Tag: Domestic

Mediaservis: leading challenger to Czech Post

Posted by | Aug 27, 2007 | |

With the postal service market set to open up, Mediaservis is positioning itself to wrap up a bigger chunk of the mail delivery market. And more than just junk mail is at stake.

The Czech postal services market is the most open and developed within the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, yet rivals of traditional public operators are awaiting full liberalization of the European Union postal market, says Jaroslav Aujezdský, CEO of Mediaservis, an alternative competitor to domestic state-run post office Èeská pošta (ÈP).

Mediaservis is closely monitoring the liberalization process and will be prepared to meet all the conditions when the market is fully liberalized, and be able to provide delivery of mail under 50 grams, or under Kè 18 (EUR 0.65) in the Czech Republic, Aujezdský said.

Currently, Mediaservis has about a 20 percent market share of approximately 1 billion addressed mail items including letters, direct mail, newspapers and magazines sent every year. “We want to enter the segment of delivery of letters under 50 grams, which represents about 65 percent of all the letters that we cannot deliver at the moment although we are capable of doing it,” Aujezdský said. The 65 percent represents mainly the business-to-business (B2B) and the business-to-customer (B2C) market. Some 90 percent of European mail is from businesses, and this is where most new rivals are likely to target new lower-priced services, according to the European
Commission (EC).

Mediaservis was established in 1999 with the aim of providing a morning delivery service mainly for publishing houses. At that time the only operator ÈP offered late morning delivery of periodicals on weekdays, and no service on Saturdays.

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World Courier targets Chinese pharmaceutical shipments

Posted by | Aug 27, 2007 | |

World Courier World Courier, the US-based international courier network, is targeting the booming Chinese pharmaceutical sector by extending its cold chain network to 36 major cities in the country, including provincial capitals.

“China is poised to become the fourth largest pharmaceutical market by 2012,” said Henning Voss, director for World Courier North Asia. But he noted: “China presents many infrastructure challenges for temperature-controlled and clinical trial shipments. Domestic transport companies do not yet fully understand the many international standards at play in handling these types of shipments. As such, the real concerns and requirements of major pharmaceutical clients in China have not been adequately addressed until now.”

With its new operational network, World Courier could help pharmaceutical companies, central labs and clinical research organizations improve their supply chain efficiencies, Voss said. All temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and clinical trial shipments are handled by trained personnel according to established operating practices and IATA transportation standards. Only validated packaging complete with industry-accepted cold-pack mediums and temperature recording devices are used.

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TNT calls for 30 month pay freeze

Posted by | Aug 27, 2007 | |

TNT wants staff to agree to a 2.5 year pay freeze and to make their own payments into the company pension scheme, according to the postal group’s starting position for the latest round of pay talks.

Union Abvakabo describes the proposals as ‘dramatic’, saying the plans would cost workers hundreds of euros a year. Abvakabo wants a 3 pct rise per year.

TNT says the pay freeze is necessary to allow the company to compete with new players on the delivery market, which do not have proper salaried staff.

The company announced earlier this year that it plans to cut 6,500 jobs – a figure which could mount to 11,000 if workers do not agree to a slimmed-down pay and conditions package.

Negotiations on the new pay deal start on September 17.

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DHL opens new facility in Baltimore, Maryland

Posted by | Aug 27, 2007 | |

DHL announced the opening of a new facility at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport to better-serve the growing needs of shipping customers. DHL’s previous operations at the airport have been enhanced with the opening of a new, USD 1.6 million on-airport facility serving Baltimore and surrounding areas. Improved material handling equipment for aircraft container loading and unloading as well as a 25 percent larger facility now provide for a significantly more efficient operation.

The new 18,663-sq.-ft. facility will also handle additional routes, providing deliveries for more customers in Baltimore, as well as various locations in Howard County, Md., including Columbia, Elkridge, Hanover, and Jessup, and features additional load positions to accommodate more vehicles and volumes of freight.

The facility employs approximately 30, including couriers, administrative staff, managers, sales and security personnel.

The new Baltimore facility investment is one of many initiatives that DHL has undertaken to improve U.S. network efficiencies and connectivity system-wide. DHL has recently enhanced its presence in cities across the country through new facilities in New York City, Columbus, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.; Charlotte, N.C.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Charleston, S.C.; White River Junction, Vt.; and Atlanta, Ga. DHL also recently completed a USD 1.2 billion build out of its U.S. domestic network and infrastructure, including an expanded primary air and ground hub in Wilmington, Ohio, seven new Regional Sort Centers located throughout the country, and the development of new, state-of-the-art distribution facilities for the east and west coasts in Allentown, Pa., and Riverside, Calif.

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Strong mid-year results for Posten

Posted by | Aug 27, 2007 | |

increased by 15 pct, totaling just over SEK 15 billion. At the same time, our operating earnings improved by a full 30 percent. This is evidence of our strength, and shows that we have succeeded in the transition to our new operational structure without losing momentum. Posten has been able to combine an increased level of specialization with its reliable delivery quality and unique ability to reach all of Sweden’s households and companies each workday. Not only has this enabled us to increase sales for our existing customers, but we have also competed and won valuable contracts with new customers.

The projects and ongoing rationalization activities that Posten is conducting allows us to present a broader and more competitive portfolio of communication and logistics services. Proof of our ability to streamline operations lies in the fact that every quarter has shown a measurable increase in productivity since the beginning of 2003.

Competition is increasing for all our operations. The Swedish postal market has been completely deregulated since 1993. Now it will be very interesting to follow the upcoming decision-making process for a fully deregulated EU postal market. This will bring interesting development opportunities for Posten, thanks in part to Stralfors’ platform in Europe. The Swedish Parliament’s decision on June 14th has been an important milestone. The decision means that Posten’s obligation to provide essential financial transaction services through the Cashier Service will cease as of January 1, 2009. This welcome decision eliminates the uncertainty that has surrounded the future of the Cashier Service within Posten.

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