Author: Archive

German Federal Network Agency allows mail consolidators new numbering variant

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

The Federal Network Agency has called on Deutsche Post AG (DPAG) to end an anti-competitive practice. DPAG had refused to accept mail from consolidators, under their downstream access agreements, if it was not in conformity with DPAG’s specified numbering. Some of the competitors had called for a numbering method that differed slightly from DPAG’s and that would enable mail to be numbered consecutively at the same time as being automatically sorted to postal routing regions. “Doing away with a second processing run means that the consolidators, under their agreements, can consolidate larger volumes in the narrow time window they have between collection from the customer and dropoff at DPAG”, Matthias Kurth, Agency President, declared. “It will allow the consolidators to achieve bigger rate discounts for their customers – mostly SMEs – and to tap further customer potential.”

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UPS thinks outside the delivery box

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

‘WHAT can brown do for you?’ is not a marketing slogan that would work well in Europe. The Dutch journalist sitting next to me bursts into laughter when the idea is suggested during an interview with Kurt Kuehn, one of UPS’s senior vice presidents at the delivery giant’s boardroom set in leafy suburban Atlanta.

“Imagine how it would sound in German,” he says, hinting that a US company proudly advertising how its staff wear brown shirts would not go down well in a country where the colour brown has become almost taboo.

Fortunately, UPS is not that naive. Kuehn says it has never tried to export the slogan, which works well in the US where the company is known as “Big Brown” and the public has grown fond of its brown vans, which deliver packages to front doors across the country.

Corporate messaging does not, however, appear to be one of UPS’s many strengths. Its senior executives find it hard to hide their envy and disdain for rivals that use marketing to raise their profile.

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German military to privatise logistics, has approached DHL

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

Germany’s military is planning to privatise its logistics operations and has approached Deutsche Post World Net AG’s DHL about the matter, Handelsblatt newspaper reported, citing Ulrich Horsmann, head of the military’s procurement office, and a spokeswoman for DHL.

‘We were approached by the military, which asked us to work out some ideas on the matter,’ the spokeswoman for DHL said, but added there are currently no ongoing talks.

The newspaper cited industry sources as saying DHL is likely the only serious candidate for such a major project, especially as United Parcel Service already handles the US military’s logistics.

Horsmann said the German government may put out an initial 800 mln eur tender by the second half of 2006, which may result in 250 mln eur annual cost savings. Germany’s military spends about 3 bln eur per year on logistics.

The military’s privatisation plans include 190 depots, warehouses and distribution centres.

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UK Royal Mail shares proposal attacked

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

Plans by the Royal Mail to offer its workers a stake in the company are being opposed by almost half of Labour MPs, including allies of Gordon Brown, the chancellor, raising the prospect of a parliamentary clash over the issue in the new year.

Some 160 Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion urging the government to hold on to all shares in the Royal Mail and stick by a general election manifesto commitment to keep it in public hands.

On Tuesday, Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman, said he was optimistic of securing government approval for his plan to give a fifth of the company’s shares to its staff.

He told the trade and industry select committee that it would be “very straightforward” to set up a share ownership scheme for employees of the postal services operator.

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Japan Post, ANA to tie up international distribution

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

Japan Post will make its way into international distribution services by joining hands with All Nippon Airways Co, sources said Thursday.

The two will announce their alliance at 3 p.m., the sources said.

While last week’s enactment of postal system privatization laws has allowed the postal entity to launch international delivery services, it has no international distribution networks or know-how.

Japan Post has chosen to tie up with ANA, which has such a network and international business expertise, the sources said.

Japan Post, at present a public corporation, and ANA, Japan’s second-largest airline, expect to set up a joint venture for international delivery services in Asia including China, they said.

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US FedEx dares to keep the status quo

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

Go behind the scenes at some of Manhattan’s top restaurants and the revolutionary impact of FedEx can be found staring straight back at you – in the clear, glistening eyes of truly fresh fish.

Thanks to the company’s global delivery network, gourmet chefs are increasingly bypassing the traditional fish market and sourcing their best fish directly from individual fishermen thousands of miles away.

Turning business models upside down in this way is something the express parcel carrier does quietly all the time. When Apple sold one million new iPod nano music players in 17 days last month, the customised models bought online barely saw the inside of a warehouse but were fed directly from factories in China into the FedEx delivery system.

The efficiencies made possible by such low-inventory supply chains even play a key role in the flexibility and resilience of the US economy – most recently lauded by Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve.

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OBI Germany contracts DHL with the delivery of its do-it-yourself stores

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

OBI, the leading provider in the area of do-it-yourself stores, is transferring its national logistics to DHL. The express and logistics specialist of Deutsche Post World Net will handle the logistics for 341 OBI stores in Germany starting in the spring of 2006. The goal of the cooperation is optimization of the entire value-added chain through more efficient processes and a need-centered management of corresponding processes. An expansion of the partnership to further logistics areas is being planned.

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DHL invests in its European express business

Posted by | Oct 20, 2005 | |

DHL Express is putting additional focus on local service to the customer in its European business activities. To accomplish this goal, the express and logistics subsidiary of Deutsche Post World Net will invest more than 1 billion euros in the years ahead. This money will flow into infrastructure programs, IT development and customer-focused services. Among other goals, the company plans to achieve a region-wide presence by the end of 2008 and expand its network to 30,000 customer drop points. A total of 20,000 sites are to be ready for private and business customers a year earlier.

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