Author: Archive

Correos presents its first ecological vehicles (SPA)

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Correos has presented its first electric vans and bicycles for mail and parcel deliveries, particularly in protected historic quarters and pedestrianised town centres. This initiative joins other initiatives promoted by the public postal company, aimed at reducing environmental impacts as far as possible.

To set up of the pilot projects Correos has purchased five commercial vehicles and nine bicycles adapted for carrying small loads. These vehicles will make the postmen and women’s job easier in pedestrianised areas, as up to now they have had to deliver large volumes of mail on foot and by hand in these areas. The initial investment made by the postal company stands at euro 139,000.

The vans will be used for mail deliveries in Barcelona and Seville and the bicycles in Granada and various towns in the provinces of Ciudad Real and Toledo. In Madrid and Zaragoza both types of vehicles will be tested. With this experience, Correos hopes to check the adaptability of these means of transport in different urban settings.

Lower usage and maintenance costs

The model of van chosen has a useful load capacity of over 400 kg and its side doors and rear door are very easy to handle, even for the bulkiest parcels. Right now, these types of vehicles are more expensive than conventional vehicles, although their useful life is longer and they are less expensive to use and maintain. This advantage is added to the environmental benefits, since, because they do not use oil-based fuel, the contaminating effects are drastically reduced. Furthermore, they do not generate any noise.

With this measure, Correos, with an average investment of 14 million euros in its fleet –made up of more than 13,000 vehicles, including lorries, vans and motorbikes- in the last three years, will step up its contribution to protecting the environment. The postal company already bought 28 Euro-4 type lorries in 2006, ahead of the anti-pollution guidelines and regulations adopted by the European Union, and is now starting to include ecological vans and bicycles in its fleet.

Once these vehicles and bicycles have been tested and adapted for mail deliveries in the respective pilot projects, Correos will gradually add new ecological units.

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Charities face hike in postage costs (UK)

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Charities are facing spiralling postage costs after Royal Mail warned it can no longer guarantee to reimburse them when donors put stamps on freepost envelopes.

The move, which it is claimed could cost charities millions of pounds in extra postage costs, has been sparked by the introduction of new automated sorting systems. In the past, many charities have encouraged the practice as it saves them thousands of pounds a year.

The issue is understood to have been raised with Royal Mail by client group Direct Marketing in Fundraising Group (DMiFG). Following the DMiFG’s enquiry, Royal Mail has contacted a number of charities to clarify that the terms and conditions of the Business Response Service do not allow for postage to be paid by the sender, and that the practice should be discouraged.

Cascaid strategy and planning director Roger Lawson says: “Ultimately, this is going to cost the sector a lot of money. Over the years it will be in the millions.”

Lawson adds: “It’s a shame if it comes down to automated sorting, because I can’t believe that Royal Mail can’t produce a machine that can identify whether or not there is a stamp on the envelope.”

One insider predicts that the decision will damage the reputation of many charities who are constantly under pressure to reassure supporters that they keep their administration costs to a minimum.

He says: “This was the one area where the Royal Mail showed some compassion towards the good work being done by the charity sector. If they withdraw this service, charities will no longer be seen to be doing the right thing. And ultimately it could dissuade charities from using direct mail as a channel.”

A Royal Mail spokesman says: “There has been no change to the Business Response Service policy. It has existed since the product was introduced and we would encourage people to stick to the rules of the product.”

He also clarified that any charity that could prove postage had been paid for items twice would be refunded.

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Should TNT stay in Germany or should it go?

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Dutch mail and logistics company TNT NV has more to gain by staying in Germany despite competitive snags as buoyant growth prospects will make up for a shrinking business at home in the Netherlands.

Europe’s second-biggest mail and logistics company by market value, TNT is expected to lose its remaining monopoly in its lucrative domestic market this year, with competitors already eating into its market share and profitability.

It is seeking to reinforce its German operations but has threatened to pull out of the country due to what it sees as preferential treatment for Deutsche Post.

Earlier this month, a German court ruled in TNT’s favour in a case it brought against a minimum wage for postal workers, allowing it to continue paying its lower wage.

Europe’s largest economy introduced a minimum wage of up to 9.80 euros (USD 15.15) per hour for its roughly 220,000 postal workers in January.

The German government said it would appeal against the court ruling, and a verdict could take months, however.

That appeal is hanging over the company and the German postal sector like a sword of Damocles, Dutch daily De Telegraaf quoted Mario Frusch, the chief executive of TNT Post Germany, as saying on Thursday.

He said the company has put its investments in Germany on hold for the time being. TNT Chief Executive Peter Bakker told Reuters in December the company had frozen its investments due to the minimum wage issue.

But TNT needs to take a long-term view of the German mail market, one of the big three in Europe, as it has the potential to drive future growth and offset Dutch losses.

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US Postal Service extends IT services contract with Nortel Government Solutions

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stop the U.S. Postal Service. To help keep it that way, the agency has awarded a one-year, estimated USD 6 million IT services contract extension to Nortel Government Solutions.

This extension for services to support the PostalOne! automated mail handling system follows a one-year, USD 9.6 million extension in 2006. Nortel Government Solutions is a U.S. company wholly owned by Nortel.

The PostalOne! system helps integrate and optimize business mail handling, which is a nearly USD 40 billion annual business for USPS. It also provides financial management data, as well as online access to tracking and status information for both USPS and its business customers.

“We’re continuing to work with the Postal Service not only to keep PostalOne! running efficiently, but also to provide new applications and enhancements designed to help raise the level of customer service,” said Chuck Saffell, chief executive officer, Nortel Government Solutions.

Nortel Government Solutions provides software design, secure data management and integration of the PostalOne! system with legacy USPS systems and third-party applications. This includes development and enhancement of mail processing support applications to handle an estimated two million new addresses each year.

Nortel Government Solutions has provided systems and application development, engineering and network administration services for USPS since 1993.

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New parcel services meet booming online demand in New Zealand

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Significant growth in parcels due to online trading has sparked new parcel services says New Zealand Post.

Parcels marketing manager Mike Stewart said New Zealand Post’s research found that online traders had particular needs from a parcel service.

These requirements have been incorporated into the new ParcelPostTM range, which starts on 28 March, he said.

“We found there was a real gap in the market for an economic alternative to couriers,” said Mr Stewart.

“E-traders want to know their parcels have been delivered, but they don’t necessarily want to pay a fortune for overnight delivery.

“We’re introducing a tracked parcel service that gives e-traders proof of delivery – but at a cheaper price than courier alternatives.”

A tracked parcel has a barcode on it that’s scanned at various points along its journey. Progress is updated online so that senders will know the time and date when their parcel has been delivered to the door.

The new ParcelPostTM Tracked service takes between 1 and 3 days for delivery with prices starting from $4.00.

Mr Stewart says that easy pricing is another high priority for online traders.
“The ParcelPostTM range has a simple nationwide pricing structure and the pre-paid bags have the pricing printed on them. You know exactly what you’ll pay – and there are no extra charges.”

Mr Stewart said online buyers would also benefit from Post’s new PO Box Priority parcel service, which is delivered overnight for a Standard Post price.

“We’re seen growth in the under 3kg parcels in particular – mainly using FastPost because customers are looking for next-day delivery,” he said.

“The PO Box Priority service also allows you to receive items without revealing your home address, which can be a concern when you’re buying from strangers online.”

Trade Me’s head of commercial Mike O’Donnell said that they were pleased to see the development of new postage solutions for online traders.

“Sending an item to a buyer is often the most time consuming part of an online trade. If the new ParcelPostTM range helps make this easier and more cost efficient for our members, then it has to be a good thing.”

New Zealand’s largest online bookstore, Fishpond, says the new ParcelPostTM Tracked product is exciting for their business.

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Kühne & Nagel reported interested in Sernam

Posted by | Mar 20, 2008 | |

Kühne & Nagel is interested in acquiring loss-making French parcels and cargo company Sernam, according to a recent report in Les Echos newspaper.

The Swiss-based group wants to build up a land transport network in France and has held talks to take over the former SNCF parcels subsidiary, which was sold to private investor Butler Capital Partners at the start of 2007. Sernam has a network of 50 depots across France.

According to Les Echos, KN would take over the 48.2% stake held by managing director Philippe Chevalier, while Butler Capital Partners would retain its 51.8% majority holding.

Sernam succeeded in reducing its losses last year to EUR 13 million from EUR 23 million in 2006 on revenues of EUR 368 million. The newspaper cited a source as saying the company is now virtually debt-free, and was expected to break even this year and move into profit in 2009.

Kühne & Nagel declined to comment on the report, which it described as a “rumour”. But Les Echos pointed out that the Swiss group was known to want to extend its European land transport network.

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Russian express firm SPSR grows 56% in 2007

Posted by | Mar 19, 2008 | |

SPSR, one of the largest Russian express delivery companies, generated high double-digit growth last year after expanding its network and offering a broader portfolio of services in the fast-growing Russian market.

The Moscow-based company increased revenues by 56% to RUB 2 billion (EUR 53.9 million). It delivered 2.6 million shipments, and transported total volumes of 16,300 tons. The total number of corporate customers increased to more than 25,000 by the end of last year.

SPSR said it also further extended its branch network by opening four new branches and seven offices in 2007. It now counts 117 branches and 77 offices throughout Russia. To expand its capacity, SPSR opened a new 10,000 sqm logistics complex in Moscow equipped with modern handling technology.

To speed up delivery times between regions, the company has introduced eight new routes and added more delivery rounds. The fleet was expanded by 15%, and larger trucks were put into service.

Since the beginning of this year SPSR has considerably improved its services by optimising its warehousing logistics and introducing a new “economy-delivery” service which is a cost-effective domestic delivery solution for heavier-weight parcels and freight.

To improve its customer relationships, SPSR launched a special industry solution offering a broader service range that responds to the individual needs of each customer. This new customised service also provides a personal manager for each customer who is not only familiar with general logistics topics but also with the industry sector of each customer.

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DHL turns to the next chapter in UK publishing

Posted by | Mar 19, 2008 | |

Supply chain expert provides delivery service at London Book Fair
Taking the theme of The Next Chapter, DHL will be on stand U575 at this year’s London Book Fair (14 -18 April 2008, Earls Court), highlighting its full range of services for the publishing industry, which is currently facing similar threats to those experienced by the retail supply chain, most notably ‘route to reader’ issues.
DHL provides innovative supply chain solutions to 85% of the UK publishing industry.
Mark Siviter, Executive Board Director from DHL, is heading a multi-functional group from across the supply chain business that has been created to serve the publishing sector. He explained that the sector has a number of significant challenges it needs to overcome over the next decade.

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