Author: Archive

Pitney Bowes makes ten-best list for green efforts

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

Pitney Bowes Management Services has been selected as one of the Top 10-ranked outsourcing vendors for environmental stewardship, according to a recent Brown-Wilson Group independent study of industry decision makers and analysts. PBMS also ranked first in the category of Document Processing Outsourcing.

The efforts of the company’s task force have resulted in the installation of better insulation and climate-control hardware and the use of more energy-efficient and better quality lighting.

The company is also in the final stages of an eco-friendly world headquarters renovation. After completing the first two of five phases, 193 tons of demolition and construction debris has been recycled. At this rate, by the end of phase five, 450 tons of debris will have been saved from the landfills and recycled instead.

Pitney Bowes has a history of environmental consciousness. In 2006 Pitney Bowes purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset 17 percent of the electricity consumed annually by the company’s corporate office facilities in the United States and United Kingdom.

Pitney Bowes is a founding member of the Green Power Market Development Group, a collaboration of 12 leading US corporations and the World Resources Institute united to building corporate markets for renewable and eco-friendly energy.

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UK's CWU union announces two 48-hour Royal Mail strikes in October

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

Postal workers will stage two 48-hour strikes on Oct 5-6 and Oct 8-9 in the next stage of their dispute with Royal Mail over job cuts and pay, the Communication Workers Union has announced.

The workers will also start a rolling program of strikes from Oct 15 and continuing weekly until the dispute is resolved, the union said.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the strikes were a proportionate response to Royal Mail’s actions.

“The workforce has had enough of Royal Mail messing them around,” he said. “We’re not going to tolerate an employer that ignores its workforce, ignores the union and ignores its customers.” Earlier this month the union rejected the latest package put forward by Royal Mail, which consisted of a 6.7 pct increase on basic pay over two years, because of a disagreement over working hours. The pay offer comprised the 2.5 pct increase originally proposed for this year, plus a further 0.5 pct from money accrued in “share of savings schemes” and an additional 800 stg if targets are met.

Royal Mail condemned the strike action, saying it is clear that the CWU leadership does not begin to understand the challenges facing Royal Mail and the very serious consequences for the business if we do not push ahead and modernize.

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UK Royal Mail faces further strikes in October

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

Britain’s state-run postal service, Royal Mail, is facing two further strikes after the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced dates for industrial action in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

“The Communication Workers Union is announcing today that there will be further strike action in response to Royal Mail’s draconian and destructive proposals on pay and business changes,” the union said in a statement.

The CWU said in June its members had voted in favor of industrial action due to Royal Mail’s “below inflation pay offer” and its plans to reduce the workforce by around 40,000, or about 27 percent, by automating mail-sorting processes.

Royal Mail said it remained willing to talk to the union but needs to modernize to prevent the business from failing and that the only way it could improve pay, protect pensions and deliver customer service was by modernizing.

“It is clear from our discussions that the CWU leadership does not begin to understand the challenges facing Royal Mail and the very serious consequences for the business if we do not push ahead and modernize,” Royal Mail said. The company is fighting private competition from Business Post, Dutch mail company TNT NV and others after losing its 350-year monopoly on postal services last year. The growth of email, text messages and the purchase of vehicle tax discs and television licenses online have also dented profits. The union said it would hold 48 hour strikes on Oct. 5 and 6 and Oct. 8 and 9.

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Sinotrans Group plans USD 1.3 bln bulk shipping IPO

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

Chinese logistics giant Sinotrans (Group) Co’s resources shipping unit plans to raise more than USD 1.3 billion in a November IPO in Hong Kong, taking advantage of a global shipping boom, sources said on Thursday.

The parent of Hong Kong-listed Sinotrans Ltd partners with global players such as Deutsche Post’s, DHL and Korean Air, is applying to the Hong Kong exchange for its estimated HK USD 10 billion-plus (USD 1.3 billion) initial public offering, five sources close to the deal told Reuters.

The Sinotrans group operates 35 bulk cargo vessels and several oil tankers with a total capacity of more than 2 million deadweight tones, sources said.

China’s unabated demand for energy and raw materials to fuel galloping economic growth has fuelled strong demand for bulk cargo ships and sent the Baltic Exchange’s dry freight Index to record levels.

Strong demand and capacity constraints in the world’s major shipyards have elevated vessel prices, especially for bulk cargo vessels. Capesize prices rose 29 percent from the end of last year to end-July and Panamax prices gained 15 percent in the same period, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd. Although a potential slowdown in U.S. economic growth may affect world demand for manufactured goods, those were mostly carried by container ships, analysts said.

Since Sinotrans’ ships are mostly registered in Hong Kong, the company would be listed in the territory as a red chip — a Beijing-backed or funded company incorporated outside of mainland China, a banking source said.

UBS and BOC International are co-sponsors of the deal.

Sinotrans Ltd has said its parent would soon wrap up a plan to inject infrastructure assets, including terminals and storage facilities, into the listed arm.

(USD 1=HKUSD 7.784)

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e-Delivery in the UK 2007 Snow Valley. L13974

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

e-Delivery in the UK 2007 Snow Valley

This report is based on research conducted across 98 UK online stores in July and August
2007. This has been compared with the findings of the same research done in July 2006 and 2005.

We originally looked at 100 websites when we started the report in 2005 and we have retained that same list to allow us to monitor trends closely. 2 of these websites were not transactional in 2007 and so we have reduced the list to 98 sites.

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The Reserve Bank of India brake on Western Union growth

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked international money transfer agent Western Union Co. Ltd to stop expanding its network in India till it receives “further instructions” from the central bank, which also doubles up as the regulator of the banking and foreign exchange business. The company operates in India through a network of principal agents and sub-agents.

A government official, who did not wish to be identified, said the central bank found that Western Union Services India Pvt. Ltd (Wusi) was deviating from what it is actually allowed to do in India. The official declined to specify what these activities were.

In a letter dated 5 September, a copy of which is available with Mint, RBI has prohibited “Indian agents of Western Union Financial Services Inc., USA/Western Union Network (Ireland) Ltd” from expanding their wire transfer business in India through sub-agents. The letter does not mention any violations of service terms, and adds that “MTSS (money transfer service scheme) guidelines are being comprehensively reviewed in consultation with the government”, and that the bank expected to be able to issue the revised guidelines “shortly”.

But the letter adds that “any breach of these instructions” on not expanding the network “will be viewed seriously and render (the) agency permission liable for cancellation.”

A Wusi executive confirmed that RBI sent a letter but not to the company. “Some of our sub-agents have received the letter, not us,” said the executive, who did not wish to be identified. Wusi has 11 principal agents in the country, who have appointed sub-agents. The official said Wusi will not be directly liable for the functioning of sub-agents, who run over 45,000 outlets in India.

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Magyar Posta launches its retail network restructuring programme in October

Posted by | Sep 20, 2007 | |

In October 2007, Magyar Posta is starting to outsource nearly 1200 loss-making post offices.

By the first half of 2009 it is planned to reduce the number of directly managed post offices by 50%. In the framework of the so-called Post Partner Programme small businesses and local governments will ensure the postal services in 1200 service points. Customers will not suffer any disadvantages originated from this change as the service remains the same as before and Magyar Posta will guarantee the provision of postal services in the future too.

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