Tag: Europe

DHL demos RFID-enabled delivery van

Posted by | Mar 8, 2007 | |

DHL has unveiled a prototype of an RFID-enabled van using software and hardware provided by SAVR Communications. The company developed the van to show existing and future customers how RFID technology can benefit them, as well as independent contractors and DHL itself in tracking the movement of vehicles and the individual packages they transport. However, the prototype has not been field-tested.

The prototype DHL van, which had been under development for the past few months, comes equipped with an RFID interrogator and antennas for locating an RFID-tagged package within the van, as well as a GPS device for monitoring the location of the van across its delivery route.

The current prototype van comes equipped with a SAVR UHF Gen 2 RFID interrogator complying with the ISO 18000-6C standard, and seven antennas installed throughout the interior of the van. They capture the RFID number of each tag on a package as it is loaded into the van and send that number to the reader. Antennas then automatically capture the number again when the package is removed. With SAVR software, DHL’s back-end system would be able to determine whether the package is being loaded or removed based on which antenna (such as the antenna in the back of the vehicle or by the door) captures the package’s RFID tag number.

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Support for UK's Post Office gets Brussels approval

Posted by | Mar 8, 2007 | |

A total of GBP313 million of support from the UK government has been authorised by the European Commission in accordance with the EC Treatys rules on state aid.

This is to allow Post Office limited to continue to provide public services for the financial year 2007/08. These include an increasing range of commercial services such as lottery tickets, foreign exchange, telephone and insurance products as well as cash facilities, bill payment, licensing and, of course, Royal Mail, the UKs main postal services provider.

Public services are a vital part of the European economy, and the Commission recognises their importance, said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. Aid can therefore be approved where the amount is strictly limited to what is necessary to cover the costs of public service obligations.

In 2003, the Commission approved a system whereby losses incurred by the entirely state-owned company in providing public service would be covered by government funds and in December 2006, the UK announced the intention to extend this for another year. The amount notified for the financial year beginning 1 April 2007 is GBP313 million (USD460 million).

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Court curbs mail compensation

Posted by | Mar 8, 2007 | |

Corporate customers of Royal Mail who have received poor service will have their ability to secure compensation curbed as a result of a Court of Appeal decision yesterday.

Three senior judges partially reversed a High Court ruling, handed down in December 2005, over the terms of a compensation scheme, which went in favour of Postwatch, the consumer body, and paved the way for users of bulk mail services to claim tens of millions of pounds.

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Royal Mail's proposals for zonal business post pricing comes under fire

Posted by | Mar 8, 2007 | |

Royal Mail last week called for changes to its pricing structure, which would include dropping its obligation to offer a single price to deliver franked business post to any address in the UK.

But the Periodical Publishers’ Association (PPA) said the proposals would increase the cost of magazine delivery in London by 2.5%, on top of a 10% hike already due in April this year.
The organisation passed Royal Mail’s proposal off as “benefiting no-one but Royal Mail, and hugely damaging the magazine industry.”

The proposals, which include a 6p rise in the cost of a first-class stamp, have also been lambasted by PostComm, but have met with some sympathy from direct mail printers.

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BanCorreos lanches new products

Posted by | Mar 8, 2007 | |

BanCorreos – the new mark of banking services of CORREOS and Deutsche Bank- offers, from the 1st of March, other two new products of saving and investment: `Europe Deposit’ and `Monthly Deposit’.

The “Europe Deposit” is an 18 months deposit – from the 1st of June of 2007 to the 1st of December of 2008 – that guarantees a 100% of the initial capital and a minimum interest of 1%. Its total yield could be about a 16%, because the quantity of the paid interest will be calculated discounting of this 16% the difference between the best and the worse index of a basket of European indicators formed by the Eurostoxx 50, that includes the 50 greater companies of the zone euro; Dax, main German stock-exchange index; FTSE 100, main index of United Kingdom; Millrace 40, of France; and the MIB-30, of Italy.

On the other hand, the `Monthly Deposit’ is a traditional deposit (fixed term deposit) that guarantees the invested capital and offers a referenced yield in the Euribor, less 0.70%. The type of interest rate will be updated daily, in agreement with the evolution in market of the Euribor. It represents a conservative and simple option of short term investments, because in a month the client recovers the invested amount plus the interests.

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