Year: 2005

Global mail services seen as new frontier for RFID

Posted by | Nov 10, 2005 | |

Postal and courier mail services are expected to become the second largest market for radio frequency identification item-level tagging following the retail sector, according to a research firm.

The technology already is being deployed at carriers to secure access to vehicles, trailers, and sorting and shipping areas. “We see a strong move toward revamping total postal systems to make it much easier to send and receive the correct package more promptly with better cost and security control,” said Peter Harrop, chairman at research firm IDTechEx on Thursday. “That is why Arabia is rolling out smart post boxes, and Korea is looking to change its receiving and shipment to a holistic system with near real-time traceability.”

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Amtrak customer messenging

Posted by | Nov 10, 2005 | |

Home delivery parcels specialist Amtrak has taken a leaf out of the gift market and now allows customers to have a message printed on the outside of its parcels. Customers ente the message when booking a parcel delivery online an it is printed within a box on the bar-code label.

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Wincanton relaxed on Deutsche Post takeover of Exel – interview with Chief Executive

Posted by | Nov 9, 2005 | |

Wincanton PLC, the pan-European logistics group, is relaxed about the competitive implications of Deutsche Post AG’s agreed 5.5 bln eur takeover of Exel PLC that will create a world leader in air and sea freight forwarding and contract logistics, according to chief executive Paul Bateman. He said the deal won’t make the combined group any bigger in terms of UK logistics as Deutsche Post currently doesn’t have a presence. ‘On the Continent yes they will be bigger but I would guess that on the track record of Deutsche Post acquisitions ‘watch this space and see if they make any progress’. Last month Klaus Zumwinkel, Deutsche Post’s chief executive, admitted he was disappointed with the integration of DHL, which it acquired in 2002, in both France and the UK. Bateman noted that, unlike Wincanton, Deutsche Post has a presence in both America and in Asia and delivers letters and parcels.

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Poor start to South Africa’s bid to regulate courier firms

Posted by | Nov 9, 2005 | |

Only about 5% of the thousands of courier companies that should have applied for licences under new regulations have done so, according to estimates by the South African Express Parcel Association. This signals a poor start to government’s efforts to regulate the industry. Companies transporting items that weigh less than 30kg had to apply for licences by May under new regulations introduced mainly to protect the Post Office from unfair competition. The Postal Regulator was expected to issue the first batch of licences at a ceremony on Friday. Garry Marshall, executive director of the association, said yesterday that all the large operators such as Fedex, DHL, TNT and Sun Couriers had applied for licences. They account for about 80% of the industry, which has turnover of more than R6bn a year.

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Dempsey urged to act over Irish An Post jobs move

Posted by | Nov 9, 2005 | |

Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey was called on yesterday to intervene after An Post outsourced 30 jobs in response to industrial action by staff on Monday. Staff who returned to work at the company’s customer services section at the GPO in Dublin following the removal of pickets were told their jobs had been outsourced to a call centre in Clonakilty, Co Cork. They remained on the payroll yesterday but had only minimal duties. The company’s action sparked a new row with the Communications Workers’ Union, which organised Monday’s 18-hour action in pursuit of a pay claim. It called off the industrial action at the request of the National Implementation Body (NIB), which is this week overseeing an independent examination of costs in dispute between the two sides.

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TNT to introduce first ever express road service between UAE and Iran

Posted by | Nov 9, 2005 | |

TNT Express today announced it will introduce the first-ever express road service between the United Arab Emirates and Iran this month. The new route – which forms part of TNT’s recently announced plans to expand its Middle Eastern Road Network (MERN) – is set to run every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, from Sharjah (UAE) to Bandar Abbas (southern Iran). “Iran has consistently featured as a top ten destination in the Middle East. With this new offering we anticipate the business to double in the next twelve months,” said Bryan Moulds, UAE Country Manager, TNT Express.

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DHL Launches “Virtual Warehouse” for US Importers

Posted by | Nov 9, 2005 | |

DHL today announced the launch of the DHL Danzas Air & Ocean Consolidated Distribution Service (CDS), a new service that allows customers to reduce brokerage fees and shorten delivery times for U.S. imports from Asia, Europe and Latin America. During the pilot stage of the service with U.S.-based customers, CDS reduced cycle times and improved time-to-market; eliminated warehousing and distribution center costs; and reduced inventory carrying costs and customs clearance costs for several large DHL shipping customers, while providing point-to-point tracking services. DHL is now offering the service to all high-volume U.S. importers looking to streamline their supply chain.

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DMA View on: Facts on… Royal Mail review

Posted by | Nov 8, 2005 | |

The furore over the impending shake-up to Royal Mail’s pricing under its PiP (Pricing in Proportion) initiative has dominated the headlines in recent months. So it’s little wonder that its Price and Service Quality Review has slipped under the wire.

But the proposals put forward by Postcomm in June this year to regulate Royal Mail’s prices and the quality of its service are of real importance.

In its consultation document, Postcomm proposed a price cap on products for business customers of RPI (retail price index) minus two per cent per year. This means that an annual inflation rate of 2.5 per cent would freeze average prices – good news for the industry.

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