Tag: Domestic

DHL's Hickler shares views on shipper service, markets

Posted by | Dec 29, 2007 | |

LM: Much has been made of DHL’s commitment to improving customer service in the U.S. How are things going on that front?

HH: The important thing to note is that we are not claiming victory. We are putting a stake in the ground. Our industry—whether it is 3PLs, supply chains, or broader logistics—does not have a Starbucks- or Ritz-Carlton-type equivalent that says this company really gets the customer and is all about driving a better and unique customer experience. That is what we are targeting.

LM: How are you doing that?

HH: By coming in with the realization that customers in general are not thinking that our industry is about the customer. But we think there is a place for that, and our customers are telling us that. Bain & Company surveyed 360 companies and found that 80 percent of those surveyed said their customers were receiving superior service. That means there is a huge mismatch there, and we want to change that in our industry. It is a bold move, but I think that is what our brand stands for, and we have to do things to stand behind that.

LM: What steps need to be taken for DHL to stand behind that belief?

HH: We believe we need to shift from a performance paradigm to one of service. This industry has been one that is all about incredibly high performance levels, whether it is express, package delivery, or overnight. And it is in relation to how our processes are engineered, its relation to the IT capabilities, or just how we can deliver the product. It is a very performance-oriented discussion, and that is ingrained in the actual fabric of the product that the differentiation lies in the service paradigm. Those are the chips needed to get into the game; we need to be highly reliable across all dimensions, but that doesn’t really define anything that would “wow” the customer. That dimension is service.

LM: A lot of attention has been given to the state of our country’s transportation infrastructure, with congestion hitting maximum capacity and politicians and industry associations calling for a “national transportation policy” to address these issues head-on. What needs to happen to move in the right direction?

HH: The issues are the same as they have been since the West Coast labor strike occurred a few years back. The West Coast can very quickly become a bottleneck to transportation throughput, be that port throughput or road or rail infrastructure. In terms of national policy, understanding what the choke points are in how freight flows [for rail and trucking infrastructure component] is critical. From a customer standpoint, there is a lot of dialogue happening around adjusting the movement of goods and the location of distribution centers. They’re also looking at locations on different coasts to hedge themselves against problems. This is as much about customers looking at their supply chains as it is about legislation.

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Mexico's Postal Service Aims For MXN 10 Billion in Revenue By 2012

Posted by | Dec 28, 2007 | |

Mexico’s postal service said Thursday it aims to be self-funding with annual revenue of more than 10 billion pesos (USD 923.9 million) by 2012 under a five-year modernization plan.

In a press release, the postal service, or Sepomex, said to reach that goal, it will increase the number of mail carriers to 30,000 and open about 500 new offices by the end of 2012.

Sepomex currently has about 20,000 employees, 1,370 offices and annual revenue of about USD 250 million.

As part of its modernization program, the postal service will implement a tracking system for packages and has reached an agreement with the postal employees union to improve productivity.

Most firms in Mexico use private package delivery companies because of reliability problems with the postal service.

Sepomex has only two major corporate customers – phone company Telefonos de Mexico (TMX) and Citigroup Inc.’s (C) local unit, Banamex.

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Vietnam Post office goes it alone from New Year’s Day

Posted by | Dec 28, 2007 | |

The Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunication Group (VNPT) has been split into posts and telecommunication divisions.

The long-prepared divide was formally approved on Wednesday and the Viet Nam Postal Corporation will be launched next Tuesday, January 1, 2008.

It will retain all of its fixed assets and manage State post offices throughout Vietnam.

The corporation will provide public welfare services to remote Vietnam and manage the national postal network, including domestic and international postal services, and press publications.

The VNPT will manage the national communications network as well as information and communication services.

The split is intended to enable a better management of postal and telecommunications services and help both to develop.

Viet Nam Postal Corporation general director Do Ngoc Binh said the corporation would try to expand its business and balance revenue and expenditure by 2010, and then gradually turn a profit.

Vietnam’s prime-minister-approved five-year Postal Development Master Plan provides for an increase of postal-service sites to 13,500 by the end of 2010.

The plan requires the Postal Corporate to ensure that all communes, including remote and highland, have daily newspaper deliveries.

But it will get State help for its public-welfare work.

Postal services provided VNPT with only 5 pct of its to total revenue.

The new corporation intends to expand providing pension payments, insurance services and the collection of electricity, telephone and water fees.

The Government is seeking both domestic and international investment for the development of its transmitting services.

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Second anniversary of the liberalisation of the UK postal market

Posted by | Dec 28, 2007 | |

Postcomm has found competition in its second year is starting to benefit more and more mail users, but has urged all operators to rise to the challenges posed by the digital age.

Research commissioned by Postcomm in 2007 found the benefits that large mailers have been experiencing since the market was opened have now started to slowly spread to smaller businesses. However, much more progress is needed and the challenge posed by the growing number of alternatives to mail confirms the need for mail operators to continue to pursue greater innovation.

The market research, which formed part of Postcomm’s annual Business Customer Survey, revealed that although Royal Mail remains the dominant operator, one in five small and medium mailers and more than a third of large mailers are using more than one mail provider.

Postcomm’s annual Competitive Market Review (CMR), found that mail volumes were 2 per cent down on last year, but there are indications that direct mail is growing in sectors such as building societies, charity, and health.

End-to-end competition has declined by four million items and stands at less than one per cent of total mail volume, but mail volumes collected by ‘access’ operators and delivered by Royal Mail have more than doubled and now represent 19 per cent of revenue-derived mail volumes.

The research shows that a larger number of small businesses are beginning to benefit from competition, but much more needs to be done before small firms can experience the full benefits of competition that larger mailers have seen since the market was opened.

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Postal charges to be raised from Jan 1

Posted by | Dec 27, 2007 | |

The government has decided to raise postal charges from January 1.

The decision was made at a meeting of the council of advisers chaired by the chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, at his office on Wednesday.

From January 1, Bangladesh Postal Department will sell a post card at Tk 1.50 instead of Tk 1 and envelop at Tk 3 instead of Tk 2.

Besides, an additional 20 per cent service charge will be added to the actual cost of all foreign mails. The meeting approved a proposal for the signing of an additional protocol between Bangladesh and Qatar to facilitate more manpower export to Qatar. One of the key objectives of signing the protocol is to upgrade a treaty to this effect signed in January 1988 between the two countries.

The additional protocol will be signed in Dhaka in the first week of next month during the visit of a high-level delegation led by the labour and social affairs minister of Qatar.

1 USD = 68.3000 BDT

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