Author: Archive

Ambulance service loses details of nearly million people

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

A computer disk containing details of nearly a million people who dialled 999 has been lost, an ambulance service has admitted.

The information was supposed to be couriered by TNT from Scotland to Manchester two weeks ago, but never arrived at its destination and a search has failed to find it since.

The disk contained records of 894,629 calls to the Paisley Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre (EMDC), near Glasgow, spanning from February 2006.

It included the names of some patients, addresses of incidents, contact phone numbers and some medical details.

TNT lost the disk on June 9 while it was being transferred to MIS Emergency Services, a Manchester-based company that supplies the IT system used in the service’s three emergency medical dispatch centres.

The information contained on the disk was to be used in the development of the service’s command and control systems.

The loss is the latest in a series of data losses from government or local authorities. Last year, Chancellor Alistair Darling admitted to MPs that disks holding personal information on 25 million people and 7.2 million families had gone missing, included names, addresses, dates of birth, Child Benefit numbers, National Insurance numbers and bank or building society account details.

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USPS submits network plan to Congress

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

The US Postal Service submitted its network plan, which outlines the agency’s initiatives to produce better and more efficient operations and customer service, with Congress last week.

The network plan is a requirement of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. It was developed following consultations with the Postal Regulatory Commission initiated in February.

According to the USPS, the plan “positions the postal service to pursue achievement of the newly established service standards, and better ensures the long-term financial stability of the postal service and the mailing industry.”

The document addresses the USPS’s performance goals, which include the establishment of baseline performance targets for various market-dominant products. It also lists a number of initiatives designed to improve the consistency of internal mail flow management practices, including software advancements, value stream mapping and data system enhancements.

Plans for alternative retail options are also outlined in the document. “Whether through traditional bricks-and-mortar post office locations, other retail locations, or online, the postal service will continue to actively promote increased customer use of efficient and easy-to-use retail access channels,” the USPS wrote.

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Royal Mail 'burdened by over regulation' (UK)

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

Speaking on Jeff Randall Live, Adam Crozier said he would welcome tougher competition, but he called for less control – saying the current system is untenable.

He added: “The way the market is regulated has to change. The way the market is being regulated is not benefiting customers.”

Talking about the challenges facing the Royal Mail, he said: “We still face some huge risks.

“We have a declining market because people change the way they communicate and we have a huge pension deficit.”

Earlier this year an independent review into Royal Mail described its business model as unsustainable.

Adam Crozier maintained his commitment to running a commercial business with a social heart.

He said the universal service – the one price goes anywhere service – remained a key part of the Royal Mail.

“It remains the backbone of all the economic and social cohesion of the country. If that doesn’t work the whole thing falls about,” he stressed.

But he warned that the universal service was losing money and the current regulation system was not working and had to be changed.

There could also be more job cuts for Royal Mail staff.

In the last few years, 50,000 staff have been laid off and Crozier said there would be more substantial cuts as machines replace people.

“It’s all designed to improve the quality of service for our customers – both social and business.”

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Royal Mail Group raise over GBP 1 Million Pounds (UK)

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

In 2005, the Royal Mail Group signed a three-year campaign agreement with Help the Hospices, which was the company’s first national charity partnership. The fundraising target was GBP 1m.
Royal Mail Group offices, mail centres, Post Offices and Parcelforce depots raised funds for hospices in their local communities. About 300 community coordinators were recruited from all parts of the company to organise events such as bike rides from London to Paris and Land’s End to John O’Groats, bring-and-buy sales and local cake bakes. The group also raised funds by sponsoring the Help the Hospices team in the 2006 London Marathon and encouraging more staff to enter its Payroll Giving scheme. Royal Mail Group matched the amount raised by staff with two donations of GBP 250,000.
The company also launched a series of national fundraising projects, including a Help the Hospices stamp, the first ever to carry a charity message. A book of photographs taken by postmen and women on their rounds was published, with the proceeds going to the charity, and novelty marketing items such as reindeer food and Christmas angels were sold in Post Offices. Customers were also encouraged to donate leftover travel currency at foreign exchange counters.
The campaign raised GBP 1,966,000, almost double the original fundraising target. The number of Royal Mail group staff donating to the charity through Payroll Giving increased by more than 1,200 per cent.
This partnership is a winner for both parties: the company is committed to making a difference to the communities and also supports a national cause that touches the majority of its customers, and the charity raises both its profile and much-needed funds.

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Brussels gets tough on postal markets

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

Brussels will on Tuesday attempt to prevent backsliding by EU countries over reform of domestic postal markets, warning that practical barriers to competition as well as legal monopolies need to be removed.

European Commission officials are expected to tell a high-level conference – involving two commissioners and several ministers – that countries need to be proactive about changing practices in their postal markets or risk facing infringement actions.

Unusually, the move comes only four months after the 2008 postal directive took effect, requiring most EU countries to open fully their postal markets by the end of 2010.

However, the EU internal markets commissioner has already written to eight states – including Germany, Holland and Belgium – warning that “reforms at national level must be pursued rigorously”, and Tuesday’s event reflects worries that there could be some backsliding from the directive’s aims by member states.

EU officials are concerned, in particular, that practical obstacles may be used to prevent the opening up of postal markets, even if the required legal changes are made.
Another potential restriction is the extent to which countries are demanding that competitors provide universal service, covering a country’s entire geographical area.

Slovakia, meanwhile, has already come under fire from the Commission’s competition arm over a new law which Brussels claims extends the monopoly held by Slovenska Posta to so-called ”hybrid mail” services, used by banks, insurers, utilities and the like for mass mailings.

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Verizon Business Unit Selected by U.S. Postal Service to Provide USD 16.4M in Network Services

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

Verizon announced that its Business unit has been selected by the U.S Postal Service to provide an estimated USD 16.4 million worth of network services under the federal Networx Universal communications program.

Verizon Business will be the primary provider of long-distance and calling-card services for the agency’s nearly 166,000 lines serving 34,000 locations nationwide, under a 10-year agreement valued at USD 10 million. In addition, the company was awarded a new task order valued at USD 6.4 million to upgrade about 100 data circuits to an Internet protocol network based on multi-protocol label switching.

Verizon Communications, Inc. provides communication services in the United States and internationally.

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Hermes names new management and plans European growth

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

Hermes Logistics has named Hartmut Ilek as its new managing director in place of Hanjo Schneider who has been promoted to the executive board of parent company Otto Group and who will also continue building up a European B2C network.

With effect from 1 February 2009, Schneider will take over the responsibility for the Services division on the Otto Group executive board, while he also becomes responsible for building up a Hermes European group with effect from July 2008. Schneider joined the Hermes Logistics Group in November 2002 and has been managing director since January 2005.

Hermes claims a 22 pct share of the European B2C parcel market. Parcelnet, the largest B2C delivery company in the UK, aims for turnover of more than EUR 300 million in 2008 and plans to set up a ParcelShop network similar to the one in Germany.

In addition, Hermes’ German transport logistics division, managed by Frank Rausch, will become a separate company that will position itself as an international linehaul network provider operating to European standards. It will also start to transport goods not only by road but also on “ecologically preferable” transport modes.

Hartmut Ilek, who has successfully managed the German parcel business of Hermes Logistics for many years, will take over as managing director of Hermes Logistics in Germany. Frank Iden will take over the position as sales & marketing director. He has been managing director of PrimeMail, a joint venture between Hermes Logistics Group and Swiss Post International, which has evolved into a specialist for large-sized and heavy mailing products for B2B, public bodies and international postal companies.

The new managing director of PrimeMail will be Christian Bartelheimer (42), who has been active in the logistics branch for many years. “We will focus on the extension of our product portfolio to ensure continuous growth and to provide a steady and enduring service to our customers. Innovative and creative services will be implemented with our strategic partners,” Bartelheimer explained.

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UPS lowers 2nd quarter earnings expectations (U.S)

Posted by | Jun 23, 2008 | |

UPS announced it expects earnings per diluted share for the second quarter within a range of USD 0.83-to-USD 0.88 compared to the USD 0.97-to USD 1.04 per share the company originally anticipated.

Slow U.S. economic growth and an unprecedented increase in the cost of fuel have resulted in lower-than-expected U.S. package volume and an accelerating contraction in the use of premium air products. In addition, the anemic U.S. economy is negatively impacting package volume into the United States, affecting results for the International segment. Performance in the Supply Chain & Freight segment is continuing to exceed expectations.

On July 22, UPS will release second quarter results followed by a conference call to provide insight into the quarter and remainder of the year.

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