Year: 2008

Swiss Post expects record profits for 2007

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

Swiss Post has recorded its highest profit ever for the financial year 2007 and expects a further increase this year, according to CEO Ulrich.

The net profit for last year would amount to more than CHF 900 million (EUR 549.34 million), surpassing the record profit of CHF 837 million (EUR 510.88) in 2006, he told the Swiss newspaper “Sonntag” in an interview. The exact figure is not available yet.

This record profit was due to booming business activities, especially in the mail and finance sectors, he pointed out. The parcel and express sectors also recorded positive results as well as international business activities, which amounted to 18% of turnover.

Gygi said he expects the results to improve further if Swiss Post can maintain its mail monopoly up to 100 grams until 2011.

In addition, Gygi announced his retirement in 2009. He took up the post as Swiss Post CEO in mid-2000 and initially planned to stay in the position for eight years. But Gygi said he had decided to wait until the opening of the new mail centres during 2009 in which Swiss Post has invested CHF 1.3 billion (EUR 791.89 million).

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GeoPost to buy 60 pc stake in Delhi-based Continental Air Express

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

Paris-based GeoPost Intercontinental is buying a 60pct stake in Continental Air Express for Euro 4, 00,000 through preferential allotment of equity. GeoPost, a Paris-based firm with a turnover of close to Euro 3,000 million in 2006, is engaged in B-2-B express parcel deliveries. The promoters of Continental Air Express – Vipin and Vaibhav Vohra- and GeoPost will invest an additional e 4 million in the ratio of their shareholding 40pct:60pct, respectively.

According to a recent E&Y study, India’s logistics market is pegged at USD 40 billion and is expected to grow at 15-20pct over the next 5 years. At present, only 25pct of the total logistics business is outsourced while the rest is handled by companies in-house.

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TNT has been acclaimed a one-in-a-thousand and joined an elite band of the UK's business champions.

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

MP John Denham, the Secretary of State for the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, announced that TNT is one of just 36 companies in the UK to be awarded the title of Investor in People Champion. The champions programme recognises employers who have boosted the performance of their businesses through the way they manage and develop their employees.

TNT, based at Hartlebury Trading Estate, Hartlebury, was selected for champion status from 36,000 organisations which are all accredited to Investors in People (IiP).

The company embraced the IiP philosophy and, as a result, realised the potential of its workforce and improved its performance.

TNT was one of the first businesses to have champion status in 2004, when it was one of the first of 16 organisations to achieve the accreditation.

As one of the champions, TNT will work with IiP to share its expertise with other employers to promote best practice in all areas of people development.

The honour follows on from past TNT success in relation to the welfare of the company’s employees. The company was the first in the world to gain global IiP accreditation back in 1994 – a position it has maintained for the past 10 years – and the first to win IiP laurels in the express delivery sector.

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TNT Express Bahrain facility awarded prestigious TAPA-A security certification

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

TNT Express has been awarded a TAPA-A security certification for its Bahrain operations. The certification is the latest in TNT’s continued efforts to further improve its business operations within the Gulf.

TAPA – the Transported Asset Protection Association – is an association of professional high-tech companies promoting higher security standards in the international shipping and air cargo industry. Security of transported assets is a major customer concern and TAPA certification assures the customer of the security precautions adopted by the TNT as standard practise.

TAPA certifications are awarded after stringent evaluation of facilities, ensuring that they comply with set global security standards. Grade A is awarded only to those facilities that meet the highest possible standard requirements.

“We continuously endeavour to progress all aspects of our business practices. Over the last couple of years, we have also achieved the OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health and safety, ISO 9001 for operational excellence, ISO 14001 for environmental management and SA 8000 for social accountability,” said Ahmed Gamal, TNT’s Country Manager, Bahrain. “Adopting TAPA standards across our network in the region will greatly contribute to the extensive growth of our business in the global high tech market.”

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Rural post offices to be closed in Scotland

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

Proposals for the Highlands would see 18 branches closed and 11 replaced by reduced services.

The Post office said most residents in the area would see no change to their current service, or would be within a mile from an alternative branch.

The public has been asked for their views on the plans, which would see 180 Highland branches remain open.

Highland MSPs offered their support to communities which want to fight the proposals.

Proposals to axe 44 post offices in Glasgow, Argyll and Central Scotland have already been unveiled.

Plans for other parts of Scotland will be announced later in 2008.

Under the Highland plans, 11 outlets would be replaced by “outreach” operations which would see them become a mobile post office, or based in a shop, cafe or other business.

Another option would see a telephone service provide facilities such as parcel collection.

Labour Highlands and Islands MSP Peter Peacock said he was disappointed at the closure plans.

Sally Buchanan, the Post Office’s network development manager for Scotland, said: “Taking the decision to close any post office branch is always very difficult and we know will cause concern to many of our customers.

“We want to ensure that everyone who uses, relies on or has any concern with post office services is both fully aware of the changes we are proposing to meet UK Government requirements, and able to give views on how accessible services will be in the future.”

Up to 2,500 post offices will be axed across the UK, to put the network on a more viable footing.

The Highland proposals are open for consultation until 18 February.

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USPS plans to save USD 1B this year with automation

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service starts 2008 with ambitious goals for cost-cutting and modernization.

The agency last month unveiled a series of changes to its “road map,” the plan aimed at boosting its revenues over the next few years. The changes are driven, in part, by the 2006 Postal Accountability Enhancement Act, the first postal reform law in 36 years.
The plan sets an annual goal of USD 1 billion in cost reductions that the agency plans to achieve primarily by increasing automation. The cost reductions are necessary, said postal executive Linda Kingsley, even though the new law gives the Postal Service the flexibility to raise revenue by developing new products and raising prices for competitive services, such as package delivery.

“The competitive products are 10 percent of our revenue pie. Even if we double that, it still won’t do it,” said Kingsley, senior vice president for strategy and transformation. “And the likelihood of doubling our market share is pretty thin.”

The law also limits the Postal Service’s profits in market areas it dominates, such as first-class mail. The law caps postal rate increases for those products by tying them to the Consumer Price Index. The change is a benefit to consumers, particularly large mailers, but a challenge for USPS.

So the Postal Service hopes to lower costs by using automation to work smarter.
It has aggressively pursued a high-tech system called Intelligent Mail for tracking all classes of mail and identifying bad addresses. The program is in limited use by large mailers, and the Postal Service hopes it will be widespread by January 2009.

It also hopes to unveil the Flats Sequencing System in 2008. The equipment will sequence “flat mail” — magazines and large envelopes — much like letters, which are already automatically sequenced. That means mail carriers won’t have to spend time manually sequencing those items. Kingsley called it “the biggest thing we’re investing in” for the near future.

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Full privatisation of Maltapost

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

Maltapost is to be completely privatised as government announced that it will be selling its 40 per cent shareholding in the company.

The major shareholder after the privatisation of the postal services is complete will be Lombard Bank. Government will be selling 11 million, two hundred thousand shares at a nominal prices of EUR 0.25 cents each.

The offer is open until 18 January.

Maltapost chairman Dr Joseph Said said that contrary to what people think, Maltapost offers one of the most efficient services around Europe and was classified as the 16th most efficient postal services out of 40 countries surveyed.

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Business Direct Group sign International Licence with DHL (UK)

Posted by | Jan 8, 2008 | |

Business Direct Group plc has signed its first international licence of the ParcelXchange, with DHL Same Day Ireland.

The licence, which is for a six year term and with territorial exclusivity, is
for 40 ParcelXchanges in the newly-developed modular configuration of both box
sizes and number of columns, thereby addressing the specific needs of individual
locations. DHL Same Day will initially be supplied with 10 ParcelXchanges to be
located in major towns and cities throughout the Republic of Ireland, with the
roll-out beginning in the first quarter of 2008.

DHL Same Day plans to use the ParcelXchanges for in-night deliveries for field
service engineers and B2B sameday solutions. The ParcelXchanges will offer
higher levels of customer service whilst permitting consolidation of deliveries
and cost reduction in the supply chain.

Sean Moran, Director of DHL Same Day Ireland, stated, “The intelligent
ParcelXchange is the most exciting opportunity to happen in the in-night
real-time inventory management sector in Ireland for a long time.

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