Tag: La Poste

High speed French mail train gathers pace

Posted by | Feb 4, 2008 | |

Mail and other goods could soon find their way on to the high speed rail network in France.

Fret DV is a venture aimed at establishing a high speed rail freight operation in France. The company was formed in 2006 between SNCF and La Poste, the French postal service. Already, trains operate between Paris, Mâcon and Cavaillon and Fret DV is now considering expanding operations to take in Rennes and Bordeaux. Other possible destinations include Toulouse, Strasbourg, and Lille.

The high speed service could benefit rival postal operators as the final phase of mail deregulation draws closer. The UK withdrew its mail train but reinstated part of its rail operations in more recent years. Increased road fuel costs have begun to make high speed trains a viable way to transport mail and goods.

Fret GV could be moving 150,oo tonnes of high vale freight by 2009, ahead of the final phase of postal liberalisation although for now, lorries still provide the cheapest way to transport goods.

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Belgian Post improves profits in 2007

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

Belgian Post has announced a significant improvement in its profits for 2007 thanks to higher revenues, better mail quality and successful modernisation of its operations.
According to provisional figures, the company’s turnover increased by 1.9pct to EUR 2.2 billion, which represents a 3pct organic increase taking the sale of French subsidiary Asterion in September 2007 into account. The structural drop in volumes in 2007 was limited to 0.1pct, while successes included an increased market share in direct mail and international mail. On the other hand, La Poste was forced to terminate its PubliPack pilot scheme for unaddressed mail in the second half of the year due to inadequate margins.
Belgian Post said that although its operating profit (Ebitda) dropped by 17pct from EUR 229 million last year, this was largely due to non-recurring costs. The underlying operating profit rose by 10pct, and the net profit showed a similar trend. The fully audited consolidated results will be submitted to the Board and shareholders for approval in mid-April.
CEO Johnny Thijs stressed that the group had succeeded in implementing a considerable number of change and modernisation projects in 2007. “La Poste is keeping to the schedule set for its preparation for full liberalisation of the postal market in 2011,” he commented. Among the main achievements, Belgian Post improved mail delivery quality to 92.4pct next-day delivery, and continued the post office network restructuring with the closure of 250 full post offices and opening of 267 PostPoint agencies.
In 2008, Belgian Post will focus on several major projects, including the launch of a new parcels and express service, further post office network restructuring and a continued mail reorganisation.

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GLS France to open six model depots

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

GLS France has announced plans to open six “model depots” in Metz, Roissy, Bordeaux, Vitrolles, Lyon and Rennes equipped with the latest sorting technology and which will go into operation in the first half of 2008.

These sites will serve as a model for other GLS subsidiaries in each region. The parcel operator plans to roll out the new technology in all its French subsidiaries and depots.

GLS said it will invest EUR 10 million in the acquisition of new sorting machines and IT tools to optimize the delivery and distribution of its freight and to maintain the quality.

After installing new technology in the distribution hub in Fleury, GLS has developed a new generation of modular conveyors destined for agencies and depots to handle single parcels in the same way like pallets.

One of the innovations is telescopic handles that connect the lorries directly to the sorting chain and thus reduce the times of loading and unloading considerably.

In addition, the video monitoring system and the new scanning technology recently implemented in the depots will ensure traceability of the parcels from pick-up until delivery to the recipient. This new equipment will enhance the transparency and the security of GLS services, the company said.

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Latest ‘Future of Mail’ paper: “Mail Trends Update” by Fouad Nader (Adrenale Corp.) and Michael Lintell (Pitney Bowes)

Posted by | Feb 1, 2008 | |

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of press articles and statements from posts predicting that mail volumes would decline. New technologies and process innovations have been introduced, preoccupying researchers and managers in the postal and mailing industries with the impact of accelerating electronic substitution and changing customer behaviors. What are the actual trends that emerge from examining in detail the best information available from key countries? What historical perspectives, trends and emerging patterns may be useful in understanding how mail volumes may evolve in the future? The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight into the key trends identified and discussed in the previous Mail Trends Analyses by comprehensively examining the evolution of mail and analyzing postal volumes along key variables that influence mail demand. This paper builds on the considerable research that followed the original mail trends analysis and was documented in the Background Papers published at www.postinsight.pb.com for the project: “Electronic Substitution for Mail: Models and Results, Myth and Reality.” The paper also takes advantage of recent work in the study of the “Future of Mail”, also on postinsight.pb.com.

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