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Austria Post: Supervisory Board Resolves to Publicly Invite Applications to Fill a New Management Board Position with Responsibility for the Parcel & Logistics Division

Posted by | Dec 13, 2007 | |

Supervisory Board Resolves to Publicly Invite Applications to Fill a New Management Board Position with Responsibility for the Parcel & Logistics Division

In today’s meeting, the Supervisory Board of Austrian Post formally resolved to publicly invite applications to be submitted for a new position to be created on the Management Board, with responsibility for the Parcel & Logistics Division. The job announcement will be officially published as soon as possible, in accordance with the Public Appointments Act (Stellenbesetzungsgesetz).

In this context, Peter Michaelis, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Austrian Post, said: “Due to the dynamic competitive environment in the European postal and parcel delivery market, as well as the increasing importance of the Parcel & Logistics Division within Austrian Post, the Supervisory Board decided to delegate responsibility for these operations to a separate member of the Management Board. The Parcel & Logistics Division plays a significant role with the Austrian Post Group, as a result of the expansion strategy being pursued and the related integration of the new subsidiaries, as well as the company’s further internationalisation efforts.”

The new position will be filled as quickly as possible following the legally stipulated period of four weeks for potential candidates to submit applications. Up until the appointment of a new Management Board member, Anton Wais will continue to manage the Parcel & Logistics Division on an interim basis.

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Austrian Post Repositions Parcel & Logistics Division in Austria

Posted by | Dec 13, 2007 | |

In a Supervisory Board meeting held on December 12, 2007, the Management Board and Supervisory Board of Austrian Post approved a comprehensive plan to reposition the Parcel & Logistics Division in Austria.

Essentially, the concept encompasses three core measures which will be implemented during the year 2008 to enable an improved market position of the Parcel & Logistics Division.

– Redimensioning (downsizing) of parcel logistics operations, and its partial integration in the letter mail logistics operations, in order to create an even more efficient nationwide delivery network
– New premium product: the 24 hour business parcel (B2B and B2C)
– Growth in the B2B business customer parcels segment – market share of 20pct in 2011

The restructuring measures will lead to the closing of 7 parcel delivery bases, and the transfer of the Parcel Sorting Centre Graz to the existing location in Kalsdorf. The planned reduction in the parcel logistics work force by about 360 employees resulting from lower parcel volumes will be cushioned as much as possible by shifting employees to the Mail Division or by means of a social (redundancy) plan.

“The EBIT has risen continually from EUR 4m in 2002 to a planned level of EUR 160m in 2007. The current package of measures will enable us to continue our path to success. The restructuring measures will ensure that the Group profit for the period in 2008 will only be slightly under the 2007 level, and then rise continually. We are well on track to achieve an expected mid-term EBIT margin of between 7pct and 8pct”, says Anton Wais, Chairman of the Management Board of Austrian Post.

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Consumers bank on the post rather than online for managing finances

Posted by | Dec 13, 2007 | |

A new survey investigating the attitudes of UK consumers towards their finances has revealed that nine out of ten people (88 per cent) prefer to receive physical copies of bank statements through the letterbox rather than relying only on online banking.
The research, undertaken by the Henley Centre in conjunction with Royal Mail, has also revealed that when it comes to safe delivery of confidential information, seven out of ten (70 per cent) people trust the post more than email. In a time when consumer concerns about identity theft and the level of personal information held by organisations are running high, the issue of trust and security is a key factor when it comes to communicating confidential financial information.
The survey, “Beyond the Gate: Making a Statement,” provides an insight into household financial organisation and the role of the post in the changing media environment.
Despite the rise in internet banking, even those who do manage their finances online still rely on their posted bank statements to check their finances, with 68 per cent of internet bankers preferring to receive banking details through the door. The study also shows that the most common activity of online bankers is for checking balances with 86 per cent using websites to keep track of their spending.
Two thirds (67 per cent) of respondents say it is easier to read and understand details from a statement than a computer screen. It appears the posted statement plays a role more complex than information provision, as less than a quarter of consumers have printed out details of their financial status from the internet.
Other interesting statistics from the research include:
– 77 per cent like to receive details marketing new financial products and services through the post
– When researching new financial services, 15 per cent prefer to receive information through the post – almost as many as seek details from price comparison websites (16 per cent).

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Hermes wants VAT exemption for consumer parcels

Posted by | Dec 12, 2007 | |

German parcels carrier Hermes Logistik has officially applied to the German finance ministry for VAT exemption for its consumer parcels service in order to match the status of Deutsche Post and reduce a 17pct cost disadvantage.

Hermes said that in the market segment for parcels up to 20kg it currently has to charge VAT while Deutsche Post has VAT exemption on the grounds that it provides a universal postal service. But Hermes said its consumer parcels service is effectively a “universal service” since it provides nationwide coverage through its 13,500 ParcelShops and home delivery network.

“The one-sided exemption of Deutsche Post from VAT is not in line with European law or the principle of neutral taxation,” declared managing director Hanjo Schneider. “The resulting disadvantages for other market participants, especially for pricing, are massive and lead to unacceptable competitive distortion.”

The European Commission is already investigating Deutsche Post’s VAT exemption, and German chancellor Angela Merkel also said it needed to be examined following the decision in favour of compulsory minimum wages in the German postal market from January 2008 onwards.

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DHL signs five-year GBP 150 million contract with MFI (UK)

Posted by | Dec 12, 2007 | |

DHL Exel Supply Chain has today announced a new five-year deal with MFI, the UK’s leading home and furniture retailer, after successfully winning the contract to manage the high street giant’s new distribution center and home delivery operation.

Under the terms of the five-year contract, DHL will invest more than GBP 10 million (13.8 million euro) of its own capital into the venture. This investment will help to improve the information technology system which supports the new, streamlined picking and packing process in the warehouse, and also to develop additional warehouse space as MFI’s product range increases.

On Friday 7 December, DHL and MFI opened a new, major distribution center in Yorkshire, which signifies the start of this new business relationship. Cabinet Office Minister, Ed Miliband, carried out the official opening at the state-of-the-art 750,000 sq m distribution center in Thorne (South Yorkshire), thereby cementing a major breakthrough for DHL, as the deal represents one of the biggest ‘shared risk’ partnerships it has ever entered into with a customer.

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Pitney Bowes Expands Presence in Singapore and Malaysia

Posted by | Dec 12, 2007 | |

Pitney Bowes Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Pitney Bowes business division, including inventory, and stocks, equipment, customers, employees and other assets of CL Computers Pte Limited and CL Computers (M) Sdn Bhd., the company that has served as its distributor for the mailstream markets in Singapore and Malaysia.
CL Computers, now a major supplier of electronic banking equipment, was founded in 1985 and initially served as a distributor for computer products. Pitney Bowes appointed the company as its distributor in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998, and CL Computers now serves thousands of mailstream customers in the banking, insurance and logistics industries from offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and other locations.
The acquisition follows the recent official opening in Singapore of Pitney Bowes’s regional headquarters for Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME) operations, under the leadership of APME President Eric-Yves Mahe. Mahe has publicly stated the company’s desire to expand dramatically across the region, potentially doubling sales within the next five years.
“Mailstream technology has long delivered substantial value to large customers in North America and Europe,” said Mahe. “With our strong base in developed markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, we feel we are well positioned to deliver these same benefits to forward-thinking customers in emerging markets as well. The recent liberalization of the Singapore postal sector and the impending liberalization contemplated for the region also present strong opportunities for Pitney Bowes.”
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

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RFID is Poised for Change

Posted by | Dec 12, 2007 | |

The prosperous RFID business is on track to grow from about USD 5 billion in 2007 today to over USD 25 billion in 2017. Without collusion, most analysts agree to figures in that region and several of them see huge volumes of extremely low cost tags forming a part of the growth – even hundreds of billions in ten years from now. This seems to sit awkwardly with some press reporting that RFID retail initiatives have stalled. As one of those analysts, let IDTechEx explain.

Basic rules of marketing

Firstly, selling RFID to consumer goods companies mandated by major retailers usually breaks one of the fundamental rules of marketing “Never sell to someone who does not want to buy from you”. Most of the consumer goods companies in the USA see no payback from fitting the passive UHF labels mandated by retailers, indeed, they may have lost a mutual USD 100 million so far trying to do so, despite the RFID suppliers losing a similar sum selling tags and readers to them at a loss. The consumer goods companies are therefore quick to point out the technical problems and they use any other valid reason to delay. The contrast with the booming sectors of RFID (almost all other sectors) is stark.

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Spain and the UPU undertake to develop postal financial services in Latin America

Posted by | Dec 12, 2007 | |

Magdalena Alvarez Arza, the Spanish minister responsible for the postal sector, and Edouard Dayan, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), signed an agreement in Madrid yesterday whereby Spain and the UPU undertook to implement the International Financial Transfer System (IFS). Under this agreement, Spain, through the postal operator Correos, will connect Latin America with the UPU’s electronic financial network, thereby improving the quality of postal services and providing small and medium-sized businesses with access to postal markets.

In addition to the strategic benefits of this agreement, which formalizes Spain’s support for the UPU’s worldwide electronic fund transfer network, the Spanish government will help migrant workers based in Spain to keep in contact with their countries of origin and to transfer part of their savings to their families in a secure and affordable manner.

Spain is currently the leading issuer of remittances sent from the European Union to Latin America. According to a study conducted by the Bank of Spain, in 2006, the 4.5 million immigrants residing in Spain sent over 6.25 billion EUR to their families back home. Spain’s participation in the IFS network will also open up new opportunities with the Maghreb countries.

As part the regional development plan created by the UPU and the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (PUASP), a pilot project between Spain, Chile and Uruguay will be launched shortly, based on the action plan approved by all parties. This agreement will also mark the beginning of a new phase of closer cooperation between the teams of Correos, the UPU, PUASP and the Latin American Posts, which will together provide the technical expertise needed to establish these financial flows.

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