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DHL expands in Charleston

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

DHL Global Forwarding announced Monday that it plans to relocate its ocean freight and customs brokerage operations in Charleston, S.C. to expanded facilities closer to the Port of Charleston and Charleston International Airport.

The move, effective Oct. 1, will combine the now-integrated operations of the former DHL Danzas Air & Ocean and Exel Global Logistics freight management operations, each of which previously did business at separate locations in Charleston. The move is expected to improve the quality and timeliness of service to ocean freight and customs brokerage customers, Plantation, Fla.-based DHL said.

Charleston is DHL’s primary port for ocean cargo moving to and from the Southeast U.S., and its import gateway for less-than-container load traffic from Europe.

The company said the existing separate facilities were not large enough to accommodate the expanded needs of the newly-integrated companies.

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Japan Post to begin selling customized photo stamps in September

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Japan Post said Monday it will start selling customized photo stamps Sept. 1 to try to promote postal mail amid a steady rise in e-mail traffic.

Post offices across Japan will accept a 4 centimeter-square printed photo and use it in making stamps. One stamp sheet, consisting of 10 stamps costing 80 yen each, will cost 1,200 yen, Japan Post said.

In a promotional event for the new service held at a Tokyo hotel, actress Ryoko Yonekura asked people to write more letters, saying, “Handwritten letters are more personal.”

Japan Post expects the sales of customized photo stamps to reach 1.5 million sheets, or 1.8 billion yen worth, this fiscal year.

Japan Post issued a stamp featuring an original photo attached below an ordinary stamp in April 2003. But it has decided to print personal photos as stamps after receiving requests for them.

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Postal density charge plan attacked

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Radical plans by Royal Mail to charge customers different rates according to the density of deliveries in each geographical area have been attacked by business.

The dominant postal operator is today launching its biggest price overhaul in decades, which will charge customers according to the size, thickness and weight of mail, rather than just weight alone.

But Royal Mail has also applied to Postcomm, the postal regulator, to extend zonal pricing to some bulk business mail from April, albeit with a six-month transition period.

The system is already used in some Royal Mail services, and would cut prices for delivering in densely populated areas and raise them for less dense zones.

It would not apply to stamped or frank consumer mail or erode the Royal Mail’s commitment to deliver to every address. But bulk mailers, in particular, would be affected.

Postcomm began to open up bulk mail to competition three years ago, with the entire market facing competition from the beginning of this year.

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UK Royal Mail delivers new prices but are post offices ready?

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Royal Mail introduces its new pricing system – Pricing in Proportion (PiP) – today. From today the price of postage will depend on the shape and thickness of the item as well as its weight.

Commenting on the introduction of PIP, Judith Donovan CBE, Chair of Postwatch’s Trade Association Forum, said: “Postwatch understands and accepts the rationale for today’s change. It is necessary for prices in a competitive market to reflect their associated costs. We are, however, inevitably concerned about the implementation of this fundamental change.

“As the customers’ representative Postwatch is concerned that today’s big change may not be fully understood by all customers. Confusion amongst residential customers and small businesses could lead to unnecessarily long queues at post offices.

“We are concerned that post offices are not ready to help customers. In the first week of August, we surveyed post offices throughout the UK to examine the efforts branches are making to alert customers to this major change. Of the 307 post offices Postwatch visited:

” 34 per cent did not have a measuring template displayed.
” 37 per cent were not displaying the PIP poster; and
” 32 per cent did not have PIP leaflets available.

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Made in America

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

What do blue jeans, DVDs, moisturizer and athletic shoes have in common? They are among the American products that Chinese consumers desire most, according to a UPS survey of 1,200 middle-class consumers in six Chinese cities.

The second annual UPS survey of Chinese urban consumers – often referred to as “Chuppies” – reaffirms their demand for high-quality U.S. products and unearths more detailed insight into their buying preferences and demographic differences. UPS, which flies to more points in China than any other U.S. airline, commissioned the survey to help its customers do business in the world’s fastest-growing market.

“The survey highlights the need for small-to-mid-sized businesses to be prepared and focused on exactly what it is they want to accomplish by entering China,” said Kevin M. O’Connell, senior partner of the law firm O’Connell and Co., which handles foreign direct investment and general business matters in China. “They need to set themselves apart from their competition and from the large multi-nationals and market to a very specific niche.”

The most sought-after products in this year’s survey were American videos/DVDs, music or books and consumer electronics – which also were the top categories in the 2005 survey.

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Gottschalk Brothers Carry Their Burden for DHL Päckchen. TV celebrities promote reduced costs for parcel shipping

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Since May 1, the price for parcels (Päckchen) sent German-wide with DHL has been reduced from EUR 4.30 to EUR 3.90. Also, from August 21 until October 31, customers of the leading parcel and express provider can send their items abroad at a lower price: during this time, the charges are only EUR 7.90 instead of EUR 8.60 to send DHL parcels within Europe. Starting Monday, Thomas and Christoph Gottschalk will promote this offer in a major campaign, featuring themselves as the well-known defiant pair.

Themed “Only our prices are small” the Gottschalk brothers will be presented all over Germany on posters, advertisements, brochures and the Internet during the next three weeks. At a number of selected railway stations their images can be seen as so-called mega air posters. In metropolitan areas radio commercials will be aired and bulk mail distributed to 5 million households. More than that: 500 DHL vehicles will bear the campaign motifs and attract further attention.

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First time buyers are overstretched and under protected

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Nearly half (48 per cent) of first time buyers (FTBs) would only be able to meet their mortgage repayments for six months if they lost their regular income tomorrow, reveals new research by Post Office® Financial Services.

With the average house deposit now at GBP 11,710, many FTBs are left overstretched financially. A third then face the additional shock of household running costs, which are much higher than they expected.

The Post Office® research reveals that despite these financial pressures, many FTBs are skimping on protecting themselves. Almost half (45 per cent) of FTBs don’t have any kind of protection against loss of income, from accident, sickness or unemployment (Payment Protection Insurance). Of those who are unprotected, the majority (44 per cent) have avoided doing so because they think it’s too expensive. Almost a third just don’t think they need it.

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China Cargo Carriers act to vie with foreign rivals

Posted by | Aug 21, 2006 | |

Jade Cargo International Co., Ltd., a Sino-Germany carrier, made its maiden flight on August 17, part of efforts by Shenzhen Airlines Co., Ltd., the Chinese parent of the joint venture, to tap the cargo segment in China.

President of Shenzhen Airlines, China’s largest private airways, will take over as chairman of Jade Cargo, in which Lufthansa Cargo AG and DEG holds a stake of 25% and 24%, respectively. Shenzhen, a manufacturing center in southern China, will be the largest resource for the company.

Jade Cargo has chosen Swiss WorldCargo, the air cargo division of Star Alliance carrier Swiss International Air Lines, to be its partner for sales and services in major European markets, including France, Germany, Italy and Swiss.

Foreign investors are playing a leading role in China’s cargo market for a long time. Recently, however, state-run carriers and private companies have started to cast eyes on the market along with their expansion and hope to get a slice of the profitable market.

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