Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

Swiss Post simplifies its brand structure

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

Swiss Post will reinforce its core brand appearance in future. The PostMail and PostLogistics flagship brands and most brands of the Swiss and international subsidiaries are to be grouped under the core brand. The PostFinance and PostBus flagship brands – which have been in place for a number of years – will continue to exist alongside the core brand.

Swiss Post is beefing up its brand and gearing its brand structure more closely to customers’ needs. In future it wants to offer services increasingly from a single source under the Swiss Post core brand and make it easier for customers to obtain information about the various services available from the Group. The brands of most subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and the PostMail and PostLogistics flagship brands will be transferred to the core brand, which will benefit from their dynamic, innovative image. The national flagship brands PostFinance and PostBus and a few subsidiaries will continue to exist, for strategic and in some cases legal reasons. Swiss Post is thus bundling its forces, improving the effectiveness of communication and reducing the need for coordination. This will improve its chances of being perceived in a fiercely competitive market – on the international level too – and will also help to cut costs.

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Correos Spain launches new National Postal Express

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

Spanish “Post Office has announced the launch of the new National Postal Express, a service that gives users the possibility to choose between three modes of delivery in order to adapt to the needs of each client. National Postal Express is designed for shipping packages as a matter of urgency, under signature of the recipient and a delivery time that does not exceed 24 hours for most destinations.The new service will unify in a single product the main features of two types of urgent packages, the Postal Express and traditional Prism National Post. As for the types of delivery, the first of which is the standard, which will take place at home or, failing that, at the post office; a second is called ‘light’ and guaranteed home delivery or return shipment to the sender and the third involves delivery to the office.”

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UPS Chief urges US transport investment

Posted by | Mar 25, 2008 | |

The US must reinvest in its ageing, overused transportation networks or risk losing ground to the world’s other leading economies, United Parcel Service’s Chief Executive said.

Scott Davis told the Financial Times that the nation’s private sector should seek out opportunities to partner with transportation authorities to help modernise the infrastructure that underpins the US economy.

“We’ve got to work very closely with the government to look ahead and take a candid look at where we are,” said Mr Davis, who took over as Chief Executive of UPS in January. “It’s so critical to the future competitiveness of the US that we build the transportation infrastructure that we need.”

The US may need to spend USD 1,600bn in the next five years to restore its infrastructure to good condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

While some state and local governments have sought investors to help fund infrastructure improvements, the programmes often meet resistance from politicians and consumer advocates concerned that the arrangements cede control of a steady source of revenue to private entities.

Repairing and upgrading ageing roads and bridges, antiquated air-traffic control systems and overcrowded ports and railways would help ensure the US remains a viable trading partner, Mr Davis said. Total cross-border transactions may swell to more than USD 70bn by 2025, compared with USD 10bn last year.

“If we sit still, we may get left out of global trade,” Mr Davis said. “That’s the danger for the US. Just think of the problems we’re going to have with the ports and the highways and the airports and the rails.”

In spite of its global reach, the US remains the Atlanta-based company’s biggest and most important market.

UPS underscored its continued dependence on the US this month, warning that a drop in demand for domestic package deliveries, which had set in by February, may leave the company short of its quarterly profit forecast in spite of growth from its international and supply-chain management businesses. FedEx, UPS’s arch-rival, cited the same concerns for the US economy last week.

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TNT introduces new packaging line

Posted by | Mar 25, 2008 | |

TNT’s Express division is introducing a new packaging line designed to better protect shipments from damage, promote the TNT brand across the globe and support the company’s environmental effort. TNT, which produces 50 million packaging items per year, is first deploying its new parcels and satchels in Europe and the Middle East. The new envelopes are available worldwide. Sales staff has received special training to give customers packaging advice. TNT also provides a DVD to help customers choose the right packing.

The new packaging line offers customers more choice, ease-of-use and protection against damage. There is a proper parcel, envelope, tube or satchel for any shipment ranging from confidential documents to temperature controlled medical samples. For example, the new BubblePak (410×330 mm) has an inner bubble lining, making it quicker to send breakable goods. TubePak is designed for posters and MedPaks for medical samples. Choice does not rule out simplicity: each type of packaging is identified by a simple name and visual. All new parcels feature simple pictorial instructions, describing the best way to pack, seal and send items. Redesigned envelopes and satchels have perforated openings for easy opening. To reduce the chance of damage, envelopes and boxes are made of strengthened sturdy cardboard.

The highly recognizable packaging better promotes the TNT brand. The new packs boast TNT’s energetic color orange as well as bright, attractive close shots of sunflowers, oranges, goldfishes, sea stars, flower petals or butterflies. TNT also offers a new line of packaging stickers to better reflect its new services portfolio and help the packaging stand out.

The new packaging is part of TNT’s comprehensive environmental push. All cardboard envelopes and boxes are made of recycled materials and are recyclable. The new plastic satchels are biodegradable after two years. Each one of them bears an expiry date.

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Express operators step up Latin America investment

Posted by | Mar 25, 2008 | |

Leading international and domestic express companies in Latin America have announced investment plans in recent weeks to build up their networks and add new services. Mexico and Brazil are the focus of investment.

DHL Express will invest about USD 112 million (EUR 72 million) in Mexico over the next five years (2008-2012) in new hubs, gateways, the domestic air network, the ground fleet, IT systems and other measures, DHL Mexico director general Luis Eraña told local newspapers.

Estafeta, one of the leading private operators in Mexico, will invest about USD 30 million (EUR 19.2 million) this year to expand its network, director general José Antonio Armendáriz told local media. The bulk will go on a runway extension at its hub at San Luis Potosí in central Mexico that will enable international flight operations. The operator also plans to add three small cargo planes to supplement its existing five B737Fs, and build new centres in Toluca, Morelia, Leon and Guadalajara.

In Brazil, private express company Rapidao Cometa announced earlier this month it will invest RUSD 32 million (EUR 11.8 million) in a 65,000 sqm new logistics centre in São Paulo to triple handling capacity there. The centre, due to open in the second half of the year, will act as a base for the company, whose businesses is mostly generated in northern Brazil, to expand in the south and south-east of the country. “In terms of business distribution by region, the company’s activities are disproportioned,” commented commercial director Américo Pereira Filho.

Brazilian express operator Mercúrio, owned by TNT Express, already announced at the start of the year that it will buy 100 trucks this year to expand its fleet, and will open new hubs at Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza and Recife this year.

Meanwhile, Brazil Post has played down recent reports it might buy Variglog, the troubled Brazilian cargo airline, in order to build up a domestic air cargo operation instead of relying on commercial capacity. Describing Variglog as an “option”, its president Carlos Henrique Custódio told the newspaper Gazeta Mercantil that Brazil Post is also talking with four smaller airlines about “a new formation” to help its business.

Elsewhere in Latin America, TNT Express has started offering a new air service between Buenos Aires and Montevideo, connecting the two capitals each working day of the week. In Peru, Grupo Scharff, the local FedEx partner company, aims to broaden its portfolio by offering more FedEx products in the second half of this year. The company increased revenues 20% to USD 13 million last year from its FedEx-branded services, according to the El Comercio newspaper.

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