Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

Deutsche Post in uproar over planned market changes

Posted by | Aug 9, 2007 | |

At the end of this year, the remains of Germany’s postal monopoly are slated to be fully dismantled. But Deutsche Post says it faces a less-than-level playing field and unfair competition on the open market.

This means that starting in 2008, Finland’s postal system, for example, can expand into Germany, where the Finnish companies can concentrate on lucrative big-city markets. While facing competition from abroad in the cities, Deutsche Post will also be left to deliver mail to German rural regions — a costlier and more difficult service to provide. If Deutsche Post wants to deliver mail in Finland, however, it will be obliged to fork over 20 percent of its turnover to the Finnish state.

It is that kind of scenario, what Deutsche Post calls a very uneven playing field that is causing uproar at the former mail monopoly. The German mail carrier has a legal obligation to provide universal service, covering routes that are money making as well as those that are not.

Since the partial break up of the German postal monopoly in 1998, Germany’s governing post and telecommunications body has granted some 1,000 business licenses for delivering mail. Unlike employees at Deutsche Post, the mail carriers for these start-ups are often part-time or temporary workers, who don’t enjoy the job security or compensation rates of Deutsche Post employees.

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Royal Mail given extra pricing flexibility

Posted by | Aug 9, 2007 | |

Postcomm has proposed that Royal Mail be given extra flexibility to increase some retail prices but has decided to leave access margins unchanged in response to the company’s request to review some aspects of the 2006-10 Price Control.

Royal Mail will be allowed to increase prices on certain loss-making products in April 2008 and April 2009 by more than was originally agreed when its four year price control was set. If it wishes, Royal Mail will be able to raise the price of a second class stamp to 29p by 2010, subject to inflation (the original price cap was 26p). The price cap on a first class stamp will not be affected by these proposals.

Postcomm is rejecting requests from TNT and UK Mail to widen the margin between Royal Mail’s prices for bulk mail products and the amount Royal Mail charges them for access to its network and delivery of bulk mail over the ‘final mile’. Royal Mail had also made an application on access, to narrow the margin. However the company has not provided sufficient evidence to support this application and has been unable to justify the level of loss it claims it is making on access mail.

Postcomm’s Interim Review document contains information extracted from Royal Mail’s regulatory accounts which were submitted to the regulator on 31 July in accordance with Royal Mail’s license obligation. Royal Mail has informed Postcomm that the sections of the regulatory accounts, which it normally makes public, will be published by no later than 15 August.

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Construction Starts on UPS Air Hub in Shanghai

Posted by | Aug 9, 2007 | |

UPS and the Shanghai Airport Authority today conducted a formal groundbreaking ceremony for the UPS International Air Hub at Pudong International Airport.

“The opening of this hub will ensure we are well-positioned to support the explosive growth in Asia’s regional trade,” said UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew, who attended the event. “Export volume growth in China and throughout Asia has been robust and the outlook remains bright. We are extremely proud to be the first U.S. airline to open an international air hub in China under the 2004 U.S.-China Air Services Agreement.”

Over the past five years, UPS has invested about USD 600 million in China, including a successful transition to become the first wholly-owned foreign express carrier in the country.

Located at the southern end of the West Cargo Terminal Area, the new hub will be built on a parcel totaling 1 million square feet and will open next year. Rapid expansion is planned to a sorting capacity of 17,000 pieces per hour. The new hub will link all of China via Shanghai to UPS’s international network with direct service to the Americas, Europe and Asia. It also will connect points served in China by UPS through a dedicated service provided by Yangtze River Express, a Chinese all-cargo airline.

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UPS announces three top financial assignments

Posted by | Aug 9, 2007 | |

Scott Davis, UPS vice chairman and chief financial officer, today announced a series of three appointments to key financial posts. Rich Peretz has been named vice president of finance; Teresa Finley the chief financial officer for international operations, and Andy Dolny the vice president of investor relations.

Peretz, 45, most recently has worked as the vice president of international finance. He will report to Davis and will be responsible for the functions of Treasury, procurement, risk management, investments and mergers and acquisitions.

Finley, 45, has served as UPS’s vice president of investor relations since November 2003 and will succeed Peretz, functioning as the chief financial officer for UPS’s international operations. She will report to UPS International President Alan Gershenhorn.

Dolny, 49, a certified public accountant and chief financial officer of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, will succeed Finley as the company’s top investor relations officer. He will report to Davis.

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TNT Post appoints Andrew Firth as a regional Business Development Director

Posted by | Aug 9, 2007 | |

TNT Post is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Firth as a regional Business Development Director. Based at TNT Post in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Andrew will be responsible for developing new business initiatives from Greater London to the Midlands and expanding the company’s rapidly growing client base. He will manage a team of 13 staff and will report to Bob van Ierland, Director of End to End Development.

Andrew joins TNT Post with more than 25 years of experience working in logistics. Previously, Andrew ran his own logistics consultancy handling contracts worth up to GBP 1 million per annum. Prior to that, in 2003, Andrew was drafted in to save a specialist logistics and installation company, which he then made profitable within two years.

The team Andrew joins started operations in August 2006 and focuses specifically on attracting new business from Greater London to the Midlands.

TNT Post now boasts a customer base of more than 200 local businesses in Greater London to the Midlands, with the majority receiving TNT Post’s PremierSort Flex, a two to three day postal service, with Royal Mail continuing to carry out the final mile delivery to customers’ homes nationwide. Current customers come from a range of sectors such as government, automobile and entertainment.

The PremierSort Flex service is specifically tailored to meet the needs of small to medium sized businesses or companies that have lower business mail volumes and offers valuable benefits to local businesses such as: flexible pick up times, cost savings, use of tracking systems that enable improved visibility and management, and a fast and reliable high level of service.

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