Year: 2005

Brazil looks into postal service bribery

Posted by | May 26, 2005 | |

Despite stiff government opposition, Brazil’s Congress on Wednesday opened a broad investigation of corruption in the country’s postal service. Allies of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tried to block the probe, fearing it would stall Congressional votes on tax plans and other economic bills. The government has until midnight Wednesday to persuade lawmakers to withdraw their votes in favor of the probe. The investigation was sparked by revelations in the news weekly Veja that two businessmen, using a hidden camera, filmed themselves paying a 3,000 real (USD 1,240) cash bribe to Mauricio Marinho, head of the postal service’s department of contracts and administration.

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Swedish Posten using RFID

Posted by | May 26, 2005 | |

The Swedish postal service Posten is using embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in parcels to cut down on internal theft. Posten, which has its headquarters in Stockholm, is testing the technology on high-value and confidential items such as mobile phones, computer equipment and government documents, as a way of detecting whether they have been tampered with. Specially-designed cardboard packaging from Swedish technology firm Cypak contains a microscopic chip and embedded RFID circuits that can store information about the package’s origin, contents and journey. Posten uses RFID readers to enter data into the SecurePak parcel before dispatch, and then reads the data when the package has arrived at its destination to check for any suspicious activity.

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DHL names Hickler to new US strategy post

Posted by | May 25, 2005 | |

DHL named former APL Logistics CEO Hans Hickler to the new position of vice president of strategy and business implementation in the United States. Deutsche Post-controlled DHL lost USD638 million in the US in 2004, its first full year of attempting to become the United States’ “third alternative” for express delivery. DHL Express Americas CEO John Mullen has said that DHL’s US service levels need to improve if the global operator is going to profitably compete with incumbents FedEx and UPS in the world’s largest express market. Hickler’s appointment appears to be part of an effort by DHL to shore up US customer service. “We are confident that DHL will benefit from Mr. Hickler’s extensive background in management and technology, and his consistent focus on customer needs will help ensure that every DHL customer receives a best-in-class customer experience,” said Mullen. Hickler will be responsible for the development and implementation of DHL’s US business strategy, as well as overseeing the company’s real estate, procurement and internal consulting functions.

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Japan Post sees setback in revenues in all 3 divisions

Posted by | May 25, 2005 | |

Japan Post said Wednesday its operating revenue shriveled to 20,633.3 billion yen in fiscal 2004, down 16.1 percent from the previous year, as its three business divisions in charge of mail delivery, postal savings and postal life insurance fared poorly.

In the business year ended in March, Japan Post made a net profit of 1,234.7 billion yen, down 46.4 percent but still well above Toyota Motor Corp.’s 1,171.2 billion yen net profit for the same year.

However, the decreased revenues in all the three divisions represented its weak profitability, a factor expected to help those against the government’s plan to privatise the public entity.

Revenue in the mail delivery, postal savings and postal life insurance businesses totaled 1,933.0 billion yen, 4,098.9 billion yen and 14,665.0 billion yen, dropping 2.0 percent, 30.2 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively.

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Japan Post’s mail service makes profit for 2nd straight year

Posted by | May 25, 2005 | |

Japan Post has said its mail delivery service made a profit for the second straight year in fiscal 2004, a result expected to help those against the government’s plan to privatise the public entity.

In the business year ended in March, Japan Post made a net profit of 25.2 billion yen as the number of parcels handled by its “Yu-Pack” door-to-door delivery service increased 17.8 percent. That more than offset a decrease in the delivery of regular mail caused by increased use of e-mail.

The net profit in fiscal 2004 marks a decrease of 4.2 percent from the previous year’s profit of 26.3 billion yen.

Operating revenues in the mail delivery business fell 2.0 percent to 1,933 billion yen, reflecting the widespread use of e-mail and increased competition, Japan Post said.

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Irish An Post branded the ‘worst in Europe’ by report

Posted by | May 25, 2005 | |

A damning indictment of An Post is revealed in a major new report which warns of the “graveyard decline” of the company if it fails to follow a new vision for its future. The report brands An Post’s company management style as “obsolete” and confrontational and warns that its current pricing policy could create an irreversible spiral of decline in mail volumes and revenue.
The report, ‘An Post – A New Vision’, which was commissioned by the company’s group of unions, says An Post had presided over a continuing decline in mail volumes at a time when there was ample evidence that postal services in other EU countries were enjoying strong growth. And it added An Post’s service was amongst the worst quality in Europe. Calling for changes in work practices, the report also hits out at An Post’s “conflict evoking” management style, which it says belonged to another era.

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Shadow Trade & Industry Secretary Willetts says UK Royal Mail sell-off will not deliver

Posted by | May 25, 2005 | |

The Conservatives have signalled their opposition to the partial privatisation of the Royal Mail, increasing the political difficulty for the government of accepting the plan favoured by the group’s management. Speaking to the Financial Times, David Willetts, the new shadow trade and industry secretary, said he was “sceptical” about the proposal to transfer a majority stake in the state-owned postal operator to its staff. He warned that the Royal Mail could end up being neither politically nor commercially accountable, in a “sort of limbo, where there’s nobody putting them under pressure to perform”. Ministers are still considering whether to cede to pressure for the scheme from the postal operator. Any such change would require approval by MPs – Tory opposition, allied to a likely Labour rebellion, could make such a vote hard for the government to win.

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