Tag: North America

Communication is key in new postal environment

Posted by | Mar 27, 2007 | |

Dialog between mailers and the U.S. Postal Service is key if the mailing industry is going to successfully navigate new roads that have barely been mapped.

This was a key message from Postmaster General John E. Potter in his keynote address at the National Postal Forum yesterday. Mr. Potter was referring to the new postal law that took effect on Dec. 20 that changes the role of the agency and the Postal Regulatory Commission. Under the law, the PRC must write a new set of rules on how to establish mail rates; ensure compliance with the new rules; act on complaints about postal rates and poor mail delivery; review whether mail delivery is meeting the needs of the nation; and, if necessary, use subpoena power to get information from the Postal Service.

Mr. Potter also discussed how mailers and the USPS have to work together to mitigate some of the larger rate increases that they face. Rate increases go into effect May 14 for most mailers.

Mr. Potter also addressed the do-not mail legislation that has popped up in more than a dozen states.

“The postal service, obviously opposes these legislative efforts,” he said. “[Despite the withdrawal of bills in four states,] you can never be sure how the legislative process is going to play out. So, we need to focus on the issues spurring these legislative initiatives. Mail that reaches a home where it’s not welcome is not a good use of anybody’s time or resources. And it can turn the recipient off mail.”

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Alternate fuel vehicles for USPS

Posted by | Mar 27, 2007 | |

The U.S. Postal Service has acquired the nation’s largest fleet of alternate-fuel vehicles — some 38,000 cars, trucks and minivans — powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, liquid propane gas, ethanol (E85), biodiesel fuel, and hydrogen fuel cells.

To help promote the development of alternate-fuel technologies as well as to encourage the availability of alternate fuels, the Postal Service participated in a White House event today, demonstrating the technology behind a hydrogen fuel-cell minivan and an electric two-ton truck — both zero-emissions mail-delivery vehicles.

“With 289,000 vehicles driving 1.2 billion miles each year, the Postal Service is in a unique position to help generate demand for alternate fuels as well as to help reshape the nation’s refueling infrastructure,” said Postmaster General and CEO John E. Potter.

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UPS begins interception service

Posted by | Mar 26, 2007 | |

United Parcel Service Inc. has begun a new service allowing customers to reroute packages in the process of being delivered to a new destination for a USD10 fee.

The Atlanta-based package shipper calls that new service UPS Delivery Intercept and said it is the industry’s only Web-enabled package interception service. With UPS Delivery Intercept, a shipper uses a UPS package application such as UPS WorldShip, UPS CampusShip or UPS Internet Shipping, clicks on the 1Z tracking number and requests a reroute. Interception requests also can be made through a shipper’s myups.com account as well as via UPS Signature Tracking.

Shippers can access the service 24 hours a day and seven days a week to ask UPS to intercept packages being shipped from and to anywhere in the United States and Puerto Rico.

“A great interception can be the difference between winning and losing, especially in the world of business and complex supply chains,” said Kurt Kuehn, UPS senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.

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Mexico DHL opens operations centre in Merida

Posted by | Mar 26, 2007 | |

Global carrier and package delivery company DHL, part of German postal services operator Deutsche Post, announced on March 26, 2007, the opening of a new operations centre in the city of Merida, southeastern Mexico.

The centre will allow DHL to strengthen its market presence in Mexico and to also expand its operations to the USA. The new facility will allow DHL to transport over 38,000 parcels more per year, nearly doubling the company’s current capacity. The cost of the centre was not disclosed.

The expansion in Merida is part of DHL’s programme for Mexico and was encouraged by the growing importance of the city for the country’s economy. Tourists who visited Merida and its surroundings in 2006 marked a considerable increase, which drove up investment projects in the area.

DHL already has operations centres in Mexico City and in the cities of Monterrey and Guadalajara.

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MailExpress introduces industry's first money back delivery guarantee for expedited mail

Posted by | Mar 26, 2007 | |

MailExpress has announced a 4X money back guarantee, the first delivery guarantee in the expedited mail industry. The Atlanta-based provider of expedited mail services guarantees customer delivery within five days or MailExpress reimburses the mailer up
to four times (4X) the cost of shipment to cover refulfillment costs.

The first-of-its kind warranty was announced at the National Postal Forum, the nation’s largest meeting and tradeshow for United States Postal Service business customers and mail professionals. The guarantee covers flat mail at a rate of four times the postage and parcels at two times the cost of postage.

The five-day pledge promises that mail will be delivered to the addressee within five business days of processing at the MailExpress origination facility. The guarantee is made possible through MailExpress’ nationwide network, technology, business processes and utilization of the finest delivery network in the world, that of the USPS.

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