Tag: La Poste

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Parceline becomes DPD

Posted by | Feb 11, 2008 | |

Express carrier Parceline is rebranding as DPD, express network which has 500 depots in 38 countries. The new DPD uniforms and liveried vehicles will be seen immediately in the UK.

DPD, which stands for Dynamic Parcel Distribution, delivers more than two million parcels daily. It is part of the French GeoPost Group, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of La Poste Group – the French Post Office.

La Poste has also invested GBP 56 million in a new hub for the business about a mile from the existing site in Birmingham.

DPD has 42 depots in the UK and deals predominantly with business-to-business customers.

The existing Smethwick site will be used to support the expansion of sister company Interlink Express, which is aimed at small businesses.

Chief executive Kay Phillips said: “We will now be more easily recognised as an international operator.

The new hub is sited between junctions 1 and 2 on the M5 motorway, in Oldbury, West Midlands and uses the latest tilt tray technology supported by sophisticated MIS systems. It also has s a 24/7/365 vehicle maintenance unit for the fleet of double-decker trailers, along with executive offices and staff facilities.

Read More

La Poste's plans to enter Indian market blocked

Posted by | Feb 8, 2008 | |

La Poste’s plans to enter the Indian market have run into a roadblock due to opposition from the postal department. GeoPost Group, the express parcel arm of La Poste, plans to tap the Indian market through a joint venture with Continental Air Express.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has put the joint venture proposal on hold due to objections from the department of posts. The postal department’s opposition adds yet another twist to the moves to restrict foreign ownership in this segment.

Apart from France, GeoPost has business interests in the express parcel and logistics segment in various countries including the UK, Germany, Russia, Spain, Poland, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.

In Asia, the La Poste arm has business interests in China and South Korea. GeoPost’s was to take 60 pct stake in the proposed subsidiary while Continental Air Express was to hold the rest.

During recent deliberations at the FIPB, the department of post argued that La Poste is also a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and is required to fulfill universal services obligations (USO) like India Post. Therefore, La Poste cannot poach on the creamy territory of the other, FIPB was informed.

The department has also pointed out that La Poste was a state-owned entity and investment by no such entity has been permitted in India so far. India Post, also a member of UPU, handles low-priced items like post cards and inland letters to fulfill its social obligations. GeoPost, on the other hand, plans to enter courier services like express parcel delivery which command a premium.

The postal department’s argument is that La Poste should also be ready to fulfill social obligations like the USO carried out by India Post. In any case, the department has been threatening to make small letters the monopoly of India Post and impose restrictions on foreign ownership in this sector.

Read More

GLS to offers real-time tracking in Germany and Austria

Posted by | Feb 5, 2008 | |

GLS is now enabling its customers to track their parcels in real-time in Germany and Austria. The service is planned to be rolled out at other European subsidiaries in the next phase.

The parcels company said it has equipped its delivery staff with bluebooth-enabled mobile phones for data exchange with their hand-held scanners. On delivery GLS collects the digital signature and scans the individual parcel ID.

The delivery confirmation is then transmitted from the mobile phone directly into the GLS central tracking and tracing IT system. Customers can thus check their shipment status about 15 minutes after delivery. Up to now, the data was first transferred when the delivery van returned to the depot, meaning customers had to wait several hours for tracking availability.

Recipients not at home at the time of delivery can also check where their shipment has been held: at a neighbour’s, at a GLS parcel shop or back at the depot.

GLS said that the next step will be to extend real-time tracking to further European subsidiaries.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!



View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest