Tag: Europe

ASTAR pilots to call a strike

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

After more than two years of contract talks, pilots for carrier ASTAR Air Cargo Inc. say they have authorized their union to call a strike.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents the pilots, said 97 percent of its members voted to authorize the strike, which could take effect when the National Mediation Board releases both parties from talks.

The Wilmington-based carrier and the union have been working with mediators for 10 months, but still remain far apart on wage and compensation issues, ALPA said in a news release. Contract negotiations originally began in January 2005.

ASTAR, headquartered in Miami with a hub in Wilmington, is a cargo airline that counts DHL and the U.S. Postal Service among its customers.

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Cargus (Romania) considers strategic partnership or floatation

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

Cargus is considering selling a stake and also floatation.

Several companies on the market, including Curiero and TCE Logistica, are planning to sell a stake in 2008 or 2009.

The decision comes as companies attempt to maintain their market share amid rising competition and massive investments.

According to some market sources, Cargus is in talks to sell a stake to Deutsche Post World Net, the company that owns DHL 100 pct, however, the representatives of the two companies deny this information.

Cargus in the first six months of this year generated turnover worth 12.5 million euros from domestic delivery services, up 43 pct in terms of volume. “Another 6m euros were registered by the other companies of the group,” specifies Plesea.

Company representatives expect to derive turnover in excess of 30 million euros this year from domestic delivery services and reach around 40 million euros for the entire group.

Although the company’s turnover is rising, its profit margin is shrinking, and reached 5 pct in the first half of this year, from around 9 pct last year, according to Cargus’ manager.

Under the circumstances, the company’s representatives are mulling over the possibility of a shipping rate increase.

Cargus this year invested around 2m euros in the acquisition of 8 high-tonnage trucks, 100 vans and over 20 3-tonne vehicles, in addition to 40,000 euros in communication systems.

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Archbold Logistics opts for Palletforce quality

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

Archbold Logistics, a successful Leeds-based transport company with six locations nationwide, has joined PalletFORCE, one of the country’s fastest growing palletised distribution networks, in the long-term interests of the company and its customers.

The company is new to networks but decided to make the move after it won several contracts requiring palletised distribution. “We are able to deliver to specialised regions, but even with six Depots we were limited geographically. Joining a network seemed the ideal means of expanding to cover the entire country,” explains Xavier Archbold, the company’s Business Development Manager.

PalletFORCE proved the most suitable of all the networks that Archbold Logistics looked at. “Simply, PalletFORCE had the best quality of membership, giving us the sense that our deliveries would be well looked after,” Xavier Archbold confirms.

Archbold’s Manchester depot has now taken on responsibility for the northern part of the M postcode. “It’s early days yet but we want this to be an important part of the business,” comments Xavier Archbold.

Archbold Logistics was founded in 1918 and today the £20 million turnover, family-owned business has depots in Louth, Daventry, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead in addition to those in Leeds and Manchester. Alongside a 150-strong fleet, the company operates European, emergency freight and car sales divisions.

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Switzerland plans full postal liberalization in two stages

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

Swiss Post Swiss authorities have released plans to fully liberalize the country’s postal market in two stages over the coming decade, and change Swiss Post’s legal status. The move means Switzerland will lag behind most EU countries in fully opening up the domestic mail market to competition.

The federal government plans to publish a postal reform bill for consultation at the start of 2008. It is expected to propose reducing Swiss Post’s monopoly on domestic mail from 100g to 50g in 2011. “After a period of two to five years, Parliament would pass a law on full-scale liberalization that would be liable to public referendum,” the Swiss ministry for environment, transport, energy and communications announced on Friday.

Swiss authorities noted that they had already started to reform the postal sector and were following developments in the EU, where the postal market is due to be fully liberalized in 2011. The ministry will also conduct a study into the financial implications of the market liberalization and publish the results by the end of this year.

The draft law would specify “industry-typical” working conditions for all postal operators (Swiss Post and private competitors). Swiss Post would be required to negotiate a collective tariff agreement but it would be up to companies and unions to agree on an industry-wide pay deal. Financing of the universal service obligation would if necessary be secured through a fund or state payments, the ministry stated.

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Post Office UK Ltd to sell mortgages

Posted by | Sep 24, 2007 | |

The Post Office today announced that it is to start selling mortgages.

A range of home loans backed by Bristol & West, the Bank of Ireland’s UK lending arm, will initially go on offer at post office branches in the North East from this week, before being rolled out across the UK.

The move comes as dozens of mainstream mortgage lenders are scaling back their mortgage business to reduce risk in the wake of the global credit crunch.

The Post Office, which claims to be the fastest growing financial services provider in the UK with more than one million savings, loan, insurance and credit card customers, hopes to capitalise on the complexity of existing deals offered on the high street by offering simpler loans without hidden charges, but said that it would apply strict lending criteria to the three loans in its new range that will exclude some borrowers.

It will offer one standard three-year fixed rate loan of 6.09 per cent up to 95 per cent of the property’s value, a 6.35 per cent buy-to-let mortgage up to 85 per cent and a self-certification loan for self-employed borrowers of 6.44 per cent on up to 90 per cent. All of the loans come with an arrangement fee of GBP 399.

Brokers welcomed increased competition from the Post Office’s new venture, but said that the loans were not the most competitive on the market.

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