Tag: Courier/Express/Parcels

GLS opens a new depot in western Germany

Posted by | Jun 20, 2007 | |

GLS Germany inaugurated its new depot in Polch in Rhineland-Palatinate (western Germany). The centre was opened on June but has been in operation since last November.

GLS invested about EUR 6 million in construction and equipment for the depot which is located on a 26,000 sqm piece of land and covers 4,300 sqm. It has an automatic sorting system, video surveillance, high-performance alarm system, and 130 docking doors.

The new site at Polch replaces two former GLS depots in the region, at Weißenthurm and Mehren. It employs 130 staff, including 50 new part-time jobs.

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DHL Strengthens Middle East-China Trade Lane

Posted by | Jun 19, 2007 | |

DHL announced a service enhancement to streamline shipping between the UAE and its 4th largest trading partner, China.

The enhanced DHL UAE-China Service is set to expedite shipments between both markets, offering streamlined service for UAE customers importing from the second largest economy in the world and the fastest growing trading partner with the UAE.

Using Time Definite deliveries and the Import Express product, DHL customers can – with one phone call – move goods from China to the UAE or any other destination using the UAE-China trade lane and pay for delivery in their home country – one invoice and one currency. Shipments stay within the DHL system from origin to destination allowing for easy tracking, anytime.

Future DHL improvements to support the flow of goods and documents between UAE and China will include additional ground network upgrades and ground fleet enhancements as well as added flights. DHL shipments in China are guaranteed daily uplifts and cargo space through 11 dedicated gateways – including four major gateways in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – as well as 73 service centres covering 318 cities and over 500 flights per week.

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DHL gears up for ''soft'' Leipzig hub launch

Posted by | Jun 19, 2007 | |

DHL grows at Leipzig DHL Express will gradually build up flight operations at its new EUR 300 million European air hub at Leipzig over the coming 12 months to ensure a smooth transition from its existing hub in Brussels and to avoid the kind of operational problems that hit the opening of its US hub at Wilmington two years ago.

In July, DHL handling staff from Brussels, Cologne and Britain will test loading and unloading procedures at Leipzig, Achim Zimmermann, Sales Manager West at DHL Express Germany, said in an interview at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich. Leipzig will be one of three DHL Express intercontinental air hubs alongside Wilmington and Hong Kong on opening in mid-2008.

DHL Express already operates 14 cargo planes on European overnight flights between Leipzig, the Brussels hub, its Cologne gateway and a number of Central and Eastern European destinations. These services, carrying about 160 tonnes of cargo daily, were moved from Berlin Schoenefeld airport over the last two years. The DHL hub buildings are currently under construction on a 53 hectare area adjoining the extended, 3.6 km southern runway.

In the next phase, about 6-8 flights will be transferred from Cologne to the Leipzig gateway during the third quarter of this year, Zimmermann said. All Cologne flights are scheduled to move to Leipzig by the end of 2007. During the first half of 2008, flights will gradually be transferred from Brussels to Leipzig.

In view of the operational difficulties at the opening of the Wilmington hub in autumn 2005 when two different hubs were merged at one location, DHL Express is taking a more cautious approach this time. “We have a back-up scenario. Cologne and Brussels will remain open as gateways. If there are any problems at Leipzig, we can relocate immediately,” Zimmermann pointed out. “We will always be able to switch in future if there are any problems.”

In particular, DHL Express will be responsible for its own aircraft handling at Leipzig, making it independent of airport staff and creating opportunities for third-party handling contracts, he noted. DHL will also have its own hangar for technical maintenance.

At Leipzig, DHL Express would benefit from the proximity of DHL parcel and freight forwarding facilities, the airport’s close geographical position to emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe, its good multi-modal infrastructure with motorway connections and a nearby railhead, and the relocation of logistics facilities to the airport’s surrounding area, Zimmermann pointed out.

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Next-day delivery of mail improves by 4%

Posted by | Jun 19, 2007 | |

Next-day delivery of standard mail by An Post improved by 4 per cent in the first quarter of 2007, but still fell short of targets set by the regulator.

Results from the quarterly independent report on the quality of service performance of An Post from ComReg found that 78 per cent of single piece priority mail, or standard correspondence, was delivered within one working day throughout the State against a target of 94 per cent. The report revealed that 98 per cent of all mail was delivered within three working days, still short of the 99.5 per cent target set by ComReg.

The regulator said the report highlighted some variation in results between different mail flows.

“Of note once again is the poor performance of mail posted outside of Dublin for delivery to addresses in Dublin county – 72 per cent, in contrast with the level of service attributed to mail posted outside of Dublin for delivery within county of post- ing 81 per cent, or compared with the performance of mail posted in Dublin for local delivery of 80 per cent,” ComReg said.

ComReg also found that 79 per cent of mail posted in Dublin for nationwide delivery is reported as delivered the next working day, while 76 per cent of mail posted outside Dublin for delivery throughout the State is delivered within one working day of posting.

Mail posted outside of Dublin for local delivery recorded a success rate of 81 per cent, the report revealed.

An Post chief Donal Connell said the report showed a significant improvement in An Post’s operations.

“These results confirm the steady improvement we have seen in our internal quality measures, and it is all the more satisfying given the increased volume of mail we handled during this period,” he said.

“They also confirm the results issued recently by the International Postal Corporation (IPC) on international mail and also acknowledged by Royal Mail,” he said

A recent IPC study showed that in the first quarter of 2007 An Post achieved a 5 per cent improvement on last year’s rate of next-day delivery for incoming international mail, Mr Connell said.

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Postal Professionals Gather for Forum in St. Petersburg

Posted by | Jun 19, 2007 | |

The growing competition that traditional postal services face against new information technologies, the liberalization of the industry and its survival in the internet era are all topics set to be discussed in St. Petersburg starting Tuesday, when postal industry professionals from around the world gather at the Pochtovaya Troika event.

The postal industry forum, which ends Thursday, is held every two years and this year, organizers say, the event will be particularly significant for the industry as it is held between two important international events — the Strategic Conference in Dubai of the year 2006 and the Nairobi Congress — scheduled for 2008.

The forum’s program is planned in such a way as to become a logical follow-up to discussions and debates that are expected to start during the Strategic Conference in Dubai; in addition, it is a part of the communication plan of the Strategic Planning Group of the UPU, chaired by the Russian Federation, the website continues.

For the first time, this year the forum will become “strategic,” which will be reflected in the event’s agenda, Russian Minister for Information Technologies and Communications Leonid Reiman — due to take part in the forum’s opening ceremony — said in a welcome note to guests and participants of Pochtovaya Troika.

With the development of new information technologies including the internet, communication through the means of the simple letter has increasingly become a thing of the past. But contrary to the popular belief that the post service will be obsolete in the foreseeable future, industry experts are positive and say postal services will always find a market.

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