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Bahrain's logistics industry boosted by new port development

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

Bahrain is set to cement its position as the transport hub of the Gulf as the new Khalifa Bin Salman Port nears completion and is set to open for business in December 2008. The newly developed port – which has been dredged to a depth of 15 meters to accommodate any container ship currently in service – will have a capacity of 2.5 million Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), two thirds the capacity of Great Britain’s Felixstowe.
The logistic industry in Bahrain is already thriving, the Kingdom boasts the impressive Bahrain Logistics Zone (BLZ) located adjacent to the port and 13 km from the airport – offering the shortest logistics transfer time to/from sea and air in the Gulf. In July, CEVA Logistics announced their intention to build a 10,000 square metre warehouse in the BLZ with the potential for expansion.
Bahrain’s geographical position – just 40 km’s away from Saudi Arabia and with excellent links to Qatar and the rest of the Gulf – offers companies that supply oil and gas related equipment excellent market access. The Causeway between Qatar and Bahrain – construction of which will begin in January 2009 – will further enhance Bahrain’s connections to the world’s third largest gas reserves.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board commented:
“… I believe the infrastructure available in Bahrain will enable companies – like DHL and CEVA Logistics – to compete more effectively in the regional and global market.”

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FedEx eyes growth markets and new products

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

FedEx Express will continue to invest in growth markets in Europe and in broadening its portfolio of services, and has no plans to scale back in the region due to the worldwide economic situation.
While FedEx already had a strong position in the intercontinental market, it had also started to move into domestic markets such as in the UK and India, Robert Elliott, FedEx Express President, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Indian subcontinent, said. In addition, the US group had made acquisitions in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary in recent years. “We expect more customers to be looking towards the east,” he commented. FedEx would also look more closely at emerging markets such as Turkey and the Middle East, he added.

Michael Mühlberger, FedEx Express Vice President Operations Central and Eastern Europe, said FedEx was seeing growth in Central and Eastern Europe countries as they generated more imports and exports, while it also aimed to expand its cooperation with its agent in Russia.

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Earnings Preview: UPS

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

UPS reports third-quarter earnings on Thursday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.
Hit by the economic downturn, the Atlanta-based company was expected to post a lower profit for the July-September period, compared to the same timeframe a year ago.

UPS’ shipping business within the U.S. in particular has been affected. When it released its second-quarter earnings in July, UPS lowered its outlook for the full-year. The current fourth quarter includes the traditionally busy holiday shipping period.
The company remains confident in its plans for future growth. UPS, also known as United Parcel Service, has said it has been working to cut costs.
UPS also is working out a contract to carry some air packages for DHL, the struggling U.S.-based express shipping unit of German postal service Deutsche Post AG. UPS, when it announced the proposed collaboration on May 28, predicted that the deal, when completed, will add up to USD 1 billion in annual revenue for the company.
Executives have said UPS also is interested in expanding its international package business. Asia and Europe are of particular interest to the company, executives have said. Besides the potential UPS-DHL deal, UPS has not announced any further deals in recent months.

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New players boost competition in CEP market

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

Competition in the region’s courier, express and parcel (CEP) market is set to grow following the entry of a new player, Economic Zones Post (EZ Post) Fzco.

Industry sources believe the development will help transform the sector and boost its performance, with growth expected to reach 30 per cent.

EZ Post FZE, a subsidiary of Economic Zones World (EZW), has signed a joint-venture agreement with PostaPlus, the first licensed private postal operator in the Middle East, to form EZ Post Fzco in a step aimed at consolidating its mailroom operations.

EZ Post FZE and PostaPlus own 51 per cent and 49 per cent of EZ Post FZCO’s shares respectively.

The company, operating from the Jebel Ali Free Zone, will provide comprehensive services such as mail, courier, mailroom operations, sorting and storage, document scanning and verification and business centre solutions to EZW Group companies and their clients.

“The CEP market reflects the regional industrial state and the growth therein,” said Michael Ross, Managing Director of Global Logistics of Dubai. “CEP is a market with high potential and its growth is directly related to the region’s gross domestic product. EZ Post will help create competitiveness in the sector, which will lead to fast growth.”

He said the rising level of regional trade coupled with continuing industrialisation meant CEP services were of increasing importance to the majority of industries.

“New players can increase quality awareness among consumers and compel companies to maintain quality standards across their international operations.”

Salma Hareb, CEO of EZW, said the new business was focused on delivering high-quality services.

“EZ Post is a strategic initiative designed to streamline our mail and postal services to achieve greater efficiency, better quality and lower cost,” he said. “At present more than 25,000 mail service transactions are carried out by Jafza per month, creating a need for a consolidated structure.”

“We have partnered with PostaPlus, who will serve as manager and partner for EZ Post to help us achieve the best possible results.”

EZ Post Fzco will be responsible for all courier and postal requirements of EZW, its subsidiaries and their clients. Services include the seamless tracking of transactions from pick-up to delivery, faster processing of transactions achieved through the verification of documents prior to pick-up, and round-the-clock assistance to clients via a toll-free and IT helpdesk.

Nabil bin Salama, Chairman of PostaPlus, said the roadmap chalked out for EZ Post was designed to provide faster, more flexible and reliable services.

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PostFinance quarterly results: 62,000 new customers and a solid profit

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

PostFinance has continued to expand at a brisk pace in 2008, lifting the number of customers by 62,000 and chalking up increases in both accounts and new money. At the end of the third quarter, profit stands at around CHF 200 million. Thanks to a cautious investment policy, impairment losses in the amount of CHF 95 million represent a milli-fraction of the overall investment portfolio.
PostFinance continues to grow apace. In the period to the end of September, Swiss Post’s financial arm attracted 62,000 new customers and saw an extraordinary surge in new account openings. The number of customer accounts rose by 222,000 to 3.56 million, an increase of 55 percent over the prior-year period (143,000 new accounts). In the space of a year, PostFinance has received CHF 4.8 billion in new money.
1 USD = 1.16529 CHF

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Lord Mandelson to face MPs' questions over economy and Royal Mail privatisation

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

The Business Secretary is expected to be asked about a newspaper interview in which he signalled support for the partial privatisation of Royal Mail, which drew condemnation from Labour colleagues and unions.
John McDonnell MP said: “This proposed privatisation of the Post Office by the newly anointed Business Secretary is madness. It would undermine an essential public service.
“In the current economic climate, throwing the Post Office to the wolves of the private sector will lead to further job losses and cuts in services on an unprecedented scale.”
Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: “Peter Mandelson has only just come back into Government, but he should be aware that there is a clear commitment from the Labour Government to keep Royal Mail in the public sector, restated earlier this year at the national policy forum in Warwick.
“At a time of economic instability the last thing the British public wants to hear is that privatisation is the solution to Royal Mail’s problems.”
Lord Mandelson is also under fire following the decision by his deparment to re-examine the costs and benefits of new regulations that would extend flexible working.
Although business groups welcomed the move unions, opposition politicians and family campaigners attacked the announcement.

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La Poste expands self-service kiosk network

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

Pitney Bowes announced that it has signed a contract to provide 50 stand-alone postal kiosks to La Poste, so that La Poste can enhance its retail network in large urban areas.

The contract is one of the largest Pitney Bowes has ever signed for postal kiosks, and includes the design, installation and servicing of postal kiosks that will be located in post offices in some of France’s largest cities, beginning in 2009.

The Pitney Bowes kiosks allow postal customers to perform a wide range of tasks, including weighing a mailpiece or a parcel, ordering special postal services such as insurance, and printing and applying the correct postage or transport label, including a barcode for tracking. By allowing many customers to handle these tasks on their own, the kiosks permit postal retail counter employees to focus their attention on those customers who have special or hard-to-meet needs more efficiently.

Many kiosks provide services during hours when the regular post office is closed, thereby enhancing public access to the national postal network.

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Air India scraps cargo plans even as others press ahead news

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

In a surprise move ensured to delay its air cargo plans for quite a while, Indian flag carrier Air India has decided to exit the cargo space and lease out its freighters. This, even though, cargo is a big revenue earner.

According to reports, Air India is seeking to lease two of its Airbus 310s, which were converted to freighters. The carrier is also converting six Boeing 737-200s into freighters, each with a payload capacity of 12 to 15 tonnes, which will bring its freighter fleet strength to eight.

Freight operations would have commenced under the banner of Air India Cargo (AIC).

Air India Cargo had entered into a leasing agreement for a Boeing 737 with India Post, as well as with domestic logistics major, Gati. India Post intends to lease three more freighters by the end of the year and use them for speed post services to 15 major cities.

Gati plans to charter five or more aircraft from AIC over the next five years.

Reports suggest that AIC could also lease out its freighters to postal services of some East European countries and the US Mail.

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