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Germany's Sparkassen in talks with Pin Group for possible in-branch mail service

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

Germany’s Sparkassen savings banks are currently in talks with Luxembourg-based carrier service Pin AG over a possible cooperation which may include offering postal services at Sparkassen branches, reported Spiegel magazine, citing a spokesman for the DSGV, the German savings bank association.

‘It is true that on a regional level talks are going on about a possible cooperation,’ the spokesman told the magazine.

At this point it is still open as to what form the agreement could take, but the report speculated that the DSGV might be looking into offering a service to compete against rival Deutsche Postbank AG and its parent company Deutsche Post AG, which offers customers postal services at its branches.

The report said it was also not clear whether Sparkasse or Pin AG employees would operate such a service.

Earlier this week, German media house Axel Springer AG bought a controlling share in Pin AG, raising its holding in the mail service provider to 71.6 pct from 23.5 pct.

Pin AG chief executive Guenter Thiel has said that his company plans to have a branch network as large as that of Deutsche Post’s by mid-2008.

The company handles about 2.3 mln mailings a day and expects to more than double its annual sales this year to 350 mln eur.

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Fedex Express to cease Kaohsiung cargo flight services

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

FedEx Express, will close its Kaohsiung air cargo transportation line July 27 after 12 years of service, according to the company’s branch office at the Kaohsiung International Airport.

Despite of the closure, the company stressed that their cargo transportation services in the southern Taiwan region will not be affected, and that their southern Taiwan posts will continue to receive orders.

FedEx opened the Kaohsiung route Sept. 4, 1995, with its cargo aircraft plying the route from the southern port city to Subic Bay in the Philippines via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in northern Taiwan five times per week.

However, according to corporate sources, cargo loads are limited at the Kaohsiung airport. Besides, Taiwan’s two largest airlines — the China Airlines and EVA Airways — also operate cargo flights out of the airport and reach many of the same destinations in Southeast Asia.

FedEx executives stationed at the airport confirmed the decision to cease Kaohsiung cargo flight operations, but declined to explain why.

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FedEx to pull out of Taiwan's port city Kaohsiung

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

FedEx Corp, will pull out of Taiwan’s port city and industrial centre Kaohsiung later this month.

FedEx will operate its last flight out of Kaohsiung International Airport on July 27 and relocate staff to other cities, the China Times reported.

FedEx made the decision to quit Kaohsiung – Taiwan’s second- largest city after capital Taipei and the island’s industrial centre – because business has been declining every year in recent years.

FedEx has been serving Kaohsiung for 12 years, currently operating five weekly cargo flights to the airport. Compared with the peak days, FedEx’s business in Kaohsiung has fallen 30 per cent.

The decision to pull of Kaohsiung was made in FedEx’s US headquarters, and would not affect FedEx’s service in Taiwan or the interests of customers.

Taiwan’s economic competitiveness has been declining fast in recent years, in part due to the island’s five-decade ban on direct sea and air trade with China.

Taiwan’s business sector has been calling on the government to open air and sea links with China, but the government said the bans must be eased gradually for national security.

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Bowling Green to host new FedEx distribution center

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

FedEx will begin construction on a 48,000 square foot facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

LCM Company, based in Lexington, Ky., was awarded the design and construction contract of the new FedEx Ground Home Delivery Packaging and Distribution Center. The cost of the project is estimated at USD 3 million.

The new facility is part of a USD 1.8 billion expansion plan by the company that will double FedEx’s daily package capacity.

The FedEx Ground Division is a business-to-business provider. The Home Delivery Division is dedicated to serving residential customers.

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Rural areas to get financial services

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

The Department of Posts will extend financial services to people living in remote and interior villages of Madurai region. Banking services, including micro-credit and housing loans will be offered to rural people, the Director of Postal Services, Southern Region, Sushil Kumar, has said.

He was speaking at a function to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the southern region at district post office here on Friday. Already, distribution of micro-credit offered by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to self-help groups had been extended as a pilot model at Karaikudi. This model would be replicated in Sivaganga shortly.

As many as 200 SHGs had been identified to provide micro-credit link in Sivaganga. The distribution would commence soon, Mr. Kumar said. Similarly, the Department of Posts and the State Bank of India would extend select services such as housing loans to villages where bank services is still a distant dream, Mr. Kumar said.

The post offices had already been selling and distributing mutual funds and insurance products. ‘Our presence in the rural and semi-urban areas is our strength,’ he added.

Automation of post offices in the district was almost complete. It was done without reducing the staff strength. Another specialty was that the grievances of people would be displayed on the website and officials concerned would reply immediately.

Earlier, Mr. Kumar distributed prizes to winners of various competitions held as part of the celebrations and insurance policies to rural clients. Agents who had achieved the target were also honoured.

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The battle over postal services continued last week as SLP-CISL (Italy) hosted a high profile convention on the issue

Posted by | Jul 7, 2007 | |

Several hundred delegates cheered the words of SLP General Secretary Mario Petitto as he vowed to continue the fight against reckless liberalisation of one of Europe’s most treasured services. Among the speakers, including Poste Italiane representatives, parliamentarians and other stakeholders, was the Italian Minister for Communications, Paolo Gentiloni, who reported that the fight in the European Council was far from over as governments including his own and those of Spain, France, Belgium and Poland seek to curb the poorly considered, neoliberal overtures of the European Commission. Mr,. Gentiloni claimed that the legal uncertainty that would be created by the Commission’s new proposals on financing for the universal service obligation could threaten the guaranteed services currently afforded to all EU citizens.

Speaking on behalf of UNI, Sam Ironside explained the history behind the current debate, including the failure of stakeholders to prevent the concept of ever-greater liberalisation way back in 1994. Ironside called on all UNI affiliates to follow the excellent example of SLP in engaging their ministries ahead of the next Council discussions. He also challenged Italian and all affiliates to take the fight for terms and conditions in the sector to the front line – the new competitor companies and the integrators, such as DHL and TNT. This, he argued, was the only way to fight the constant pressure on salary levels throughout the sector.

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What's the future of the U.S. post office and your mail?

Posted by | Jul 6, 2007 | |

Could mail one day go the way of many pizza chains, where customers can pick it up or pay extra for home delivery?

Will the mail still arrive six days a week? Will the government still be involved?

The Postal Service is facing big questions as it struggles to cope with rising costs and major changes in the way people communicate.

Few doubt there will be adjustments in the U.S., but what those will be remains to be seen.

In 1993, Postmaster General Marvin Runyon drew a barrage of criticism for suggesting mail delivery might be cut to four days a week.

That was a bombshell then, but it’s something postal experts say may still be a possibility.

Already, hiring private delivery contractors is an issue, prompting informational picketing by letter carriers in Florida to protest contracting out new routes in developing areas.

“I think within the next six to eight months the Congress of the United States is going to decide an issue that’s going to determine whether or not we have a reliable, efficient postal service in the future,” said William H. Young, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

“What I’m referring to is the decision that’s been made at the highest levels of the Postal Service to give all the new growth, and the new deliveries that are springing up, to private contractors,” he said.

But such changes may be necessary, says Gene Del Polito, president of the American Association for Postal Commerce, which represents advertising mailers.

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New Zealand Post joins the International Post Corporation

Posted by | Jul 6, 2007 | |

The International Post Corporation (IPC) announced New Zealand Post as its 24th shareholding member.

New Zealand Post was a founder member in 1989 and its decision to rejoin now demonstrates its confidence in IPC strategic direction and services to members. It will strengthen IPC’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region where Australia Post is already a member.

New Zealand Post fits the profile of IPC’s membership of major, commercially-oriented postal services. It is a competitive business that achieved a net after-tax profit of NZD 68.7 million (EUR 39.22 million USD 52.76 million) in its last financial year ended June 30 2006.

As a shareholding member, New Zealand Post will participate in the development of IPC’s strategic business policy. Its chief executive, John Allen, will take part in high-level peer group discussions with fellow IPC member CEOs while senior New Zealand Post executives will be invited to participate in IPC networking and knowledge sharing events, such as the programme of Senior Executive Forums.

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