DHL to expand Asian operations
“Double-digit” growth prompts plans to further increase coverage in Asia during 2009 despite the economic downturn.
Read MoreTag: Australia
Australia Post slashes 700 applications by half
AUSTRALIA Post has kicked off an ambitious technology transformation program that’s poised to slash 700 applications by half, starting with about AUD 112 million (USD 72 million) allocated for mainly SAP-related projects.
Reducing applications for retail, parcels and logistics is the key to lowering Australia Post’s tech costs
Australia Post chief information officer Wayne Saunders said the expenditure comprised three main components, including a massive SAP enterprise resource planning system upgrade.
SAP financial and asset management applications are among the products being used at the 35,000-employee outfit, which includes 860 people in the IT department.
The remaining IT budget was split between a track-and-trace project and a four-year enterprise agreement with SAP.
The new system is believed to improve Australia Post’s parcel tracing capabilities, especially for lost items.
The track-and-trace system was built using SAP’s core event management engine and was expected to launch in mid-2009, Mr Saunders said.
Australia Post completed a SAP enterprise agreement in mid-2008.
Australia Post has about 700 applications to manage that service three parts of the business: post, retail and parcels, and logistics.
Reducing the number of applications is key to lowering the cost of technology.
Australia Post delivers record results
Australia Post delivered strong community service performance and record financial results in 2007/08, according to the corporation’s Annual Report.
The government-owned postal corporation earned a record pre-tax profit of AUD 592.2 million (up 5.4 percent on the previous year).
Revenue growth in each of the three core business areas – letters, parcels and retail – boosted overall revenue by 5.3 percent to AUD 4.96 billion.
Australia Post also met or exceeded all of its community service obligations, including delivering 95.9 percent of domestic letters on time or early (well above its 94 per cent target).
The Annual Report indicates that letters continue to be a vital form of communication in Australia, with the volume of domestic letters increasing by 2.0 percent. This was the strongest growth in letter volumes since 1999/2000.Australia Post’s Chairman David Mortimer said these results underline the continuing strength of the postal corporation as it prepares to celebrate its bicentenary in 2009. 1 USD = 1.45183 AUD
FedEx Office cuts 650 workers
FedEx Office is cutting 650 jobs worldwide, as the company plans to shut FedEx Kinko’s stores in the USA, Australia, the Netherlands and Mexico. Australia has arguably been the hardest hit, with approximately 200 jobs set to go in the US, and 250 Australian jobs making up the 450 jobs likely to be cut outside the US. Likewise, 17 stores in total will be closed outside the US, 11 of these in Australia.
A formal date for these closures is yet to be set, though the company says it is aiming to have them all done by May 31st, the end of the US financial year.
The company rejected the notion that the decision was made in light of this week’s stock market plunge which has signaled a global economic downturn.
Robertson claims the company didn’t take the decision lightly, and canvassed a variety of options before settling on a pull-out.
With roughly 250 employees on its books in Australia, the company says it is hoping to find positions for some of them in other areas of the FedEx corporation.
It’s likely that most of the closures will be staggered over the coming months, as the company assesses the matter on a store-by-store basis.
Read MoreBrief country report: Australia – Main developments in the postal sector (2006-2008)
Brief country report: Australia – Main developments in the postal sector (2006-
2008)
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