Tag: Germany

Deutsche Bank signs postal banking deal in China

Posted by | Oct 8, 2007 | |

Deutsche Bank recently announced a partnership with Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC), the fifth largest bank in China by deposits, for the provision of payment clearing channels to manage US dollar clearing and remittances into China.

PSBC has more than 36,000 retail locations across China of which two-thirds are in rural areas. As one of the world’s top receivers of remittances, PSBC was looking for a banking partner to address the challenge of providing efficient and cost-effective remittances to beneficiaries across China’s extensive geography.

Deutsche is deploying Money Transfer New Architecture (MTNA), its proprietary global payment platform which is designed for large-scale remittance transactions and will manage US dollar and local remittances in a highly automated process.

“MTNA’s built-in features offer customization which includes sophisticated reference matching, party search engine, full transparency and online payment status, allowing PSBC to reap the benefits of expedited processing, increased transaction accuracy and cost effectiveness,” Deutsche said in a statement.

The partnership will enable PSBC to offer faster and simplified remittance cycles that, in turn, benefit retail customers. This also strengthens PSBC’s presence both locally and abroad.

John Ball, head of cash management for financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific at Deutsche, adds: “Working with Postal Savings Bank of China offered us the opportunity to demonstrate our state-of-the-art and innovative cash management solutions. It is also reflective of the bank’s commitment to Postal Savings Bank of China, supporting its growth plans and enhancing its competitiveness in capturing the burgeoning retail market for direct remittances. This is another milestone for the bank in the high-volume industry of postal banking.”

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Hermes Logistik opens new EUR 34m hub in Hückelhoven (North Rhine-Westphalia)

Posted by | Oct 5, 2007 | |

German parcels operator Hermes Logistik has put into operation its new hub in Hückelhoven, North Rhine-Westphalia, which is directly linked to an expanded distribution centre of German teleshopping company QVC, a key Hermes customer. The hub will also help the parcels operator further expand its European B2C activities.

Hermes said it has invested EUR 34 million in the building and sorting technology at the 12,000 sqm facility which will handle up to 50 million shipments 360 days per year. Some 125 new employees will sort up to 22,000 parcels an hour.

Construction took about one year. One technical innovation is the volume measurement of each shipment in order to calculate capacity loading exactly and optimise route planning.

The hub is directly connected to the neighbouring QVC distribution centre which has been expanded to 35,000 sqm during the same time. The teleshopping company will feed up to 11,000 shipments an hour into the Hermes hub. QVC plans to invest EUR 45 million in the overall extension of its central distribution centre, with completion due in spring 2008.

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CPL – TNT, DPWN take up the environmental challenge

Posted by | Oct 5, 2007 | |

TNT and Deutsche Post World Net are responding to the environmental challenges facing the CEP sector with a wide range of similar operational measures but are taking a divergent strategic approach on the issue of “green” products, the CPL Summit in Barcelona this week heard.

Presenting TNT’s new “Planet Me” environmental program, Carin ten Hage, project director social responsibility, stressed the importance of a comprehensive program covering not only operations but also issues such as company cars, business travel and employees’ private lifestyles.

But TNT had deliberately decided not to introduce any “green” products in the style of DHL’s GoGreen services, ten Hage noted. “We don’t want to have a green product, we want to be a green product,” she commented. “If you use us, then you know you are using a company that does everything it can to reduce emissions.”

Winfried Häser, DPWN director of environmental strategy and policy, outlined the German group’s three-tier environmental management approach of measuring, reducing and finally replacing emissions through various carbon-neutral GoGreen products. However, the latter services, now available in selected markets, were still “niche” products at present, he said.

In an overview of the challenges facing the CEP industry on environmental issues as it continues to grow on a worldwide scale, CEP-Research chief editor Paul Needham warned that external pressure from stakeholders would grow in the years to come, with harder-hitting regulations to follow.

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Schenker – First test phase between Hamburg and Hong Kong successfully concluded. Now also fitted with GPS sensors

Posted by | Oct 5, 2007 | |

Schenker’s oceanfreight containers that are used all over the world can now for the first time be continuously monitored, thanks to a special new security technique. For test purposes the company has fitted out ten of its containers, also known as SCHENKERsmartbox, with special sensors in addition to RFID technology. These ‘GPS Security Devices’ communicate the current GPS coordinates, temperature levels and security parameters (like door activities). The transport units are in regular use between Hamburg and Hong Kong.

The first test phase for the RFID technology has been successfully completed. RFID status notifications communicate the most important points where liability changes hands, when the containers are loaded and unloaded at the packing stations in Hamburg and Hong Kong, as well as the time of arrival at the terminal. This gives a clear view of when and where the load is being transshipped.

“It is becoming clear that this technology will be ripe for serial production in the near future. At least the RFID technology promises to be suitable for use on a wide scale, from the economic point of view as well,” comments Dr. Wolfgang Dräger, Senior Vice President, PM Ocean Freight, Schenker AG.

The new GPS sensors give information at regular intervals about conditions in the container: is it cold or hot, are there any sudden temperature changes? Does the container get shaken up in the course of the journey? Does it deviate from the planned route? These and other data are compiled in a report, which Schenker can then consult. “As soon as this technology is ready for serial production, it will open up new possibilities of service to our particularly demanding industrial customers,” explains Dr. Wolfgang Dräger. For example, the temperature of pharmaceutical products and other sensitive goods can be continuously monitored, which could come out cheaper in the long term than transporting them in refrigerated containers, provided that the appropriate temperature tolerances can be guaranteed.

It is a similar situation with goods that are vulnerable to shock, like laptops and other valuable articles. Even if it is not possible to prevent the goods from being shaken about at all, at least you can determine in retrospect when and where they have been exposed to shock and what has occurred. Finally it is possible to determine when and where the door of the container has been opened. If this happens unexpectedly or the door is forced, an alarm is triggered and at the same time appropriate security measures will be initiated.

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CPL – Aramex plans more acquisitions

Posted by | Oct 4, 2007 | |

Aramex plans to continue buying freight companies in key markets around the world to build up its global network, Osama Fatalleh, senior vice president and chief strategic officer, told the CPL Summit in Barcelona this week.

The Middle East-based freight logistics company wants to become the world’s fifth-largest express player through a mix of subsidiaries, alliance partners and franchises. “Our industry cannot continue to be controlled by four companies on a global scale,” Fatelleh said.

Over the last few years, Aramex had built up a worldwide network through this mixed approach but continued to face the challenge of having partners acquired by one of the big four players, Fatelleh said. In response, Aramex had decided to move from a cooperation model to a financial holding strategy in key markets such as the US, Asia and Central Europe, he said.

At the same time, Aramex was broadening its product portfolio into freight. In future, it was likely to buy freight companies and then widen them with express services since there were now few attractive express companies left to buy, he commented. Aramex also planned to open up its network to smaller local or regional players to give them more opportunity to compete with the big four integrators, he added.

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