offices, accommodation and e-customs processing for anyone operating in its zone.

Baluch also noted that in 2000 China named logistics as a key sector in its 10th five-year plan.

If New Zealand is serious about boosting economic performance, we need to similarly look at how the Government and private enterprise can work together to create more efficient logistics management.

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Two-thirds of retailers missing out on Christmas customers by not trading online

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

Research from Barclaycard Business shows that two out of three retailers in the UK are missing out on much needed Christmas business by not setting up a website and trading online.

The research found that 69 per cent of retailers questioned do not currently trade online and are missing out on lucrative Christmas sales as millions of shoppers shun the high street to shop online.

The research comes from the first Barclaycard Business Retail in Detail Survey; an annual survey of more than 1,000 retailers across the country. The aim of this new survey is to build a comprehensive picture of the nation’s high street and to gauge the views of retail owners in the UK today.

The survey by Barclaycard Business gives an insight into the potential benefits to a retailer of trading online. The research has found that of those retailers who were able to accept business over the Internet, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) had seen an increase in their business over the last 12 months.

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Kuehne+Nagel acquires HSBC Export Services

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

Kuehne+Nagel will acquire the book of business of HSBC Bank’s Export Services division, effective December 1, 2006, for an undisclosed purchase price
The deal gives K+N access to a significant export-oriented customer portfolio.

The Coventry-based HSBC Export Services specialises in export documentation and credit management as well as seafreight and roadfreight. With expertise in outsourced documentation services, the new business ideally complements K+N’s existing export offerings for FCL, LCL and European road services.

K+N chief executive – North West Europe, Peter Ulber, said that the acquisition is a perfect strategic fit for K+N in the UK, and is consistent with the company’s strategy of acquiring businesses that bring value both to K+N and its customers.

HSBC Export Services centre manager Chris Taylor will head the new division.

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Annual Online Customer Engagement Survey

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

Annual Online Customer Engagement Survey

This cScape-sponsored Customer Engage¬ment Report, is based on the findings of a survey carried out in October and November 2006.More than 800 respondents, all internet and / or customer experience professionals, both ‘client-side’ and from agencies, completed the survey which contained questions about customer experience meas¬urement, methods of customer engagement and barriers to effective delivery.

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"Overnight cargo service" introduced

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

Want to send a huge consignment of dress materials, vessels or truckload of cardamom? Or want to vacate your house and send your domestic articles to your new destination? All at nominal cost. If yes, contact your nearby post office because India Post, run by the Department of Posts, has entered the express cargo segment by launching Logistics Post for delivering consignments in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

“To make India Post a one-stop source for people to send goods and parcels at a cheap tariff, India Post has introduced `overnight cargo service’ at nominal cost from November,” said K. Balasubramanian, Director, Postal Services. He said the area of coverage of the service would be between Madurai and Nagercoil, through Virudhunagar, Sattur, Kovilpatti and Tirunelveli. Every day, the service would start at 10 p.m. in Madurai and reach Nagercoil at 4.30 a.m. and vice-versa on all days except on closed holidays, he said.

As an value-added service, India Post would offer free pick up and delivery service within a radius 20 km in Madurai, 10 km in Nagercoil and 5 km in other towns, besides free loading and unloading up to 500 kg. A postal department employee would accompany the consignment.

To compete with other express cargo services, the department would levy 50 paise to Re.1 a kg for the service. Though the minimum chargeable weight was 50 kg, no maximum weight limit had been prescribed by the department, he said and added that they had 22 vehicles to meet the needs of overnight cargo service.

The Department of Posts would tie up with private agencies, if necessary, to meet the expectations of customers for fast, safe and reliable service, he said and added that the department had also planned to introduce insurance for the consignments with Oriental Insurance.

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UK post rules in chaos as cost of sending cards & parcels varies across country

Posted by | Nov 27, 2006 | |

With Christmas less than a month away, the postal service is in total chaos. A Sunday Mirror investigation has revealed that the Royal Mail’s new charging system is proving a disaster.

Just three months after its new pricing structure was introduced and in the run-up to its busiest time of the year, we visited post offices around the country with a selection of cards and parcels – and were given an astonishing range of prices for the same items. For one item we were quoted THREE different prices – GBP1.27, 44p and 32p.

Another item – an ordinary Christmas card – cost GBP1 to post in Swansea while in Birmingham it cost just 32p to send it the same distance.

And the difference in price for one package was a huge GBP2.15.

With an estimated 750 million cards and parcels expected to be sent this Christmas, the confusion is bound to fuel customer anger.

And it is not only customers who are confused – we discovered that many post office staff were equally bewildered by the new price scheme.

Our reporters went to six post offices in cities across the UK – London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Swansea and Edinburgh – with the same sized cards and packages to be sent first class to local addresses.

We were shocked at the inconsistency between post offices – and by the levels of confusion.

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Strike at Poczta Polska beneficial to competition

Posted by | Nov 26, 2006 | |

The strike organised by employees of Poczta Polska Polish mail was a gift from the heavens for rival companies, which are hiring new staff and opening new branches in order to make the best of the situation while it lasts. Rafal Brzoska, CEO of Poczta Polska rival InPost, admits that his firm is unable to cope with the immense demand. Over the last 10 days, the company has increased its workforce by 150 people and is planning to open four new outlets in the next two weeks. According to Brzoska, it still needs to hire from 350 to 850 new staff. As long as the strike continues, Poczta Polska will lose more and more customers to the competition. To make matters worse, some of them can be expected to claim compensation for incurred losses. Such a move is being considered by e-shop Stereo.pl, which had to switch to more costly courier mail services in order to deliver its goods to buyers.

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