Author: Archive

Q-Post was ‘less productive’ in 2007

Posted by | Jan 2, 2008 | |

Q-POST was “less productive” during 2007 in comparison with previous years, Q-Post chairman Ali Mohamed al-Ali has said.

In an interview with Qatar Radio on Monday Al-Ali said that “high inflation” had its negative influence also on the postal sector and “it was the reason behind the drop in the corporation’s performance.”

“Our services to the public were much less than our ambitions,” the official said.
He said that issuance of new stamps “was not everything” in the postal field and the main goal when the corporation was established in 2001 was to present the best postal services to the public.

The official said his corporation needs to re-evaluate the services it provides.
He said: “Talented Qatari nationals are leaving Q-Post for other companies because of the poor salaries they earn here, as the corporation attracts less attention than others at the official level”.

“Our only achievement in 2007 was the issuance of a stamp of Qatar’s rulers,” Al-Ali said and added: “But that was too modest one.”

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Shanghai airports report double-digit rise in passenger handling business

Posted by | Jan 2, 2008 | |

Shanghai’s two airports handled a record 51.57 million passengers last year, an 11.8 percent increase over 2006.

The Pudong International and Hongqiao airports offered services to 440,809 planes in total in 2007, up 7.61 percent. Pudong handled 58 percent, or 253,671 takeoffs and landings, while Hongqiao accommodated 42 percent, or 187,138 takeoffs and landings, according to a Shanghai Airport Authority source.

Pudong was the only airport in the world to provide a dual presence for courier companies UPS and DHL. It ranked fifth globally for cargo and mail handling volume in the first three quarters of 2007, said the source.

Currently, 71 domestic and overseas air companies have been operating regular air routes to Shanghai, linking the Chinese financial and commercial hub with 179 cities worldwide.

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Poland's Post Office Still Delivering Mail for Polish Christmas Past

Posted by | Jan 2, 2008 | |

Because of a large labor shortage of letter carriers and staff in the post offices sorting mail, the Polish post office is still delivering mail from the year 2007 Christmas season. It hopes to have all the pre-Christmas delivered in Poland by January 15, 2008.

The exodus of Polish workers to western Europe is having a significant impact on many services provided in Poland. And one of the basic services suffering under an uncontrollable burden is the Polish postal system.

In spite of between 1.5 and 2 million being unemployed, there is a significant shortage of workers and lack of applicants to fill the jobs in the postal system.

There are businesses in Warsaw that ordered product in early November 2007 for sale during the 2008 Christmas season that still have not seen it. Those products, shipped in early November, are somewhere in the postal system. They represent lost sales and unproductive capital.

Even though the postal system indicates that it hopes to deliver the Christmas mail by about 15 January, no one has not said anything about what will happen to the remainder of the mail that went into the system after Christmas. And it does not say if mail delivery will get back to normal or suffer a decline in service level as people leave the country.

During December of 2007 some companies that had a problem using the mail service tried to use couriers. But couriers were generally not able to meet the demands. They have labor problems, too. They tended to limit their services to those who had pre-existing contracts with them.

The Polish postal service is a service that has been criticized for many years and tends not to get much attention or sympathy from the Polish public. But it is getting it now and the attention that it is getting is not good.

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Magyar Posta to spend EUR 4.3 m on new bikes

Posted by | Jan 2, 2008 | |

The Hungarian Postal Service (Magyar Posta) is to spend HUF 1.1 billion (EUR 4.34 m) to buy nearly 4,800 bicycles and 30 bicycle trailers, mfor.hu has reported on Wednesday. The price includes maintenance services and also occasional repair jobs for five years.

The public procurement tender was won by Gyõr-based (northwest Hungary) Cronopont Kft. with an offer of net HUF 1,097 million. The other bidder and runner-up was Debrecen-based (eastern Hungary) Piremon Kht. with a HUF 1,167 m offer.

The winner is to deliver 640 bikes (with option for further 245) and 4,148 bikes (with an option for further 1,676) and 30 bicycle trailers to Magyar Posta. The contract also includes maintenance for five years and repairs up to HUF 150 m.

Tamás Tomecskó, spokesman for Magyar Posta, told local newswire MTI that Cronopont would deliver KRPAN bicycles, which are manufactured in Slovenia and are already used by the postal services in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Estonia. An order by Finland’s Post is also underway and KRPAN said there might be an interest for its product from France.

The highest total weight allowed on the bicycle is 200 kilograms and the bike – with full equipment – weighs around 25-28 kg.

The frame of the KRPAN bicycle is made of aluminous tubes, with a special temperature-resistant layer. The weight of the frame amounts 2.2 kg. Additional reinforcements ensure a greater load capacity, safer ride and longer usage. 26” frame allows the bicyclist to get on and off the bicycle very easily. Furthermore it allows the construction of the rear hub with inner gears. The shape of the rear of the bicycle gives the opportunity to construct the hub without, or with three inner gears.

The front and the rear carriers are of steel construction and are fixed on special holders on the frame. In the case of a fall, the carrier protect the bicyclist and the carried goods from possible damage. The rear carriers have a serial manufacture of connections for a trolley.

Tomecskó said the company would have regular one-speed and three-speed bicycles with Shimano Nexus hubs.

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Privatized post offices start delivering New Year's cards

Posted by | Jan 1, 2008 | |

Post offices across Japan started delivering New Year’s greeting cards the morning of New Year’s Day on Tuesday for the first time since the privatization of the country’s postal system in October.

According to Japan Post Service Co., a total of 2,033 million cards nationwide are to be delivered on New Year’s Day. The figure is up 6.5 percent from a year earlier.

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Post office closures in Scotland

Posted by | Jan 1, 2008 | |

Campaigners yesterday warned communities across Scotland will face a “devastating” blow in the New Year with the closure of hundreds of post offices.

Details of around 40 post offices likely to close in the Highlands and Islands will be announced on January 8, with the list of the 44 to be axed in Glasgow, Central Scotland and Argyll and Bute published the following day.

Announcements on further closures elsewhere in the country will be made throughout the year as part of the UK Government’s plans to shut 2500 post offices to help tackle rising losses.

Postal bosses insist “the status quo is not an option” and that the large-scale closures will guarantee the service’s long-term future.

But the decision was criticised yesterday by politicians and postal workers, who warned of the “devastating” effect it will have on local communities, especially those in rural areas.

Mike Weir, the SNP’s spokesman on business and postal affairs at Westminster, criticised the UK Government for giving communities only six weeks to fight the plans.

A spokesman for Postwatch said they believed the consultation period for the closure plans should be doubled from six to 12 weeks.

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