Tag: Germany

DPWN chief Klaus Zumwinkel under tax evasion investigation

Posted by | Feb 14, 2008 | |

The home and office of Deutsche Post chief executive Klaus Zumwinkel were today raided by German officials investigating alleged tax evasion of some EUR 1 million. He was also taken for questioning but later released.

Tax authorities arrived at his home in Cologne at 7 a.m. and spent five hours there before taking him for questioning. Officials also searched his office at the DPWN headquarters.

A spokesman for the Bochum public prosecutor’s office said that Zumwinkel and other unnamed persons were under suspicion of tax evasion. The investigation focused on financial investments made by Zumwinkel in Liechtenstein, he said. The sum in question amounted to about EUR 1 million. An arrest warrant was not exercised since Zumwinkel had paid a bail sum of “not insignificant size”.

Deutsche Post said in a brief statement that Zumwinkel had responded in detail to the authorities regarding the allegations against him and had returned home. The entire management board, including the CEO, was “fully functional” and continuing its business as usual, it added.

Zumwinkel, 64, has been chairman and CEO of Deutsche Post since 1990, and has led its transformation from a domestic mail business into the world’s largest logistics group. His current contract is due to expire in November, and there has been media speculation that he will retire from the post at the end of the year. He is expected to take over the position of Deutsche Post supervisory board chairman.

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FedEx jumps aboard France's TGV

Posted by | Feb 13, 2008 | |

A consortium plans to offer express parcel service to points in Western Europe using high-speed trains. German tracks may derail idea of overnight service
One side-effect of the world of modern logistics is that Germany’s national postal service can hardly afford to use trains to move packages these days. Overnight delivery is considered the standard in express shipping. But freight trains are hardly able fit the bill when it comes to guaranteed next-day delivery.
That situation, though, is expected to change soon in France, where 20 high-speed TGV trains — which operate at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) and will be equipped with nine unfurnished cars designed to carry standardized airfreight containers — are slated to being operations in four years. The Carex project (an acronym for “Cargo Rail Express”) has strong political support in France.
In the meantime, though, funding has been secured for the project, with La Poste and FedEx, which uses Paris’s Roissy Airport (formerly “Charles de Gaulle”) as its European logistics hub, on board as the lead investors.
More than 50 FedEx cargo planes take off and land at Roissy every night, connecting Paris with faraway continents, as well as domestic airports like Nice, Toulouse, Lyon and
Given these obstacles, German national railway Deutsche Bahn has shown little enthusiasm for the project. Courier freight is a minor player in the industry. The core business consists of heavy cargo, such as raw materials and industrial products, and it is highly successful. Annual freight transport volume, which has been growing for years, now amounts to significantly more than 100 billion ton-kilometers.

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DPD Geopost Germany with new management

Posted by | Feb 12, 2008 | |

Arnold Schroven was appointed as Managing Director of DPD GeoPost Germany in place of Hans Fluri who is leaving the company.

Fluri had decided to leave the German parcels carrier in order to join a position with a “renowned international company”, DPD GeoPost Germany said in a statement.

Schroven had been named as his successor by Paul-Marie Chavanne, GeoPost CEO.

Schroven has been with DPD since 1992 and held a number of senior management positions. He has driven development of the international DPD franchise network, and will remain head of the separate franchise organisation DPD GmbH.

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DHL Express USA to reduce workforce by 600 positions

Posted by | Feb 12, 2008 | |

In a move designed to lower general and administrative costs across its U.S delivery business—due to the current economic climate and market conditions—DHL Express USA said today it will reduce its workforce by approximately 600 positions.

DHL added that these domestic workforce reductions will occur through attrition, reductions, and suspending open positions across functional areas. DHL Express USA Spokeswoman Michele Nadeem told LM that these reductions will take place today and tomorrow.

Hans Hickler, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Express USA., said in a statement that this action is one of several measures DHL Express USA is taking to improve its competitive position in the U.S. market, which is strategic to the company’s global growth plan. “These changes will help us better align our cost structure without impacting our unwavering commitment to serve our US customers,” said Hickler.

Since then it has competed aggressively for market share against industry bellwethers UPS and FedEx, as well as the United States Postal Service. DHL said it has invested more than USD 3 billion into the U.S. since 2003, including USD 1.2 billion in infrastructure and distribution.

In the DHL statement issued today, the company said it is making moves to augment its competitive position in the U.S. by investing in business growth areas and increasing service to both consumer and business customers, as well as the non-cash writedown for DHL Express USA.

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UPS appoints new District Manager for Germany

Posted by | Feb 11, 2008 | |

UPS has named Stefan Schürfeld to the position of District Manager UPS Germany in place of Jörns Reineke who will retire by the end of May 2008 after 32 years with the company.

Schürfeld, 51, will be responsible for operational business as well as strategic alignment of UPS Germany. “Germany is the largest local market outside the USA and I am looking forward to taking on the challenges involved,” he commented. “In the future, we will continue offering the best possible service to our customers and we will set benchmarks for the industry with technical innovations.”

Schürfeld started his career at UPS Germany in 1982 and held several management positions at UPS in Germany and Benelux. Most recently, since August 2006, he was District Manager (Great Basin District) in Utah, USA.

Reineke joined UPS at its start-up in Germany in 1976 and rose up through the ranks to hold a range of management positions. He took over the post of District Manager for Germany in 2004.

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