Author: Archive

Royal Mail gets itself a CoPilot

Posted by | Oct 3, 2008 | |

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform has received a boost with the announcement the Royal Mail is rolling out a customised version of ALK’s CoPilot Live Professional satnav onto 25,000 of its GPS-enabled Intermec CN3 handsets.
The software will enable Royal Mail drivers to take the most efficient route to their destination and also enable customers to see the position of their tracked products in near real-time. This feature will be available to Special Delivery and Recorded Signed For items.
The 25,000 Windows Mobile devices are GPS enabled Intermec CN3 handsets and CoPilot Live Professional will be fully integrated with its on-board job despatch, management and proof of delivery application, Delivery Connect, from Blackbay.
The Delivery Connect system has a button which launches CoPilot, which is then automatically populated with the address details of the destination. On arrival at the destination, the navigation system reverts back to the Delivery Connect for signature capture and proof of delivery.

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La Poste to save petrol by driving slowly

Posted by | Oct 3, 2008 | |

The French national postal service is offering staff training in “eco-driving”. The idea: to save up to 20 pct in fuel costs by driving at a regular pace and avoiding sudden accelerations or brutal braking.

Among the new rules that trainees will have to follow are driving in fourth gear in the city and cutting the engine at stops of more than 12 seconds.

These simple rules can help save energy but also cut carbon emissions. With the help of such training programs, the company hopes to cut its carbon emissions by 10,000 cubic tons by 2009.

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Arab DMA expected to expand US business

Posted by | Oct 3, 2008 | |

The Direct Marketing Asso¬ciation has partnered with Direct Marketing Services YMHLLC (DMS) to create an Arab DMA (ADMA) in Saudi Arabia.
“This opens opportunities in new markets for our US members, said Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, the DMA’s EVP and COO. “This will help [them] develop new consumer and business markets, especially as the whole concept of DM becomes a global enterprise.” Many of the major players in the Arab region, he noted, are American compa¬nies such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Microsoft.
Ten percent of the DMA’s membership comes from more than 40 countries outside the US. “This [initiative] will help our international members become better direct marketers through our know-how, technology and best practices,” Lakshmi-Ratan said. “Saudi Arabia, in particular, has a very high per capita income and a very fast-growing economy, so this is a phenomenal growth opportunity for [its] DM.”
The ADMA will work to develop the direct mail industry in the country. The DMS also cur¬rently has a working relationship with the Saudi Post.

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French government rules out La Poste privatisation but unions express doubts

Posted by | Oct 2, 2008 | |

French Prime Minister François Fillon ruled out the possibility of La Poste’s privatisation in an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos.

“I am convinced that La Poste will need financial resources to develop further if it doesn’t want to see other European companies take its place. This will not happen through privatisation,” Fillon told the newspaper in an interview. To ensure the financing of La Poste, Fillon considers among other options the possibility of the French savings bank “la Caisse des depôts” becoming a strategic partner of La Poste.

The French postal unions including CGT, Sud-PTT, FO, CFDT and CFTC, which took nationwide strike action last week against government plans to change the legal status of the public postal operator, expressed their doubts about Fillon’s statement.

In late August, La Poste unveiled plans to restructure into a limited company in 2010 and to float a minority holding on the stock exchange in 2011 in order to raise EUR 2.5 – EUR 3.5 billion for growth, including acquisitions. French media have referred to a possible IPO involving a 10-20 pct stake. La Poste had already signed a four-year public service contract with the French government in July, covering commitments to mail deliveries six days a week and mail delivery quality targets, and the maintenance of 17,000 postal service points across France.

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Spanish postal money transfer proves popular

Posted by | Oct 2, 2008 | |

According to survey by the National Institute of Estadística (INE), around 14 pct of immigrants living in Spain, send money to their country of origin through Correos, the Spanish postal operator.
Through a network of more than 2,200 multiservice post offices in Spain, as well as online, international money orders have proved popular. Correos signed an agreement last August with the Congress of the UPU in Geneva, to link up with postal operators in Chile, Uruguay and Morocco to offer a new and affordable express international money order service, a service that could extend medium term to other countries of Latin America and the Maghreb.

The service allows for the transfer of money between each country in a fast and safe form, with payment to the addressee within around 15 minutes. In addition, Correos can allow the shipment of remittances more than 190 countries of the world.

Correos said the results of the Survey showed that it was providing a much-needed service for immigrants with respect to money transfer.

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U.S. Postal Service releases new five-year plan

Posted by | Oct 2, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service has released Vision 2013, its new five-year strategic plan that balances near-term priorities with long-term needs to adapt to changing customer needs.
The plan acknowledges that postal customers, and the mailing industry as a whole, are hard pressed by current economic conditions, and that service improvements and cost reductions remain crucial. Vision 2013 offers a broad perspective of what it will take for the Postal Service to succeed in the future, while providing affordable, universal service.
“The customer is at the center of all our efforts,” said Postmaster General John Potter and Board of Governors Chairman Alan Kessler in a joint letter included in the report. “In this time of uncertainty, we see opportunity to buildon a solid foundation. We will continue to invest in the Intelligent Mail® barcode, flexible networks, the new Flats Sequencing System, and other initiatives that promise new gains in service, efficiency and customer value in the years ahead.”
At the same time, Vision 2013 says the Postal Service must listen to what customers have to say as the Postal Service strives to make its products, services, channels and processes more convenient.

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DHL reviews Same Day operations (UK)

Posted by | Oct 2, 2008 | |

DHL is “reviewing its Same Day operations with a view to repositioning the business in accordance with market requirements”.

A DHL spokeswoman says: “Changes pertain to the strategic direction and deployment of the Same Day sales force, in an effort to establish closer links with customers.”

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CPL – Daimler switches from international express to deferred deliveries

Posted by | Oct 2, 2008 | |

Daimler aims to switch more of its international express shipments to deferred products to save on cost while ensuring reliable transit times.

Over the last two years, Daimler has centralised its CEP planning and procurement in the Stuttgart head office. Previously this was handled at local level, resulting in deviance from global standards and agreements, and a lack of transparency, Pomberger explained.

In order to offer CEP shipping across the entire group of brands and subsidiaries, Daimler has created its own intranet tool under the name of “CEPRIS”, integrating all agreements and negotiated rates with the four integrators for delivery of documents and parcels up to 70kg. This also provides one single database for reporting purposes. “CEPRIS is a key success factor,” Pomberger emphasised.

At the same time, the automotive group has defined its international CEP requirements into four service levels: economy, offering reliable transportation; next-day express by 09:00 and 12:00; and special services/urgent deliveries, he said.

For the first three service levels, Daimler works with all four integrators, “trying to use their regional strengths around the world”, Pomberger said. The company is looking into adding another service provider, he added. “I’m sure we will add one or more company to our portfolio in future,” he said. For urgent shipments, Daimler uses DHL, time:matters, TNT and World Courier.

Daimler is now actively trying to steer more of its CEP traffic flows from express to economy delivery, Pomberger said. “We need greater flexibility and economical alternatives for less urgent shipments,” he declared. “(Our) demand for economy services is growing.” The company was under “ enormous cost pressure” and needed “competitive” rate levels, he noted.

In addition, the automotive group needed its CEP providers to ensure reliable transit times, high quality reports and service offers focused on Daimler’s needs. “CEP firms often offer products and services that do not fit our needs,” he criticised. “I do not always have the feeling that the integrators listen to our needs.” But he stressed that overall Daimler had “good service levels” around the world from its providers.

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