Author: Archive

South Africa has 5.7m new addresses

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

A roll-out of 5.7-million additional postal addresses has been achieved in the last three years to the end of March 2008, the SA Post Office (Sapo) said on Friday.

The project aimed to provide formal addresses to thousands of South Africans who previously did not have addresses, limiting their access to the mainstream economy.

Of the 5.7-million total addresses, 3.76-million (66 percent) were in rural areas and 1.94-million (34 percent) were in urban areas — bringing the number of addresses in the country to 12.5-million.

Before the Sapo project started, tribal and informal settlement communities found themselves negatively affected by Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica) regulations, as these required proof of residential address before any financial transactions could be effected.

In rural and informal settlements, Sapo found that a household had several different identifiers or numbers on the door, using different methods.

Rural address allocation has now been completed for large portions of the country. This included location details (registering villages within areas, identifying sections and dwellings in villages), client details (head of each dwelling, contact details) and postal details (post office, route and postcode).

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FedEx gives logistics support to cutting edge London fashion label

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

FedEx Express will be helping up-and-coming designer bag label Chris and Tibor access new and emerging markets.

FedEx Express is a sponsor of the UK Fashion Export Award for New Exporter of the Year and established the award in 2005 as part of its continuing and passionate commitment to the fashion industry. The award is an annual program aimed at allowing a new generation of talented fashion entrepreneurs to develop rounded and successful businesses and to begin competing on the international fashion stage.

With next-business-day, time-definite, door-to-door custom clear delivery services to over 220 countries worldwide, FedEx Express is supporting fashion companies like Chris and Tibor who are looking to grow their business globally.

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IT Resellers, Systems Integrators Still Face RFID-Related Hurdles

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

A CompTIA survey finds that 75 percent of IT companies say they will or might offer RFID products and services in the next three years—a drop of 14 percentage points.

Although most IT resellers, systems integrators, distributors and consultants do not currently offer RFID products and services, that’s likely to change in the next three years, according to a recent survey conducted by IT industry organization CompTIA.

“The State of RFID—Fourth Annual Member Survey,” based on online interviews of 155 CompTIA members regarding their current and future RFID intentions, found that while only 13.5 percent presently offer RFID products and services, that figure is likely to grow to 75 percent within three years. Nearly one-quarter (24.5 percent) of respondents said that although they don’t currently offer RFID products and services, they plan to do so within the next three years, and 37.4 percent said they might, if clients express an interest. Only 24.5 percent indicated having no plans to offer RFID products and services.

Although this suggests 75 percent of all respondents will or might offer RFID products and services during the next three years, that total represents a drop compared with the results of previous surveys. In 2007, 84 percent of respondents said they will or might offer RFID products and services over the next three years, while in 2006, that number was 89 percent.

Hardware installation and maintenance continues to remain the top choice in terms of RFID product and service offerings, with 62 percent saying that’s what they believe their company’s RFID offerings will focus on (89 percent chose that response in 2007). Forty-six percent said they believe their company’s RFID offerings will focus on providing consulting services, 43 percent picked training and 40 percent chose software implementations. (Companies were allowed to choose more than one category.)

Among those respondents currently offering RFID products or services, 71 percent said they provide hardware installation or maintenance, 62 percent conduct software implementations and 52 percent offer consulting services.

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CitySprint's Leeds ServiceCentre Moves to New Premises

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

CitySprint has relocated its Leeds ServiceCentre to larger premises in line with increasing demand in the area. The new ServiceCentre is located at Unit 18, Enterprise Park Industrial Estate, Old Lane, Moorhouse Avenue, Beeston, Leeds, LS11 8HA.

In addition to its Leeds ServiceCentre CitySprint has a network of 30+ ServiceCentres across the UK. This cross-country coverage is unique in the courier industry and enables CitySprint to provide a truly national or local service like no other same day courier company. Through its network of regional ServiceCentres and ServiceCentre based customer services teams CitySprint is able to provide its clients with local knowledge and expertise, regardless of where they might be based. CitySprint’s clients also enjoy the personal relationships they are able to develop with account managers and ServiceCentre staff at their local ServiceCentre. They can feel confident that if there is ever an issue, or if they simply want to discuss their job, they know they can pick up the phone and have a real person to speak to.

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Nightfreight launches pay-as-you-go logistics

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

West Midlands-based Nightfreight has begun a pay-as-you-go home delivery service, offering retailers transport savings of up to 50 pct. Targeted at distributors and retailers that have their own fleets, the service will be managed through Nightfreight’s Deliver2Hometeam. The group cites not having to pay for a fixed and rigid contract as the main benefit of the scheme.

Up to 50 pct can be saved on transport costs with the new variable charging system, in which customers pay for the actual number of deliveries required. Currently 50 HGVs and 110 staff are involved.

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Mail handlers demand an end to privatisation and contracting out plans

Posted by | Aug 15, 2008 | |

UNI Post & Logistics affiliate, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) at its four yearly convention being held in Florida unanimously condemned contracting out of postal work and the privatisation of mail handlers jobs that is impacting so negatively on mail handlers jobs.

The convention was told that the US postal service continues to try and outsource work and that the union was bitterly opposed to subcontracting and attempts to take work away from collective bargaining protection. Neil Anderson, Head of UNI Post & Logistics Global Union speaking to the convention told the delegates that subcontracting and privatisation of postal workers work was a creeping scourge that was happening throughout the world and that globally workers should be demanding decent permanent jobs for postal workers. He also told the convention that they should congratulate themselves on their campaign to convince the US Government that a free market for letter mail was not the answer and that a quality universal service was dependent on a strong and well trained workforce. This would not continue if sub contracting was allowed to take place. The convention also passed resolutions to increase their political lobbying and to keep carrying the message for a universal postal service with a quality work force to the US Government.

The convention also re-elected unopposed John Hegarty as President and Mark Gardner as Secretary Treasurer as a vote of confidence in the direction the union was tackling in opposing subcontracting, lobbying the government to maintain a strong universal postal service and for their efforts to negotiate a better collective contract for postal workers.

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USPS cuts employee hours in response to mail volume loss

Posted by | Aug 14, 2008 | |

Due to initiatives to reduce work hours and overtime, compensation expenses for the US Postal Service dropped by USD 247 million (or about 2.5 pct) in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, according to a financial report that the USPS has filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The cuts in employee hours were in response to mail volume decreases, the agency said. The filing also said that new labor agreements implemented in 2007 allowed for a reduction in overtime hours and overall labor rates.

Earlier this month, the USPS reported a net loss of USD 1.1 billion for its third quarter ending on June 30. According to the USPS, total mail volume was down 5.5 pct in Q3 of 2008 compared to Q3 of 2007. The impact of lower mail volume coupled with the organization’s efforts to reduce overtime hours decreased total work hour usage by 16 million hours in Q3, the USPS said.

The USPS said that the decrease in volume is the result of a slow down in the economy, “particularly the financial and real estate sectors, which are heavy users of the mail,” in the filing.

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SkyPostal Networks, Inc. Announces second quarter results

Posted by | Aug 14, 2008 | |

SkyPostal announced financial results for the second quarter of 2008. Net income was USD 378,487 principally due to nonrecurring credits resulting from the reversal of excess of value of put options over estimated fair value of the company’s shares.

The results include sales of USD 2,091,313 versus the previous year’s second quarter revenues of USD 2,143,959. For the 6 months ended June 30, 2008, sales totaled USD 4,532,113 or a 16.5pct increase over the same 6 month period ended June 30, 2007. After producing a 39.7pct increase in sales in the first quarter over the same period 2007, the second quarter results indicate a softening in the growth of international mail resulting from the overall US economic slowdown.

Total tonnage handled increased by 20pct for the 6 months ended June 30, 2008 versus the same period ended June 30, 2007.

Although financial results reflected increased tonnage and revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2008, net loss for the first half 2008 totaled USD 641,234 or USD .02 per share. The net loss increase was in part due to nonrecurring and noncash expenses.

The opening up of a sort facility at Newark Airport coupled with the Company’s recently signed agreement with DHL Global Mail will permit SkyPostal to expand its mail delivery service to Europe. In addition, the company is introducing a service targeted at US internet marketers that will permit them to market their products to upscale LAC consumers by eliminating the costly risks of shipping by parcel post via the public UPU Public Postal Network.

SkyPostal anticipates continued growth in the balance of the year, expecting to increase its market share of the nontime critical mail delivery segment through several acquisition opportunities.

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