IPC Annual Review 2007
IPC Annual Review 2007
Read MoreTag: Mail Services
Itella Logistics will build a logistics centre in the Jüri Technology Park near Tallinn
The logistics centre of 16,000 square metres will be built as Itella wants to expand its operations on the Estonian postal market. The centre received its corner stone today and according to plans, it will be completed in February 2009, writes Postimees Online/LETA.
Managing director of Itella Logistics Risto Merisalu stated that the parent company Itella Corporation will invest into the new centre as it wants to expand its operations in Estonia.
Currently it mostly deals with transportation, storing, compiling convenience goods, textile products, electronics and cosmetics and all additional services included.
Read MoreJapan Post to use only electric cars by '15
Japan Post Service Co., which belongs to Japan Post Holdings Co., announced Monday that it is planning to gradually introduce electric cars to replace and eventually phase out its current fleet of automobiles over the next eight years to help reduce levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
The company owns about 22,000 lightfreight cars that are used to deliver mail and about 1,000 passenger cars that are used for business purposes. It has already adopted some hybrid cars as part of its fleet.
The company’s gasoline costs total about 10 billion yen a year. By incorporating more hybrid cars as part of its fleet the company expects to reduce gasoline costs.
Japan Post said the change to electric cars will be a good fit for short-distance deliveries and business use, due to battery technology advancements. Currently, the company has called for several automakers to become involved in the development of battery operated cars and also approached them to develop battery operated bikes.
It will be necessary for the company to provide recharging points for the vehicles at 1,092 post offices across the country.
Read MoreBetter standards and harmonized laws will promote e-commerce
In a meeting held on 22 May, government experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations and international organizations joined members of the Action Line on e-business, established following the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005, to find solutions to help e-commerce prosper in developing countries.
The UPU, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Labour Organization lead the Action Line on e-business.
High-level executives from UNCTAD and ITC, as well as the UPU Deputy Director General, Guozhong HUANG, highlighted the opportunities offered by the rapid progress in the use of new technologies around the world. The UPU led the session about challenges, opportunities and concrete solutions for SMEs wanting to start e-commerce activities. A presentation of the Alibaba.com e-marketplace, for business to business (B2B) e-commerce, showed how this platform has helped several small businesses expand their online activities. China Post also described its e-commerce activities and strategic partnership with Alibaba.com in the areas of logistics and online payments. They also highlighted the new opportunities provided by “m-commerce” (or commerce through a mobile phone) as a starting point for e-commerce activities, particularly because mobile technologies facilitate access to information and its distribution.
Read MoreJapan Post looking to switch fleet to electric cars
Japan’s postal services system is looking to switch its entire fleet of about 21,000 short-distance delivery vehicles to zero-emission electric cars starting this business year, it said on Monday.
Depending on how fast the cars and necessary infrastructure such as recharging stations could be ready, the company may use some gasoline-electric hybrid cars in the interim, he said.
Among Japanese automakers, Mitsubishi Motors Corp, Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd and Nissan Motor Co are aggressively developing electric cars, which emit little to no harmful emissions but require large loads of batteries to drive relatively short distances. The time required to recharge the batteries is also a hurdle with current technology.
All three automakers have said they aim to commercialise electric cars by 2010.
Shares of vehicle-use battery makers surged after the Nikkei business daily reported Japan Post’s plan on Monday. Furukawa Battery Co surged 16 percent, GS Yuasa Corp., which has a battery joint venture with Mitsubishi Motors, jumped 7 percent, and Sanyo Electric Co put on 5.6 percent.
Hitachi Maxell Ltd gained 6.5 percent. A spokesman there confirmed a Nikkei evening edition report that it is aiming to commercialise a longer-lasting, cheaper lithium-ion battery in the next three to four years that substitutes expensive cobalt with manganese.
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