Tag: Royal Mail

Mandelson fuels Royal Mail speculation

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

A crucial review on the future of Royal Mail is set to be delayed, Lord Mandelson suggested on Tuesday (21st October), as he fuelled speculation that the loss-making postal operator would be privatised.
The Financial Times’ revelation earlier this week that the business secretary supported in principle the partial privatisation of Royal Mail caused a furore among unions and Labour MPs, who see public ownership of the company as a totemic manifesto commitment.
He refused to set any deadline for publishing a government-commissioned review of the postal services sector by Richard Hooper, the former telecoms regulator.
The Hooper review, which will set the context for government decisions on Royal Mail’s future, was expected to report to ministers earlier this month.
The business secretary admitted that the Hooper review’s initial findings earlier this year “paint a rather stark picture of the huge challenges facing Royal Mail”.
But he appeared sceptical in response to calls from Labour MPs to apply tougher pricing controls to Royal Mail’s rivals.
The two principal problems facing the state-owned operator – a reduction in the overall volumes of letters being sent and a huge pensions deficit – “are not down to regulation”, said Lord Mandelson.

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Direct mail industry supports Royal Mail privatisation plans (UK)

Posted by | Oct 22, 2008 | |

The UK direct mail industry has thrown its weight behind Lord Mandelson’s call for the partial privatisation of the Royal Mail, expecting it to be a positive move for the industry.
The call from the business secretary comes weeks before the government’s review of the postal service.

Gurdev Singh, Managing Director of direct mail printer Howitt, said: “Partial privatisation? I think it should be fully privatised. There needs to be drastic changes.”

He added: “At the moment, it seems that Royal Mail is fighting with one arm stuck behind its back and I agree that maintaining the status quo is imply not an option.”

Alex Walsh, Head of Postal Affairs at the DMA, echoed his thoughts saying the association “would like to see an efficient, profitable Royal Mail and it has been questioned before whether this can happen in its current structure”.

The postal regulator Postcomm earlier this year put its weight behind the partial privatisation of Royal Mail. It argued that access to private capital coupled with a stronger set of incentives were necessary to help it restructure and become more profitable.

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Lord Mandelson to face MPs' questions over economy and Royal Mail privatisation

Posted by | Oct 21, 2008 | |

The Business Secretary is expected to be asked about a newspaper interview in which he signalled support for the partial privatisation of Royal Mail, which drew condemnation from Labour colleagues and unions.
John McDonnell MP said: “This proposed privatisation of the Post Office by the newly anointed Business Secretary is madness. It would undermine an essential public service.
“In the current economic climate, throwing the Post Office to the wolves of the private sector will lead to further job losses and cuts in services on an unprecedented scale.”
Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: “Peter Mandelson has only just come back into Government, but he should be aware that there is a clear commitment from the Labour Government to keep Royal Mail in the public sector, restated earlier this year at the national policy forum in Warwick.
“At a time of economic instability the last thing the British public wants to hear is that privatisation is the solution to Royal Mail’s problems.”
Lord Mandelson is also under fire following the decision by his deparment to re-examine the costs and benefits of new regulations that would extend flexible working.
Although business groups welcomed the move unions, opposition politicians and family campaigners attacked the announcement.

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GLS to invest EUR 12.3m in eco-depot (GER)

Posted by | Oct 20, 2008 | |

GLS Germany announced that it will invest EUR 12 .3 million in building its first ecological depot in Vaihingen-Enz, southeast Germany.
The construction of the eco-depot started this month at the 5,000 sqm facility located in Vaihingen-Enz for which GLS signed the purchase contract in July. The company plans to go into operation by April 2009 with a warehouse capacity handling about 55,000 parcels per day. About 342 people will be employed at the new depot.
A large part of the investment will pay off in the long term not only ecologically, but also economically, the company said in a statement. The amount of EUR 1 million is invested in “Think Green” measurements including a heat pump heating system and a photovoltaic installation.
GLS planned to invest an amount of EUR 94 million in infrastructure and services with priority in Germany, Poland, Netherlands and France for 2008/2009.

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GLS system now provides delivery status in real-time

Posted by | Oct 20, 2008 | |

At GLS, seamless parcel tracking has been a matter of course for years. At each interface, i.e. every time a parcel reaches or leaves a depot or vehicle, the individual parcel number is recorded with a scanning device. These status reports are transmitted to the GLS IT system, where they are made available to customers – via the Internet or telephone. Up until now, however, delivery information was transmitted to the system in the evenings when the driver returned to the depot. This has now changed. As of September, parcel tracking at GLS is now possible in real-time.

Delivery data is transferred directly “on tour” from the delivery vehicle. When the parcel is handed over to the recipient, the GLS driver utilises a handheld scanner to record both the parcel number and the consignee’s signature.

GLS thoroughly – and successfully – tested the mobile data transfer service at one of its subsidiaries. Based on these results, it is now implemented comprehensively throughout the entire group.

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