Author: Archive

DHL key provider in Middle East-China trade

Posted by | Jun 22, 2008 | |

The China Sourcing Fair 2008 again confirmed DHL’s position as leading provider of logistics and express services between the Middle East and China. DHL provided valuable guidance and logistics expertise for many professional buyers throughout the Middle East, India and Africa importing from and to China.

UAE is China’s second-biggest trading partner in the GCC, and DHL is a key provider of express solutions for imports from and exports to China. With its participation in the fair on June 9-11, DHL emphasized the importance of strong trade links between the UAE and China.

DHL currently operates in China via 11 dedicated gateways – including four major gateway facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – as well as over 163 service centres, 56 stations, 6000 employees, 1500 vehicles, 21 Quality Control Centres, and serving more than 300 cities. The company has been operating in the world’s second largest economy for over 26 years.

Future DHL improvements to support the flow of goods and documents between the UAE and China, will include additional ground network upgrades and ground fleet enhancements, as well as additional flights.

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Changing economy poses challenges for U.S. Customs

Posted by | Jun 22, 2008 | |

DHL’s plan to hire United Parcel Service for domestic air transport of DHL packages may have a long-term impact on how the government deploys its customs inspectors regionally.

Last year, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency decided to reassign most of its staff from Dayton International Airport to DHL’s air freight hub at Wilmington, to handle DHL’s brisk flow of incoming packages from foreign destinations.

On May 28, DHL announced its plan to hire UPS. That could end DHL’s need for air freight operations at Wilmington by some time in 2009, since UPS has its own sorting and air transport facilities. German-owned DHL, which is trying to end multimillion-dollar losses in its U.S. operations, has said it hopes to conclude a contract with UPS within three months and begin making operational changes soon after.

The government has no plans to change deployment of its staff at Wilmington because it hasn’t received official notification from DHL of any changes for that hub, Miles said.

Most of the customs staff of eight people at the Dayton airport remain there still, because the relocation of what is known as a port office is still in progress, customs spokesman Brett Sturgeon said. One officer has been reassigned from Dayton to supplement the previously existing staff at Wilmington, Sturgeon said.

There will be a renewed need for U.S. customs staff at Dayton International Airport, which is about to see a return of international passenger flight service for the first time in six years.

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High fuel costs are forcing retailers to rethink distribution processes, as three experts explain

Posted by | Jun 21, 2008 | |

High fuel costs are forcing retailers to rethink distribution processes, as three experts explain
Philip Bracken, Director of professional services, TNT Fashion Group
What impact are the rocketing fuel prices having on your business?
Fuel cost is something we don’t have control of and the current escalation is something that we can’t take on the chin. As much as possible we try to offset costs but it is hard to absorb much more. It is an unattractive subject but we have to pass on some costs. We are doing this on a variable basis, ensuring that our pricing mechanism is directly linked to the cost of fuel.
How are you dealing with the increased costs?
We are working on getting distribution into stores with less diesel being used and minimising land mileage. We have long had a programme to implement environmental benefits so have been doing a lot to reduce our consumption and emissions. We have invested in some electric vehicles. These are pretty successful but have a limited range.
How are your retail customers reacting to the issue?
The wider economic report is gloomy and we don’t want to add to customers’ woes. The mood among customers is pretty sober but it is from a whole basket of issues, not just fuel costs. We are always looking at ways to cut costs for retailers. We don’t take advantage of this type of situation and we are going for a fair and transparent approach.
What long-term impact will the fuel prices have on distribution?
It is difficult to know how long it will last. We have our own views and listen to those of our commentators. But I think the reality is that this is not a temporary blip.

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New Post Office trial of atms offers convenient, Commission-free euros and dollars at selected branches

Posted by | Jun 20, 2008 | |

UK holidaymakers can now get commission-free foreign currency from new specially designed cash machines at selected Post Office branches.

Foreign exchange ATMs are being trialled in thirteen branches nationwide, giving people even more convenience when it comes to buying their holiday cash.

Customers using the ATMs will simply be able to insert their debit cards and select one of two mainstream currencies (euros or US dollars). There will be no charge for withdrawing cash, they get the same great exchange rate as over the counter and withdrawals are commission-free too.

The new machines supplied by Bank of Ireland are being trialled to complement the extensive range of counter services already available from Post Office bureaux de change, making it even easier for holidaymakers to get their Travel Money quickly and efficiently.

The announcement comes as recent figures show that there were 309 million overseas transactions on UK-issued cards last year (three per cent of all transactions on UK-issued cards). In fact using a debit card to withdraw cash abroad is so popular with UK holidaymakers that a total of GBP 7.1 billion was withdrawn from overseas cash machines in 2007.

For those who still want to shop abroad with plastic, the Post Office® credit card is one of the few cards which offers 0 pct commission on overseas transactions or the pre-paid ‘Travel Money Card’ is available in Sterling, Euros or US Dollars.

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Post Office calls for ID contract to cut closures (UK)

Posted by | Jun 20, 2008 | |

Ministers are being urged by the Post Office to give it valuable contracts to take over the distribution of ID cards, biometric data, and e-passports, in a bid to save it from a further round of politically-damaging closures, and loss of customers.

The organisation is arguing in private talks with ministers that it is best placed to take on some of these contracts since it is already responsible for checking passport applications and has an existing national network to draw upon. Ministers in both the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Home Office are stressing that they cannot hand out the contract without open commercial competition, but see both political and business advantages to a deal.

Ministers have met top figures in the Post Office to discuss the contracts, and other ways in which government can provide customers, after the Post Office was criticised for a sweeping closure plan.

Post Office retention of such contracts of national necessity is vital if ministers are to persuade the European Union that government subsidies remain lawful under EU law. Brussels has approved a subsidy of GBP 150m a year to enable the parent company Royal Mail, wholly government-owned, to run a network of 11,500 post offices by keeping loss-making branches open.

The government has sanctioned the closure of 2,500 post offices by the end of the year in a programme that has met fierce resistance across the country, but is designed to cut post office losses. The network lost GBP 200m in 2006-7, while Royal Mail is handling 3m fewer letters a day than last year.

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Community post offices stay open in Jersey

Posted by | Jun 20, 2008 | |

Jersey Post has said it has no plans to close any of the community post offices on the island.

The announcement comes despite the company’s core business losing nearly GBP 1m in 2007.

But Jersey Post said it had been one of its best years overall, with profits nearly doubling in business mail.

Chief executive John Pinel said: “The company has no plans to close any sub-post offices but is looking at how and when they’re used.”

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Correos sells viajes crisol prepaid

Posted by | Jun 20, 2008 | |

“TURCORREOS” cards went on sale today at 50 post offices around Spain. This is the first step in extending this service to the entire network of over 2,200 post offices throughout the country.

The TURCORREOS card can be topped up at nine offices in Catalonia, nine more in the Community of Madrid, five in the Community of Valencia, four in Extremadura, and offices in Castilla-Leon, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Castilla-La Mancha, Asturias, Aragon, Navarre, La Rioja and Murcia.

This new service is the result of the collaboration agreement signed between CORREOS and Viajes Crisol, in which the public can top up these cards, a convenient and safe way to pay for holidays and associated services, such as hotel rooms or car rental, amongst other tourist and holiday services offered by Viajes Crisol, at the post offices.

Viajes Crisol’s Sales Manger Ignacio González and CORREOS Office Division Manger Germán Domínguez presented the prepaid card at an event held at the public postal operator’s Management Centre in Madrid.

The agreement, which includes the concession of the use of the “TURCORREOS” registered trademark by the postal company to Viajes Crisol, has been launched as a long-term venture and was signed in April by CORREOS Chairman José Damián Santiago Martín and Viajes Crisol Managing Director José María Lucas.

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Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC) International Seminar and Joint Meeting of Postal Operators Board hosted by Haypost in cooperation with the Universal Postal Union (UPU)

Posted by | Jun 20, 2008 | |

For the first time in Armenia, in cooperation with UPU, Haypost CJSC, the national postal operator of Armenia, hosted an international seminar for RCC Administrations experts entitled “Postal marketing development as an instrument of access to knowledge and experience” on June 10-11, followed by the joint meeting of RCC Commission and Postal Operators Board on June 12.

The seminar was attended by representatives from RCC member countries, namely, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, as well as the Latvian “Latvijas Pasts”, PostEurop, British Royal Mail, French “La Poste”, Finnish “Posti”, and the UPU International Bureau’s Regional Office.

“Such international seminars and joint meetings are very helpful in terms of enabling knowledge-sharing and exchange of best practices, as well as in the development of cooperation between postal administrators”, says Hans Boon, Director General of Haypost CJSC.

One of the most important outcomes of the seminar was the establishment of a unified plan of action in preparation for the upcoming 24th Congress of Universal Postal Union to be held in Geneva on 23 July – 12 August.

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