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Northrop Grumman to provide postal automation systems for La Poste and Royal Mail

Posted by | May 22, 2007 | |

Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that its postal automation subsidiary Solystic has been awarded contracts with La Poste (France) and Royal Mail (UK) for the supply and installation of 40 TOP2000 high-performance sorting machines for oversize mail. Each of these state-of-the-art machines will be capable of automatically sorting 38,000 flat mail pieces an hour.

“Postal operators today face increasing volumes of oversize mail from catalogues to magazines and advertisements. The competition that will result from the liberalisation of the European postal market in 2009 will create a demand for greater levels of productivity, reliability and flexibility,” said Pierre-Andre Barriere, chairman and CEO of Solystic. “The TOP2000 machine offers a sorting device that fully meets the market’s requirements, based on tried-and-tested technology, reliability and performance. These contracts position the company as a leading supplier in the industry.”

The 20 TOP2000 machines ordered by Royal Mail are part of its Flats Automation Project (FAP) and will augment the 11 machines already in service. Each piece of equipment will consist of two entry lines and between 264 and 312 outputs and will include a self-diagnostic system. The first of the new machines is expected to be delivered by November 2007.

La Poste has also ordered 20 TOP2000 machines following the successful trial with a pilot system. The devices will be equipped with two entry lines and 480 outputs. The first six machines will come on line by late 2007. Installation of the 20 new TOP2000 machines represents an important step in La Poste’s “Cap Qualite Courrier” modernisation programme.

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Lockheed Martin to add services to Royal Mail program

Posted by | May 22, 2007 | |

Lockheed Martin UK announced Monday that it will provide additional address recognition services to Royal Mail as an extension of the current Address Interpretation program.

Under the extended contract, Lockheed will provide the address recognition services for 20 Flats Sorting Machines and also develop, deploy and support new FSM recognition solutions to enable the machines to interact with Royal Mail’s latest hardware and operating systems.

The technology serves to decipher printed or handwritten addresses and exemplifies Royal Mail’s ongoing modernization strategy.

Lockheed provides Integrated Recognition Platform technology to postal authorities worldwide.

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Dutch stamp price regulation set to become law

Posted by | May 22, 2007 | |

A proposal to regulate stamp prices of Dutch mail company TNT, which analysts have said could hurt the company’s stock market valuation — is set to become law, a member of parliament said on Monday.

Nicolien van Vroonhoven-Kok, a member of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende’s Christian Democrat party, told Reuters the contents of a rule to regulate stamp prices had been agreed.

There might still be some minor tweaks to the language of the law, said Van Vroonhoven-Kok, who is responsible for postal liberalisation.

Asked whether regulators would have the power to lower TNT’s stamp price from the current 0.44 euros for standard mail, she said: “As far as we’re concerned, that’s possible. But I don’t expect it to happen.”

The proposal would set prices for the “universal service” — which includes delivery of letters and parcels and represents a significant part of TNT’s revenue — based on costs and a “reasonable return” initially, with increases in line with inflation in following years.

Such a rule could hurt TNT’s valuation by as much as 10 percent, according to Bear Stearns.

Van Vroonhoven-Kok said the economy ministry and parliamentarians were still discussing other aspects of the country’s new postal law, which is meant to end TNT’s remaining monopoly of letters up to 50 grams, or roughly half of the 2 billion euro Dutch mail market.

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UPS

Posted by | May 22, 2007 | |

UPS announced its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles – already the industry’s largest – had expanded with the deployment of 50 next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks.

The 50 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) will operate in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. These new trucks join roughly 20,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles already in use.

“We’re excited to be among the first to deploy the latest in HEV technology because it promises a 45% increase in fuel economy in addition to a dramatic decrease in vehicle emissions,” said Robert Hall, Director of UPS Ground Fleet Engineering.

The 50 new HEV package cars are expected to reduce fuel consumption by roughly 44,000 gallons over the course of a year compared to an equivalent number of traditional diesel trucks. The hybrids also should reduce by 457 metric tons the amount of CO2 gases released annually into the atmosphere.

The new hybrid power system allows UPS to use a smaller diesel engine than would be required in a conventional delivery truck, thus saving on fuel and pollution-causing emissions. A battery pack, motor/generator and power control system are added, which allows electric power to be fed into the powertrain when conditions demand it, providing further savings.

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La Banque Postale Financial results for 2006

Posted by | May 22, 2007 | |

Patrick Werner, Chairman of the Executive Board of La Banque Postale, today submitted the report and accounts of La Banque Postale for 2006 and traced the prospects 2007.

In 2006, Net Banking Income of La Banque Postale increased by 6.5%, ending
at 4,613 million euros; assets under management, which rose to 239,8 thousand million euros, increased by 3.8% in comparison with late 2005. The Gross Operating Profit amounted to 378.5 million euros and the net profit group share was 372.4 million euros.

La Banque Postale’s activity represents 23% of the La Poste group’s consolidated turnover which amounted to 20.1 thousand million euros.

In a highly competitive environment, marked by strong pressure on margins with respect to property loans and long-term interest rates that are still very low, La Banque Postale’s net banking income rose to 4,613 million euros in 2006, a 6.5% increase in comparison with the pro forma net banking income figures for 2005.

This has produced a Gross Operating Profit of 378.5 million euros. The current pre-tax profit, which takes account of the CNP Assurances contribution, amounting to 143 million euros, amounts to 513.7 million euros. The Net Profit Group’s share amounts to 372.4 million euros. La Banque Postale’s profits are better than those of the business plan giv en to the CECEI for the approval with a cost income ratio of 91.8% as against the more than 93% expected.

> Sales for 2006 were marked by successful life insurance and provident plan selling, par an increase in the number of active customers of La Banque Postale and the growth in actual customers’ number especially those opening new accounts.

With 11.2 million post office current accounts, La Banque Postale has proved its dynamism in retail banking. The year 2006 is thus marked by strong commercial performances in terms of account opening– more than 750,000 new accounts, plus 175,000 net – as well as in terms of number of products per customer- more than 900,000 packages subscribed this year.

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