Author: Archive

Technology keeps reshaping Postal Service

Posted by | Jun 19, 2007 | |

Q. A Sebastian resident would like to know why the Post Office has changed its hours, closing earlier than it had in the past.

A. The U.S. Postal Service is an independent government agency that relies on postage and fees to fund its operations. It is legally defined as “an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States,” therefore, it is wholly owned by the government and controlled by appointees and the Postmaster General.

There are 11 members of the board that oversees the USPS, nine of which are appointed by the president of the United States. The presidential appointees then select the postmaster general or chief executive officer, who oversees the day-to-day activities of the service, and those 10 members then nominate a deputy postmaster general of chief operating officer.

There is a statutory monopoly on delivering non-urgent letters, but the USPS faces competition for package delivery services. Interestingly, the USPS does not have to make a profit, it merely has to break even, which it has continually done since 1984, says Joseph Breckenridge, USPS spokesperson.

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USD 12mln to be invested in modernization of Armenia's postal service

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

A total of USD 12mln are to be invested in the modernization of postal service in Armenia until 2012, Hans Boon, Trust Manager, Haypost Company, told ARKA.

Under the trust management program, investments are supposed to cause progress in postal service, he said.

Boon also said that the main task of modernization is to improve the quality of postal services The Haypost Company also intends to introduce new technologies, which will bring postal service to conformity with international standards. The program also envisages modernization of post offices. Specifically, four to ten post offices will be completely renovated this year.

The Post Office will change its image. It will turn into a comfortable shop for clients, who will come with confidence that high-quality services will be rendered to them, Boon said.

A contract for the transfer of the Haypost Company (Armenia) to the trust management of the Haypost Trust Management Company (the Netherlands) was signed in Yerevan on November 30, 2006. Under the contract, the company was transferred to the Dutch company’s trust management for five years, with the right to prolongation for five years.

“Haypost Trust Management” “Amsterdam, Netherlands) was founded to implement the trust management program. The company is operating as part of cooperation with the Post Finance International Company, which is specializing in modernizing postal services in developing countries

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The privatization of Armenia's postal service is not expected now

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

The privatization of Armenia’s postal service is not expected now, Hans Boon, Trust Manager, Haypost Company, told ARKA.

The world experience shows that post is initially a state-run enterprise, part of public service. It can become a state-owned commercial structure. Only after that can post be privatized, Boon said.

According to him, privatization of post is the most difficult process, and any steps toward privatization must be most prudent and careful.

He also said that it is the Government that must make a decision on privatization of post. “Today we should think of post’s near future, which is in the formation of a powerful post sector and development of cooperation with the private sector,” Boon said.

A contract for the transfer of the Haypost Company (Armenia) to the trust management of the Haypost Trust Management Company (the Netherlands) was signed in Yerevan on November 30, 2006. Under the contract, the company was transferred to the Dutch company’s trust management for five years, with the right to prolongation for five years.

“Haypost Trust Management” “Amsterdam, Netherlands) was founded to implement the trust management program. The company is operating as part of cooperation with the Post Finance International Company, which is specializing in modernizing postal services in developing countries

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Empost wins Department of Economic Development trade license print and delivery contract

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

Empost, the UAE’s leading integrated courier, cargo and logistics company, has signed an agreement with the Government of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) to print and deliver all trade licenses for the Emirate.

The agreement was signed by Sultan Al Midfa, CEO of Empost, and Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General for Executive Affairs at DED, during an official meeting held at the DED office in the presence of senior officials from both organisations.

Under the new agreement, all online registrations for trade licenses, once processed and approved by the DED, will be printed, packed and delivered by Empost to individual customers and organisations at their choice of location for a nominal fee.

The agreement comes in the wake of a recent contract bagged by Empost from the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) to deliver identity cards to all members who have registered in the Population Register and ID Cards Programs.

Empost, since its inception a decade ago, has been delivering a number of products and services to a cross-section of clients. Today the company has grown from a local courier services operator to an international courier, freight forwarding and logistics solutions provider.

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Postal Regulatory Commission approves USPS request for sticky notes extension

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

The Postal Regulatory Commission on June 14 approved the U.S. Postal Service’s request for another one-year extension to test the market desirability of repositionable notes.

The USPS’s repositionable notes -“sticky notes” to some – allow mailers of First-Class Mail, Periodicals and Standard Mail to affix a Post-It-type note to the outside of a mail piece for a fee, in addition to postage for the host piece.

This service was introduced on a provisional basis for a one-year period beginning April 3, 2005, and renewed for an additional year. Fees, which are based on a “value pricing” concept, are one-half cent for First Class and 1.5 cents for Standard Mail and Periodicals.

The USPS filed for the one-year extension request on April 2, the day before the April 3 expiration date. If the USPS Governors approve this recommendation, rates can remain at their current levels through April 3, 2008.

The PRC said its favorable recommendation on the requested change in the RPN expiration date marks its agreement with the USPS that another extension is justified based on limited RPN usage; the minor impact on revenue (USD 1.6 million) and volume; continuity and certainty for mailers; and the need to focus on the transition to a new ratemaking system envisioned by the Postal Accountability and Enforcement Act.

The PRC also noted that the USPS’s filing of the requested extension triggered an automatic stay of the April 3 expiration date, so RPN service has not been interrupted while this case was pending.

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An Post: results of its quarterly report on the quality of service performance

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the postal industry in Ireland, today published the results of its quarterly independent report on the Quality of Service performance of An Post.

The report shows that 78% of single piece priority mail (standard correspondence) was delivered within one working day throughout the State against a target of 94%.

This represents a 4% increase in service quality performance during the same period in 2006, albeit well short of the quality of service target set by ComReg.

It was also found that 79% of mail posted in Dublin for nationwide delivery is reported as delivered the next working day, while 76% of mail posted outside Dublin for delivery throughout the State is delivered within one working day of posting.

Mail posted outside of Dublin for next day delivery in Dublin recorded a 72% success rate, while mail posted outside of Dublin for local delivery recorded a success rate of 81%.

Finally, the report found that 98% of all mail was delivered within 3 working days – still short of the 99.5% performance target set by ComReg.

The survey is undertaken independently of postal operators. The survey is based on the statistical methods set out by the European Standards Institute (CEN) and is mandated by the European Commission.

In accordance with the CEN standard, bulk mail is not included. The survey is conducted by TNS mrbi and is independently audited.

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DHL marked 10 years in Israel

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

DHL Israel, a subsidiary of the global leader in international express, overland transport and air freight, marked last week 10 years of presence in the Israeli market.

The event took place at the Caesarea amphitheater with the participation of 3,000 clients and DHL’s local employees.

Among the participants: representatives from Teva, ECI, Amdocs, Verint, Motorola and Israel Aircraft Industry. DHL Israel was taken over by DHL in 1997 and is fully owned by DHL.

The company currently holds 33% of the Israeli express parcel market which has an annual turnover of US$250 million. The company’s slogan “For you, to the end of the world” was shown on a film prepared specially for the event.

DHL has strong contacts with the Israeli manufacturing sector since IAI – Israeli Aircraft Industries converted for DHL 40 aircraft into cargo configuration.

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Earnings Preview: FedEx Corp

Posted by | Jun 18, 2007 | |

The company is predicting earnings per share for the fourth quarter between $1.93 and $2.08, and full-year earnings of $6.45 to $6.60 per share. Full-year earnings per share include the impact of costs associated with a pilot labor contract. Excluding those charges, the company expects to see earnings of $6.70 to $6.85 per share.

Analysts expect a quarterly profit of $1.98 per share, according to a poll by Thomson Financial, and full-year earnings per share of $6.76.

In a note to investors, Bear Stearns analyst Edward Wolfe on Monday said he expects FedEx to report fourth-quarter results below Wall Street’s consensus, due to the weak freight economy and increasing fuel costs. He reduced his own earnings per share estimate to $1.85 from $1.98, and expects full-year earnings per share at $6.62.

Wolfe said the company’s international small package business has slowed in the first half of the fiscal year after a slowdown in the trucking industry and reduced rail volumes.

Comparatively, United Parcel Service Inc., the company’s chief competitor, in May reported a 13.5 percent decrease in first-quarter profit. Officials with UPS also cited trouble in their small package business during the year, but the world’s largest shipping carrier said in March it does expect earnings per share growth of 6 percent to 10 percent for 2007.

FedEx shares fell nearly 4 percent during the quarter. The stock hit its 52-week high on Feb. 26, and has slowly declined since to close Monday at $109.92.

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