Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

Chinese courier companies face FedEx threat

Posted by | Aug 26, 2008 | |

China’s express delivery market has been undergoing unprecedented change since FedEx began reducing its prices early this year.

The price reduction is a clear sign that FedEx is seeking to enlarge its share of China’s domestic express delivery market, which has seen growth rates rise by 30 percent this year with the increase in e-business and online shopping in the country.

Such low prices will take clients away from local express companies, and worsen what has already been a tough situation for them this year, the report said. In 2008, most domestic private-owned express companies have been reporting deficits due to the rising prices of fuel and labor. Some have even been forced to close.

FedEx applied the same strategy in countries such as Mexico and Egypt and successfully drove local express companies out of business. But after it took control of the market, FedEx raised prices back to their previous levels. Now China is facing the same threat, the article says.

But the local companies are fighting back, and they believe there is a considerable market space that international express giants cannot take away. For instance, they still provide cheaper services for shipments within a radius of 500 kilometers, and as long as they survive the current hard times, they will reclaim their share of the market – mainly in short-distance shipments with small business clients, Qianjiang Evening News reported in July.

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Losses of Latvia Post reduced almost five times in 2008

Posted by | Aug 26, 2008 | |

In 2009, the postal company plans to operate without any losses and to earn a moderate profit in 2010.

Last year, Latvia Post operated with LVL 14 million in losses. Approximately LVL 4 million losses resulted from press delivery in the countryside and another LVL 4 million losses came from sustaining post offices network in regions. Losses resulted also from an inefficient management and other factors.

Turnover of Latvia Post last year was LVL 44 million.

“LVL 14 million losses for a company, which operates with LVL 44 million turnover, is a disaster,” Krauklis said.

He pointed out that last year the increase of postal tariffs was delayed, which resulted in the company providing services for a lower price that the actual costs, therefore “problems have piled up”.

The aim of Latvia Post is to maximally reduce the losses this year.

Continuing to increase the efficiency of the company’s activities, the number of employees this year was cut by approximately 200 staff members. Latvia Post continues its internal audit and, as Krauklis prognosticates, the number of company’s workers could be reduced even more, however, he underlines, it only concerns the people working for the company’s administration as staff positions for postmen, operators, drivers and mail sorters will remain as before.

1 US Dollar (USD) = 0.47504 Latvian Lats (LVL)

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Romanian Competition Council approves acquisition of Curiero

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

Romania’s Competition Council gave RTC Holding, one of the largest distribution and retail groups in Romania, the green light to take over Romanian major courier company Curiero and its subsidiaries Curiero Express and Curiero Spedition, according to Mediafax News Brief Service.

The Council confirmed that the transaction does not breach competition rules. RTC Holding will operate the parcel and freight transport services of Curiero through its existing subsidiary TCE Logistica, another Romanian major courier operator.

Two months ago, TCE and Curiero announced plans to merge their businesses in order to strengthen their competitive position targeting combined revenues of EUR 30 million this year. TCE, the smaller of the two companies, yet financially a stronger one, recorded revenues of EUR 11 million last year while Couriero had revenues of EUR 14 million.

There have been several major transactions in the Romanian CEP market this year, including DHL’s acquisition of Cargus, GeoPost’s purchase of a 80 pct stake in Pegasus and the UPS buyout of local partner TCS. The Romanian courier services market is estimated at EUR 200 million.

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FedEx launches capital plan

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

Having a regional express hub just 20 miles outside the nation’s capital wasn’t quite close enough for FedEx Express.

With postal business now in the mix and a new plane in the fleet, FedEx launched 757 freighter operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this month. The flight gives the tightly packed airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, a rare entry into the all-cargo arena, and it gives the carrier the sort of quick reach to business and government offices that makes DCA a bustling passenger site.

The eight-times-weekly flight will operate just a one-hour truck haul from Washington Dulles International Airport, where FedEx has a full-service sort center and has operated narrowbody and widebody flights for several years at facilities next door to UPS and DHL.

The service also marks the “introduction of the 757 freighter to our fleet,” said David J. Bronczek, chief executive officer of FedEx Express. The company expects to introduce 12 757s into revenue service over the next year.

As the replacement for the 727, the 757 offers fuel savings of up to 36 percent over the older three-engine 727, while providing far more capacity per flight. The 757 also is significantly quieter than the 727.

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UPS freight improves transit times to draw major markets closer

Posted by | Aug 25, 2008 | |

UPS Freight announced improved transit times on more than 1,200 traffic lanes originating in the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. This marks the second time in just four months that the heavy freight division of UPS has enhanced its network.

New two-day lanes now in effect include Chicago to Dallas, Boston to St. Louis and Philadelphia to Miami. The enhancements also expand the next-day footprint of UPS Freight. Shipments moving from Cincinnati to Memphis and Columbus, Ohio, to Charlotte, N.C., now will deliver overnight.

Other originating major markets with reduced transit times include Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, New York City and Newark, N.J. The faster transit times will bring cities as far as southern California, Arizona and Utah to within two and three days of these originating cities.

Earlier this year, UPS Freight announced new on-time performance guarantees. Those guarantees will be extended to the enhanced transit times announced today at no additional cost.

In May, UPS Freight announced it had improved transit times on nearly 1,000 traffic lanes originating in metropolitan areas in the Southwest and Southeast to points across the United States.

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