Networks: The Key to European Logistics
Networks: The Key to European Logistics
Read MoreTag: Royal Mail
EuroDirect to join Royal Mail data partners (UK)
Royal Mail is strengthening its investment in data services by adding EuroDirect to its panel of data partners.
The move is designed to better service Royal Mail’s customers with dedicated data solutions, and assist them in using data tools to improve the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns.
Royal Mail’s clients will now benefit from EuroDirect’s Data Exchange prospect pool consisting of 40 million records, its suite of Cameo Consumer Classifications, credit-scoring service CallQualify, and consumer insight and marketing intelligence system Microvision.
EuroDirect joins Dataforce on the panel, which was set up in January.
Read MoreGLS Germany upgrades vehicles for more safety
GLS is equipping all its new lorries with special reflection markings for safety reasons in order to increase the visibility of vehicles in road traffic during night.
To minimize this risk, the company is pasting up the backside or long side of trailers and trunks with retro-reflecting stripes on purchase or varnish renewals. Up to now, the EU directive 2007/35/EG does only apply to newly produced vehicles in Germany. With effect from 2011, all vehicles over 7,5 tons will have to be equipped with reflecting markings. In some states of the EU like Italy and Poland, this is already obligatory for all heavy vehicles.
“As we purchased new transport vehicles in Germany last year, we equipped them with reflecting material straight away”, said Klaus Conrad, managing director of GLS Germany. “High quality of transport services should not negatively impact the road safety. With the retro-reflecting markings we increase the visibility and thus minimise the risk”, he added.
Read MoreRoyal Mail goes hands-on (UK)
Royal Mail is finalising contracts with a range of suppliers for the provision of handheld devices to track letter and parcel information.
By the end of this summer, more than 25,000 staff handling items tracked by special and recorded delivery will use the devices, which are intended to speed up and modernise postal processes.
The devices will enable Royal Mail van drivers to capture signatures at the point of delivery. The data will then be transmitted over a wireless network, allowing customers to check via the web whether or not items have arrived at their destination.
Royal Mail is in the final stages of making contractual adjustments with the pool of partners chosen to carry out the project.
While contracts await final sign-off, suppliers are understood to include hardware specialist Intermec and systems integrator CSC.
Training will be done in-house and will begin in the weeks prior to the implementation.
Some 70,000 staff who deliver items by foot or bicycle will continue using a paper-based system to record signatures and delivery times, but the devices will roll out to all postal delivery workers in the future.
Trials for the handheld computers began late last year.
The project is the first stage of Royal Mail’s GBP 1.2bn IT-based infrastructure upgrade and will underpin a series of customer-focused initiatives.
Read MoreOne letter in four comes via Royal Mail rival (UK)
Rivals to Royal Mail now handle one in every four letters and are poised to increase volumes further, The Times has learnt.
It is understood that Royal Mail now carries out the full process of collection, sorting and deliver of three out of every four letters posted, as against four out of five last year. This follows an exodus of blue-chip bulk mailing customers to rival operators such as TNT and Business Post.
More customers may have been pushed to quit Royal Mail after last year’s industrial action despite competitors still having to use Royal Mail’s infrastructure and postal staff for the “final mile” delivery.
Royal Mail’s business could shrink further if rivals continue to grow. TNT, one of its two main competitors, expects to handle 2.4billion items of mail this year. Business Post, which does not make specific forecasts, said it expected to exceed that amount. Last year TNT handled 1.8billion items out of a total annual postbag of 20billion and Business Post
TNT’s prediction of a 33 per cent increase in mail volumes comes as the company is building up local business as well as targeting large national customers such as utilities and banks. Nick Wells, Managing Director of TNT’s UK mail business, said the business was putting resources into five regional centres.
Royal Mail is paid by rivals for the “last mile” delivery. It claims it is paid too little although its competitors say that its prices are too high.
The loss of business to rivals comes as a review commissioned by the Government looks into the future of the state-owned group. There are growing worries from Royal Mail, Postcomm, the industry regulator, and the main postal union, that Royal Mail is facing dire financial problems.
The Hooper review into Royal Mail is scheduled to set out recommendations to the Government. The regulator has said that Royal Mail needs an injection of private equity. But even if stakeholders backed such a move, it is not clear what interest there would be from private equity because of Royal Mail’s huge pension deficit. It currently stands at GBP 3.4billion but could double after an actuarial review.
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