Author: Archive

TNT not planning to cut thousands of jobs

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

TNT NV said it has no intention of cutting more than the 6,500-7,000 jobs previously announced as part of its cost-cutting program.

TNT spokesman Pieter Schaffels said that media reports claiming TNT may cut thousands of additional jobs do not reflect its intention with regard to its savings plan and upcoming labor talks.

‘We already made it clear in April that we see two scenarios for reaching our target of 300 mln eur in savings,’ spokesman Pieter Schaffels said.

He said TNT still prefers the first scenario, in which job losses are capped at 6,500-7,000 while collective labor agreements are adjusted for additional cost savings. The company has said that in this scenario, it will minimize forced lay-offs.

However, if agreements cannot be reached with unions regarding wages, overtime pay, pension costs and other issues, Schaeffels confirmed that a second scenario could result in up to 11,000 job losses.

‘That is not our preference,’ the spokesman said, adding that it is premature to discuss job losses ahead of key negotiations with unions, noting that ‘to an extent, the ball is in the unions’ court’.

Read More

DHL (UAE) gives more rewards to loyal customers with enhanced Altitude program

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

DHL customers using the company’s express services will now get more rewards with Altitude, the newly-enhanced customer loyalty program.

DHL UAE Marketing Manager Elliott Santon commented: With Altitude all our loyal customers will now be rewarded for every dirham they spend on DHL’s products and services. Previously, customers who registered under the program were rewarded on parcel shipments only. It will now be across the complete DHL product range.

Enrolling in the Altitude program is free upon opening an account with DHL. Altitude members can either redeem their points at any of the program rewarding partners like City Centre in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, or donate the equivalent amount to non-governmental organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Dubai Centre for Special Needs (DCSN) of Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF).

DHL’s customer loyalty program was launched in 2003. Two years after it won the prestigious Gulf Marketing Review’s Loyalty Program of the Year award.

Read More

FedEx Express enhances same day services for urgent shipments

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

FedEx Corp. has significantly enhanced FedEx Express same-day service offerings with the addition of same-day services for freight shipments and a new intra-city service in select markets.

FedEx customers can now have many of their most urgent freight shipments weighing more than 150 lbs. delivered on the same calendar day, backed by a money-back guarantee. FedEx SameDay services will offer simple, published, distance-based pricing.

FedEx also will now offer FedEx SameDay City for parcel or palletized freight. This service will offer standardized pricing and an industry leading same calendar day delivery commitment, backed by a money-back guarantee. This new service is for domestic shipments moving same-day within a 25-mile radius of ten metropolitan markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Memphis, Boston, New York, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Lower intra-city rates also will be offered for customers.
FedEx SameDay services allow U.S.-based customers to send their most urgent shipments door-to-door throughout the 50 states within hours depending on flight availability. FedEx SameDay services include FedEx SameDay for shipments under 150 lbs., FedEx SameDay Freight for shipments weighing more then 150 lbs., loose or palletized and FedEx SameDay City for both freight and shipments weighing less than 150 lbs. These services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and average pickup times less than 60 minutes after a request is placed. Finally, for international shipments, FedEx International Next Flight® offers customers fastest delivery of shipments to more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.

Read More

Reinhard Lange to succeed Klaus Herms as CEO in mid 2009

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

The Board of Directors of Kuehne + Nagel International AG has appointed Reinhard Lange (58) as the successor to CEO Klaus Herms. Since 1999, Reinhard Lange has been a member of the Management Board of Kuehne + Nagel International AG with the responsibility for Sea & Air Logistics.

Lange will assume his new function as of June 30, 2009, when Klaus Herms will retire after 40 years of service. Until then, Lange will maintain his current responsibilities and will at the same time act as Deputy CEO.

“We are very pleased that it was possible to appoint a member of Kuehne + Nagel’s top management as successor to Mr Herms,” said Klaus-Michael Kuehne, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “For 36 years Mr. Lange has worked for our Group and has significantly contributed to its success.”

Reinhard Lange started his international career with Kuehne + Nagel in 1971 in Bremen, Germany. In 1985 he accepted a new challenge in Hong Kong where he successfully developed the seafreight business in the Asia Pacific region as a member of the regional management team. He returned to Germany in 1991 as a member of the national management board, where he was responsible for the business unit seafreight. Before being appointed to the Management Board of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, Reinhard Lange was Managing Director of the Kuehne + Nagel organisation in Canada.

Read More

Parcels Losing Weight

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

It’s nearly two-thirds into 2007 and shippers are still trying to get a handle on how to handle dimensional rate pricing for parcel shipments.

UPS announced the plan late last year and rolled it out in January, granting some shippers waivers that have just ended. FedEx, DHL and even the U.S. Postal Service soon followed suit.

Dimensional pricing is likely to further fade the line between air express and ground parcel service. The new metric also could affect trucking operations and alter freight classification standards as the express and parcel carriers look to bring the disciplines of that side of the business into their growing less-than-truckload subsidiaries.

Whether they take a dim view of the changes or not, shippers are already adjusting their shipping patterns to pare down what could be large cost increases under older standards.

UPS contends dimensional costing offers shippers something they’ve clamored for – a simpler pricing method. Dim-weight pricing, the company says, more accurately reflects the true costs for handling and delivery.

Some industry analysts say the impact of the new pricing standard has yet to be fully felt.

Read More

Cabinet approves sale of Maltapost shares to Lombard Bank

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

The Cabinet yesterday approved the implementation of the second of three stages in the privatisation of Maltapost, which is the transfer of 25 per cent of the Government’s shareholding to Redbox Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lombard Bank plc. As a result of this transfer Lombard Bank plc will effectively become the majority shareholder in Maltapost plc with 60 pct of the shares.

Government said the agreed price for the shares was Lm 1,217,585 (EUR2,836,210). This represented a 50 per cent premium over the net asset value of the shares based on the last audited accounts of the company. Based on the average profits of Maltapost in the past three years, the price represents a price to earnings ratio of 68. So, apart from believing that this step was strategically important for the company, Government also believes that the agreed price is an advantageous one.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal by Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt that Maltapost plc should be fully privatized.

Government shall, in the coming months, initiate the process for selling the remaining 40 per cent of its shares via an Initial Public Offering on the Malta Stock Exchange.

Government believes it should not operate in commercial areas which are best left to the private sector.

Read More

Royal Mail Talks End – No Agreement

Posted by | Sep 10, 2007 | |

As private talks between the CWU and Royal Mail officials come to an end, somewhat unexpectedly, no deal has been reached.

Royal Mail saw significant losses this year after many of its large customers moved their sorting requirements to rival mail handlers, and the losses look set to continue as Royal Mail is left effectively holding the baby – the Universal Service Agreement, Britain’s backbone final mile postal deliveries.

More disturbing perhaps is that whilst Royal Mail struggles to stand its ground after mail liberalization was effectively bulldozed through, there seems to be a hardcore of postal workers that are convinced that working to their times (a more acceptable way of saying ‘work to rule’) will see some divine presence appear from the blackness (presumably in the shape of Gordon Brown) and save them all.

The CWU have lost the battle so far and no amount of strikes or working to rule are likely save jobs or see any big pay rises in a business that is seeing large chunks of its most profitable work eaten up by rivals. It either works smarter and more efficiently or it fails. The likelihood of Royal Mail being broken up to maintain the Universal Service and allow Royal Mail to compete for business mail seems greater than ever.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

Have you noticed a decrease of non-EU inbound parcel volumes since the implementation of the new €3 charge?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!


View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest