Management at An Post have revealed a radical plan to save the ailing semi-state company from bankruptcy and to bring the postal service back into profitability by 2008. Chief Executive Donal Curtin has outlined a strategic plan which will see 1,350 letter post workers lose their jobs, with unions being offered productivity incentives to help soften the blow.
Read MoreFrench post office, La Poste, has unveiled plans to invest €3.4bn over the next six years in a programme to restructure its mail-processing activities. The scheme includes the investment of hundreds of millions of euros in automating the procedure. To that end, La Poste has already ordered a total of 100 new sorting machines which can process more than 40,000 letters per hour, compared with 35,000-38,000 letters with existing equipment.
Read MoreKapiti entrepreneur Gregg Nelson has bought the Dominion Postal Logistics company and a registered trademark for Dominion Post and web addresses dominionpost.co.nz and thedominionpost.co.nz.
It is those names that are causing him a few headaches and have brought threats of legal action from the Dominion Post newspaper.
Nelson plans to have his Dominion Post running by the end of March.
Read MoreRoyal Mail’s Marketing Director Paul Rich is introducing a new structure, to align his team more closely with the company’s sales force. The move is to enable more effective and customer-driven development of products and services as the company’s marketplaces become increasingly competitive.
The review of Royal Mail’s marketing structure has led to five new areas covering products, sectors, brand, commercial policy plus pricing and value added solutions. A director for each area will report directly to Rich.
The new team will be responsible for all Royal Mail branded products and services, including special stamps and philatelic products, international services and logistics where marketing was previously carried out within separate business units.
Read MorePostcomm today (12 January 2004) published its first review of the UK letters market. The report describes the development of the market since the establishment of Postcomm and includes both the performance of Royal Mail and the nature of competitive entry to date.
The postal market in the UK has consistently grown and lower real prices, increased competition and product choice will encourage it to continue to do so, although not necessarily in its current form. Demand for direct mail services has grown much faster than for other mail, reflecting increased use of the post for advertising and marketing. And outside the area licensed by Postcomm, the fully competitive courier and express delivery market has grown even faster than the traditional letters market, the report says.
Read MorePostcomm today (12 January 2004) published a consultation document that examines the special privileges enjoyed by Royal Mail and considers whether they distort competition in mail services.
Royal Mail’s special privileges include exemption from VAT and special parking privileges. The exemptions date from the time when Royal Mail was the sole provider of postal services.
Postcomm’s document considers whether Royal Mail’s special privileges are necessary to provide a universal service, or distort competition in postal services.
Read MoreThe Royal Mail’s exemption from VAT is to be examined as part of a consultation on the postal group’s “special privileges”, it was announced.
The industry’s regulator Postcomm said VAT exemption distorted competition in a significant part of the postal service and should be reviewed “as a priority”.
The Royal Mail’s exemption from parking restrictions and harbour charges and power to require ships or aircraft to carry mailbags will also form part of the consultation.
Read MoreRoyal Mail hopes that leasing computers to staff for use at home with their families will boost online skills.
Postman Kevin Shields from Rugby would never describe himself as being at the forefront of technology. His daily routine is to take a red van and deliver letters to nearby Bilton and Newton in Warwickshire, and across the border to Lutterworth in Leicestershire. He has been doing his rural round for the past 12 years.
Read More
Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.
