Author: Archive

Royal Mail bosses to axe 2,000 jobs

Posted by | Sep 21, 2007 | |

Royal Mail is to axe two huge sorting offices with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs.
Management started briefing staff at the Oxford and Reading mail centers on the radical changes last night.
The GBP 20million shake-up will be seen as hugely controversial as the plan has not been agreed with union leaders.
A senior CWU source said: “This is another example of management driving through unagreed changes and running down the service.” The Reading and Gloucester sites were on an original hit list drawn up by management but a big campaign to save the latter appears to have worked.
Bosses now want to transfer work from Oxford and Reading to a hi-tech mail centre at Swindon by 2009.
Royal Mail claims the changes will help it compete.

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Customers like doing business with Swiss Post

Posted by | Sep 21, 2007 | |

The scores for private and business customers either rose slightly or stabilized at the previous year’s already high level in all Group units. This was the result of the annual survey of Swiss Post’s customers. Swiss Post continues to attach great importance to customer-focused products and services and adapts them to the changing needs of business and the public. It is also expanding its range of products and services for business customers: for instance the new Strategic Customers & Solutions Group unit will commence operations on 1 October. This unit will comprise various subsidiaries and departments of Swiss Post and group their innovative strengths to create new customer solutions.

The results of this ninth survey were positive. The overall index for Swiss Post as a whole and for both private and business customers remained at a high level of 79 out of 100 points. Swiss Post is satisfied with these scores. Swiss Post best meets expectations in terms of support and advice. Customers are also very satisfied with access to postal services and with the company’s nationwide presence. The score in this area increased significantly.

The figures for private customers, who account for around 15 percent of Swiss Post’s sales, are still high. PostFinance, PostBus and Philately maintained their good scores or even improved them slightly, while there was a significant increase in the score for post offices to a new record high (see table at end of the document). Swiss Post has greatly improved its customer focus and has adapted to changing customer needs with innovative products. The Swiss therefore enjoy purchasing services from Swiss Post.

For the first year in which all logistics services were offered from a single source PostLogistics received an excellent score of 79 points. In 2007 – compared with the previous year – the level of satisfaction among business customers at PostMail rose substantially. Swiss Post is pleased with the continued improvement in business customer sastisfaction, as the letters market is due to be opened up further to competition in the next few years, in accordance with the Federal Council’s plans. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are also more satisfied with the services of the post offices. The increase in both areas was significant in statistical terms.

Around 10,000 business and 20,000 private customers from the various units of Swiss Post took part in the survey, which was conducted between April and July 2007. The results were evaluated by the independent institute Trustmark.

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Analytiqa Logistics Bulletin: Friday 21st September

Posted by | Sep 21, 2007 | |

This week’s Logistics Bulletin reports on a number of mergers and acquisitions from logistics service providers, with a focus on the US. Mainfreight, of New Zealand, has announced an agreement to acquire Target Logistics; French-based SDV International Logistics is acquiring Pro-service whilst xpedx and Geodis have forged a new strategic alliance.

Wincanton maintains new business momentum

Wincanton has issued a pre-close season trading update for the six months ending 30th September 2007. The Company reported that the strong new business momentum reported in its last financial year has been sustained in the first half of the current year.
New business momentum also continues to build in Wincanton s Mainland European operations with contract gains in all countries. Additional business, into transport networks and warehousing facilities, included wins with Exxon and Alcatel in Germany, Jardiland, Velux and EDF in France, and Auchan, Electrolux and OBI in Poland. The Company s international transport hub in The Netherlands added new business with Akzo and Ciba-Geigy.

Given the continuing high levels of new business activity across the Group, Wincanton currently anticipates that results for the full year will be in line with management expectations.

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British e-commerce websites lack contact and delivery information

Posted by | Sep 21, 2007 | |

British online retailers lack comprehensive contact details and a limited choice of delivery options, according to new research by web monitoring company, NetExtract.

Of the 10,000 or so British e-commerce sites, analyzed by NetExtract, 60 percent failed to provide a contact telephone number anywhere on the website.

An address to indicate the location of the business was absent in 43 percent of websites and 39 percent didn’t provide an email address. Incredibly, almost one in three websites listed neither telephone nor email contact details. Customers are less likely to buy from a company that is secretive about it’s location and communication routes.

NetExtract’s Managing Director, Thomas Roberts, stated that consumers need reassurance before they will purchase from a website. “This analysis has highlighted that many online retailers can help further reduce the fears of potential customers by offering multiple contact channels, delivery options and adding testimonials from current customers to their site,” he said.

British online retailers also offered a poor selection of delivery options, found the research, and of all the delivery companies named on websites, Royal Mail accounted for just 17 percent. When it came to providing free delivery or postage, just 11 percent offered this service and just 15 percent offered Special Delivery or next day options.

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Azerbaijan to install information kiosks for jobseekers

Posted by | Sep 21, 2007 | |

Azerbaijan’s Labor and Social Protection Ministry will for the first time install computer –based information kiosks in public areas which will allow job seekers to have access to the database of vacant jobs.

The ministry officer for employment Shahbaz Khalafov said every employment centers will have one information kiosks outside and there will be a number of kiosks in public areas. The database will be updated about concerning the conditions of the local labor market.

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Royal Mail piling post high to reduce environmental impact

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

Royal Mail is raising the roof on its trailers to cut down on the environmental impact of its distribution network.

The business has taken delivery of 140 double-deck trailers – each with the capacity to hold 50 per cent more mail than conventional trailers.

The use of the trailers will reduce the road miles and carbon emissions of that part of Royal Mail’s operation by around 20 per cent.

Royal Mail has reduced the carbon emissions produced by its distribution network by 28 per cent in recent years and the purchase of the double-deck trailers – adding to 83 already in use – further demonstrates the business’s commitment to reducing the impact of its operations on the environment.

Each trailer will hold approximately 100,000 items of mail – equivalent to the post for the whole of Islington, Harlow or Carlisle for a day.

The new vehicles are 13.6 meters long and 4.44 meters high. They have been specifically designed by The Cartwright Group.

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DHL Express and Swiss Railways (SBB) relaunch their next-day parcel delivery service.

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

DHL Express and Swiss Railways (SBB) are extending their next-day parcel delivery service to same-day deliveries to key economic centers. Since this summer the two companies have offered a next-day domestic parcel delivery service called “A-Pac” where consumers can hand in their parcels at 71 DHL Servicepoints located at railway stations.

Under the DHL Rail Pac trial service launched on September 24, customers can now hand in letters and parcels at the Servicepoints in Zurich and Bern railway stations for same-day transportation to SBB stations in Basle, Biel, Lucerne and Geneva, with optional to-door final delivery by DHL. Items delivered to Lausanne, St. Gallen and Bellinzona have to be collected at the railway station. Pick-up customers are informed by phone when their items have arrived.

The pilot project will run for three months, and the two companies will then decide whether to extend it.

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Express Courier Systems, Inc. Launches New Division for Healthcare Companies

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

To better serve the time- sensitive transportation needs of healthcare companies and laboratories, Express Courier Systems Inc., today announced the formation of Medifleet. A standalone division of the company, Medifleet’s business is fully focused on healthcare organizations, providing them with a broad range of customized delivery solutions to meet their specialized needs. Medifleet offers same day pick-up and delivery service in many different markets across the country. Moreover, each member of Medifleet’s courier team has comprehensive training in ambient, cooled and frozen diagnostic specimen handling, and is OSHA, HIPAA and DOT compliant.

Medifleet also features a unique Dedicated Courier Program to provide its healthcare customers with added assurance in the professionalism of the courier servicing their business. Unlike other courier services that rotate drivers, Medifleet customers will have the same courier and dispatchers assigned to their business every day. This ensures the Medifleet team is fully familiar with the client’s location, staff, delivery routes, pick-up windows and any special requirements.

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