Author: Archive

Authentidate to Provide U.S. Postal Service EPM Service

Posted by | Jul 30, 2007 | |

Authentidate Holding Corp., a worldwide provider of software and web-based services that enable enterprises and individuals to securely conduct the trusted exchange of electronic content, has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to become a non-exclusive authorized service provider of the USPS Electronic Postmark (EPM).

With Authentidate, USPS will help ensure performance standards and facilitate the potential for enabling multiple service providers.

Under this new framework, the USPS will license the necessary trademarks and intellectual property to potential authorized providers, helping them to independently price, as well as market, issue and verify EPMs. In addition, giving importance to ensuring a unified level of service across all providers, the Postal Service will define and maintain the technical and operational standards for the EPM service, and serve as backup verifier for all EPMs issued across all providers.

Meanwhile, Authentidate has made it clear that existing USPS customers will not experience any disruption to their existing EPM service as a result of this transition. Existing USPS customers of the EPM service will have the opportunity to become customers of Authentidate, effective August 1, 2007.

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Royal Mail lines up next sell-off

Posted by | Jul 29, 2007 | |

Royal Mail is to sell off a second multi-million pound property port-folio of post offices and sorting depots just months after concluding its first GBP 70m deal.

The state-owned postal service has appointed property agents Atisreal to undertake the sell off, which property professionals predict will contain a significant number of retail post offices, as well as industrial and office buildings.

Although many of the transactions are likely to be sale-and-leasebacks, the move to cut liabilities and generate cash from its property portfolio is likely to anger campaigners trying save the post office network in the face of planned closures.

The sale in March of 300 properties was a mixture of freeholds and leaseholds, some occupied some vacant, and was bought by Land Securities Trillium, the outsourcing arm of the largest property company in the UK.

Although the make up and size of the portfolio now being put together has not been defined the sale price could top GBP 20m.

With a countrywide property portfolio estimated to exceed GBP 2 bn in value, Royal Mail is in a position to realize a lot of value from its assets, as it implements a rationalization programme aimed at cutting losses and helping it compete against the private sector.

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UPS launches service from Incheon to Europe

Posted by | Jul 29, 2007 | |

The local division of UPS has announced the opening of its new direct flights between Incheon International Aiport and Germany’s Koln Bonn Aiport.

The new service, which will fly five times a week, began its first service Tuesday.

The cargo carrier marks the addition significant, as it is the first route service between Incheon and Europe and the largest jump in frequency that a foreign carrier has seen since the Incheon International Airport opened.

This new service is expected to find additional aircraft movements from 26 times a week to 31 times and the cargo traffic volume to rise to 36,000 metric tons a year.

“Cargo traffic between Incheon and Europe is 560,000 metric tons a year at 15 percent increase rate, and UPS’ diverse logistics operation will firmly establish a network connecting the two regions,’’ Lee Jae-hee, president and CEO of Incheon International Airport, said at the opening press conference.

The North Asia District Vice President of UPS Brian Cusson added, “Korean companies are looking for the most efficient and altruistic means of delivery for imports and exports to Europe. This new service is a show case of UPS’ efforts to meet the needs of customers which will allow UPS customers to benefit from the upgraded service.’’

Incheon International Airport, the second largest international cargo handling airport in the world, continuously grabs attention from global logistics companies.

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Aramex net profits surge 36 pct to AED 33.5 million (USD 9.12 million)

Posted by | Jul 29, 2007 | |

Aramex, announced that 2007 second quarter net profits climbed 36 pct to a record breaking AED 33.5 million, compared to AED 24.6 million for the same period in 2006. Revenues soared 21 pct to AED 438 million, from AED 361 million for the same period last year.

The results pushed Aramex’s 2007 half-year net profits up by 39 pct to AED 63.4 million, from AED 45.8 million for the same period last year. Revenues for the first six months of 2007 also registered a very strong 39 pct growth, jumping to AED 837 million, from AED 600 million for the same period in 2006.

Commenting on the results, Fadi Ghandour, Aramex’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stressed that the company’s impressive performance “demonstrates our solid leadership in our core markets. All our products are enjoying double digit revenue growth in the Gulf and we have been winning key accounts in the region’s logistics sector.”

Arab Emir. Dirham = 0.27229 US Dollar

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Aramex Delivers for Qatar Foundation

Posted by | Jul 29, 2007 | |

Aramex has recently signed a significant courier service agreement with Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

Through this agreement Aramex will establish an implant office on the Qatar Foundation premises; The Education City, to offer domestic and international delivery of time-sensitive documents, parcels and shipments through its extensive domestic, regional and international network.

Aramex provides a successful portfolio of express services in Qatar. The company’s online tracking system allows customers to have access to up to the minute information on the delivery and collection of their shipments.

“We are proud to sign this agreement with Qatar Foundation that has been at the heart of the educational and social growth in the country. Our people are dedicated to service excellence and we are confident they will perform to the global best practices while maintaining a focus on their deep knowledge of the domestic market in Qatar”, said Mohammad Alkhas, Aramex Qatar Country Manager.

“Through our work station in The Education City, our specialized team will operate in a timely and accurate manner to ensure all shipments, documents and parcels are delivered punctually in and outside Qatar”, added Alkhas.

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New Al Quoz facility boosts DHL business in UAE

Posted by | Jul 28, 2007 | |

DHL’s new Al Quoz distribution centre has grown its volume of business by 25 percent in the six months since it was opened, reported the world’s leading express and logistics company.

DHL has invested AED 5 million in the development and re-engineering of the state of the art facility, which will soon become the company’s third TAPA A certified depot.

‘This facility is our 26th location in the UAE and demonstrates how our expansion plan is focused on anticipating and meeting the growing needs of our customers,’ said Geoff Walsh, Operations Manager, DHL UAE. ‘This 25 percent growth in the volume of shipments clearly suggests we are aiming in the right directions to further enhance our market leading position,’ added Walsh.

The new distribution centre provides additional capacity and offers more efficiency in handling and managing the needs of DHL’s customer base in the UAE and across the region. It has 1,200 sq metres of operations space and sorting capacity of 5,000 shipments per day and serves as a main distribution centre for DHL’s network in Dubai covering Karama, Bur Dubai, Sheik Zayed Road, Al Quoz, Jumeirah, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Investment Park.

‘Al Quoz was chosen as the location because of its centralised position, with easy access to some of Dubai’s fastest growing areas. It has also helped us decrease the amount of time our vehicles spend on the road, therefore contributing to a decrease in traffic congestion,’ Walsh added.

Al Quoz facility also comprises a Strategic Parts Centre (SPC) which provides value-added logistics services such as storage, inventory management, order processing, co-packing, kitting and quality testing. In addition, it allows more rapid and accurate sorting of customers’ materials using sophisticated warehouse management, shipping and international technology platforms.

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OutBound Shipping System Receives Advanced DHL Certification

Posted by | Jul 28, 2007 | |

OutBound Shipping System, a leading provider of automated carrier certified shipping software and solutions has today announced that it has received DHL certification for its shipping software, OutBound 6.12. The DHL certification process was introduced during the 1st quarter of 2007 and is a requirement for companies seeking to incorporate DHL services into existing shipping applications.

Since 1990, OutBound Shipping System has provided state-of-the-art shipping applications to medium and large enterprise businesses. These applications are designed to be easily integrated into existing in-house systems and databases. The cmpany focuses on building direct relationships with its clients to provide them with the most sophisticated .NET, C, and SQL shipping solutions available in the industry.

Currently, OutBound Shipping System’s multi-carrier certified shipping solution integrates United States Postal Service (USPS), Federal Express (FedEx) and United Parcel Service (UPS) products and services and also has a less than truckload (LTL) module. The latest edition will feature increased application functionality as well as full integration with DHL.

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European Commission plots action over postal VAT

Posted by | Jul 27, 2007 | |

The European Commission is threatening to take the Government to the European Court of Justice unless it amends the law which allows Royal Mail to be exempt from paying VAT, in a move which could force a huge hike in postal rates.

The postal operator’s rivals have been pushing for a review for months, saying the exemption gives Royal Mail a significant price advantage.

The EC has formally requested that the UK, as well as Germany and Sweden, amends its legislation on the exemption.

The threat is part of EC plans to ensure fair competition between former monopolies and market entrants. The EC has described Royal Mail’s VAT exemption as ‘the single most important obstacle to achieving effective competition in this sector’.

The Commission also claims to have received a number of complaints that the different tax liabilities distort competition and that Royal Mail should be subject to the same tax regulations as its competitors.

Laszlo Kovacs, European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs, says: “The EC, as guardian of the EC Treaties, is obliged to ensure that EU rules are applied in a harmonised manner across the Community.”

A Royal Mail spokesman says: “Royal Mail remains opposed to the imposition of VAT on our postal charges. While the issue of VAT is a matter for the UK Government, we have said that an increase in stamp prices as a result of the imposition of VAT is the last thing we want for any of our customers, particularly charities and small business.”

Royal Mail also questioned the actions of the European Commission in pursuing its VAT exemption, when large parts of the EU will not have fully liberalised postal markets until 2009 at the earliest, under the latest EU timetable. The UK’s postal market was opened up to full competition in January 2006.

Postcomm recently urged the EC to change its VAT framework so that all postal operators can pay a reduced uniformed VAT rate to make the market ‘a level playing field’ for all operators. The independent postal service regulator welcomed UK Mail’s recent move to make it exempt from paying VAT on its downstream access.

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