Author: Archive

Deutsche Post says US DHL Express unit improving

Posted by | Aug 23, 2005 | |

Deutsche Post World Net said its DHL express business in the U.S. was improving as a result of better management, while growth in Asia and emerging markets remained strong. John Mullen, a joint chief executive of the company’s express division DHL, told an analyst conference that the Bonn-based mail and logistics company expected its U.S. DHL business to break even in the fourth quarter of next year. For 2005, the company reiterated that DHL expects a loss of EUR300 million in the U.S. Despite difficulties and strong competition from United Parcel Service and FedEx, DHL said the U.S. business was seeing improvements in service and quality. DHL said it would work to streamline operations by focusing on cost control, productivity and revenue improvements. “The second-half financial targets for the U.S. are ambitious but achievable,” Mullen said in the business update.

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Ferrovial agrees to buy Swissport

Posted by | Aug 23, 2005 | |

Ferrovial yesterday agreed to buy Swissport International for Euros 646m (Dollars 790m), expanding the Spanish construction and logistic group’s aviation business into passenger and cargo handling. Swissport, one of the world’s largest independent airport handling groups, was sold by Candover, the private equity group that bought the business from bankrupt Swiss flag carrier Swissair in 2002 for Euros 393m. Candover, which briefly considered a flotation of Swissport, generated a 2.6 times return on its equity investment. Ferrovial already manages four airports, and said the global handling business was growing at 5 per cent a year, with annual revenues of Euros 26bn. Ferrovial said the Swissport purchase was “another step in the company’s internationalisation strategy”, and will also diversify its business lines. “Entering the handling business is consistent with our strategy of growth in services and complements our activities in urban services, facility management and infrastructure maintenance,” said Inigo Meiras, managing director of the services division.

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TNT Middle East route boost

Posted by | Aug 22, 2005 | |

TNT Express is set to expand its Middle East Road Network with the addition of five new routes next year. The carrier has embarked on an aggressive expansion starting with its Day Definite service, which guarantees customers the exact number of days to delivery. Steve Barrett, TNT’s newly-promoted MERN operations manager said: ‘The road network is the backbone of TNT’s regional strategy and we plan to launch routes linking the Gulf countries with the wider Middle East and Europe next year. ‘We also have excellent relationships with authorities at border points and a good understanding of import-export regulations throughout the region.

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Time for postal industry to ‘re-invent’ itself

Posted by | Aug 22, 2005 | |

A re-invention of the postal industry is inevitable and industry players should not fear global rivalry, but rather embrace it in the spirit of co-operation and competition among players, Deutsche Post AG divisional board member Dr Herbert-Michael Zapf said. Zapf said a re-invention of the postal industry would entail innovation, quality and service. The industry, he said, must innovate to meet future challenges, adding that innovation was more than just having new products but an understanding of one’s own business. “The postal industry needs to develop a broader understanding of postal services, which will ultimately lead to an extended value chain of postal services,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur last month. Zapf was a guest speaker at the recent 12th Asean Postal Business Meeting 2005. He said competition was good as it brought out the best in companies to provide efficient goods and services to consumers.

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Vietnam: Postal workers fear economic woes after telecom split

Posted by | Aug 22, 2005 | |

The upcoming split of post and telecommunications services could put some 45,000 postal workers in a state of financial crisis. The split, originally scheduled to take place in 2002, was postponed, and postal services have been subsidised by the telecom sector. Policy makers said the move should create specialised corporations for post and telecom services, but insiders, including the postal staff, said they would face an uncertain future once the subsidies were cut. Postal workers account for 49 per cent of the 90,000 employees at Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT), but the service brings in only 5-10 per cent of the total revenue, which is currently VND30 trillion (USD 1.9 billion) a year. VNPT is losing money compensating for the imbalance, which is affecting the growth of both services. Since October 2001, VNPT – then known as the Department General of Post and Telecommunications – has been testing the split in 10 provinces.

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Japanese LDP pledges to pass postal privatisation plan in next Diet

Posted by | Aug 22, 2005 | |

The Liberal Democratic Party is pledging in its policy platform to pass in the next Diet session the postal privatization legislation defeated in the upper house earlier this month. “Postal privatization is the main issue in the lower house election,” Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told a news conference Friday at which he unveiled the party’s policy outline. He dissolved the lower house Aug. 8 in response to the upper house rebuff, setting the stage for a Sept. 11 general election. Should the LDP and coalition partner New Komeito be able to secure a majority in the lower house, Koizumi said the postal bills would be resubmitted in a special Diet session to convene within 30 days of the election. The legislation calls for spinning off Japan Post into four companies in April 2007, with full privatization taking place by 2017. But the composition of the upper house will remain unchanged, and the bills could be voted down again.

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First Boeing 757 added to TNT Express air fleet

Posted by | Aug 22, 2005 | |

TNT Express today announced that it has added a Boeing 757, the company’s first, to its Liège-based air fleet. The aircraft – which has been wet-leased from Icelandair to TNT Airways – came into service last month. The aircraft’s inaugural flight in TNT livery was between Liège, where TNT Express has its air hub, and Barcelona, and as such was the first leg of its regular round trip, which consists of: Liège – Barcelona – Vitoria – Madrid – Liège. The Boeing 757 ideally matches TNT’s freight requirements for this service – 30 tonnes – and is a cost-efficient to operate besides being among the quietest aircraft available. Christian Drenthen, Managing Director Worldwide Networks, TNT Express said: “This aircraft gives TNT Express just the right increase in capacity on a growing route between Spain and our hub at Liège, Belgium. It is in line with our aim to offer customers a faster, more reliable and competitive service.”

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