Tag: Asia

US aligns with courier companies against India Post

Posted by | Sep 12, 2006 | |

What does Uncle Sam have in common with Kamal Nath’s commerce & industry ministry? Both have found meeting ground in opposing the proposed amendments to the Indian Post Office Act – which has given sleepless nights to the courier industry by threatening to turn all packages below 300 grams the exclusive preserve of India Post.

While the US government has indicated that the move would have a bearing on the ongoing services negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the commerce & industry ministry’s concern is over FDI in the courier segment. While opposition within the government is manageable, officials feel the US decision to champion the case of the courier industry could block the proposed amendments.

The changes, spearheaded by telecom & IT minister Dayanidhi Maran, include a levy of 10% on the turnover of courier companies to subsidise the universal service obligations (USO) of India Post, which serves the remote regions of the country. The changes in law also call for mandatory registration for all courier companies with a registration fee of Rs 25,000 and a renewal fee of Rs 10,000.

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DTDC at centre of Indian consolidation speculation

Posted by | Sep 11, 2006 | |

Indian parcels company DTDC is at the centre of speculation over the next phase of consolidation in the country’s express and parcels industry. DTDC is the third-largest domestic express and parcels operator in India according to the forthcoming “CEP Market Fact Sheet India” from CEP-Research.

The Economic Times newspaper has reported that GeoPost may acquire a 10% stake in the company in a transaction under which founder and majority owner Subhasish Chakraborty would reduce his holding from 60% to 50%. The newspaper quoted Chakraborty as saying that he is in talks with several international players but he declined to give any more details.

Financial investor Reliance Capital, part of the Anil Ambani Group, bought a 40% stake in the Bangalore-based company earlier this year, and Chakraborty has said in the past that he aims to grow through acquisitions. The company recently signed a cooperation deal with Hong Kong-based Kerry Logistics for India-China services.

The Economic Times also reported that Reliance Capital might attempt “a game-changing deal” by trying to buy cargo company Gati though DTDC. But Gati senior executives denied the company was up for sale, saying they were only considering selling a minority stake.

The fast-growing Indian express and parcels market is increasingly attracting foreign investment. DHL is set to take full control of its Indian subsidiary, Blue Dart Express, and TNT announced at the start of the month that it is buying road express company Speedage.

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India Post launches logistics service

Posted by | Sep 8, 2006 | |

India Post has launched “Logistics Post Service” between Coimbatore and Chennai on Thursday and plans to start the service between Tirupur and Tuticorin shortly. According to the Postmaster General, western region, K. V. Sundar Rajan, the Coimbatore-Chennai-Coimbatore service will also connect Tirupur, Erode, Villupuram, Tindivanam and Chengalpattu. Salem will be covered soon.
Mr. Rajan explained that cargo could be booked in these places apart from Coimbatore.
The weight of the cargo should be minimum 50 kg. The department offered free pick-up and delivery and loading and unloading of cargo. It also offered credit facility by Book-Now-Pay-Later scheme as value-added service.
Launching the overnight cargo service, he said that Logistic Post Centres were started at Red Fields Post Office (Trichy Road, Coimbatore), Tirupur RMS (Tirupur) and Karungalpalayam Post Office (Erode district). The service was already available from Chennai to Tiruchi, Chennai to Madurai and Chennai to Pondicherry.
The service was started between Hosur and Chennai last year and then extended to Bangalore. The response was encouraging especially in Hosur and Ambur.

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U.S. Fedex launches single toll-free service number in China

Posted by | Sep 7, 2006 | |

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, today announced the launch of a new and dedicated single toll-free customer service hotline (800 988 1888) in China and has extended the service to 24 hours a day and 6 days a week, in an effort to provide the best customer experience in the country.

Prior to the launch of the single toll-free service number in China, FedEx has been operating three customer centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, since 1998, with three different toll-free service numbers covering Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern China. Now the nationwide service number will enable customers, especially mobile office workers, to dial one number whenever and wherever they are, to reach local FedEx customer centers for such services as package delivery, tracking and tracing, payments, inquires and feedbacks. In addition, FedEx has also launched a separate service hotline (400 886 1888) for mobile phone users.

The new toll-free service number will be operated 24 hours a day and 6 days a week, which is manned by 200 FedEx customer service representatives from the three customer centers in China. When dialing the number, customers can also select the automatic voice response system for basic inquiries. This self-service voice system will be operated 24 hours per day.

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