Tag: Saudi Post

Regional postal heads review progress of inter-GCC express mail service 'Gulf Express'

Posted by | Oct 28, 2008 | |

Postal heads from Arab countries meeting in Qatar for the 21st postal high committee meeting gave the green signal for the implementation of Gulf Express, an improved express mail service for GCC countries.
The officials, who included under-secretaries of postal ministries and directors-general of posts, reviewed the business plan submitted by the Riyadh-based newly appointed manager of the project and asked for an operational plan.

The meeting also decided that the Gulf countries will henceforth take part in international stamp exhibitions under the name of the ‘GCC Countries Group’, in an effort to promote Arab solidarity and philatelic excellence.

Among the other topics was a review of the proposed pan-GCC logistics company owned by GCC postal organizations.

Read More

Arab DMA expected to expand US business

Posted by | Oct 3, 2008 | |

The Direct Marketing Asso¬ciation has partnered with Direct Marketing Services YMHLLC (DMS) to create an Arab DMA (ADMA) in Saudi Arabia.
“This opens opportunities in new markets for our US members, said Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, the DMA’s EVP and COO. “This will help [them] develop new consumer and business markets, especially as the whole concept of DM becomes a global enterprise.” Many of the major players in the Arab region, he noted, are American compa¬nies such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Microsoft.
Ten percent of the DMA’s membership comes from more than 40 countries outside the US. “This [initiative] will help our international members become better direct marketers through our know-how, technology and best practices,” Lakshmi-Ratan said. “Saudi Arabia, in particular, has a very high per capita income and a very fast-growing economy, so this is a phenomenal growth opportunity for [its] DM.”
The ADMA will work to develop the direct mail industry in the country. The DMS also cur¬rently has a working relationship with the Saudi Post.

Read More

Postal Union hopes to use new delivery project early next year

Posted by | Sep 24, 2008 | |

Q-Post chairman al-Ali with UPU and other delegates at the meeting of the interim working group in Doha yesterday

Members of the quality steering committee of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) expressed confidence that the radio frequency identification project (RFID), aimed at improving the quality of postal delivery, would be successfully implemented in several countries across the world, most probably by early next year.

Experts, associating with the UPU’s initiative, are currently in Doha as part of the global monitoring system’s (GMS) interim working group’s third meeting in the city. The meeting will conclude tomorrow.

As part of the project, meetings are scheduled to be held also in Washington, Rio De Janerio, Lisbon, Botswana, Helsinki, and Japan. Some of the meetings have already been completed.

He said the core group had come out with some effective solutions which he said could be beneficial to all UPU members, in particular those in the developing world.
Jan Sertons (TNT, The Netherlands), Kai Perasalo (Itella, Finland), Antonio Caeiro, (UPU, Portugal) and Sakae Kamibayashi (Japan Post Service) are among the experts attending the meeting.

Read More

Global monitoring system gets the green light

Posted by | Aug 5, 2008 | |

The UPU will focus its efforts on finalising a new global monitoring system for the quality of service, which is expected to become operational in 2010.
Member countries unanimously adopted a proposal to develop and implement a global monitoring system to evaluate the quality of service for incoming priority letter-post items and the quality of service link to terminal dues (what countries pay each other for processing each other’s incoming international mail). The system will also be used to evaluate how successful postal operators are in improving their quality of service through projects financed by the UPU’s Quality of Service Fund.

Independent external auditors will measure the quality of service by sending priority letter-post test items through the network of participating postal operators. Using RFID technology, the system will measure the time an operator takes to deliver test items from the time these items are handed over. The system will then compare the results with the designated UPU body’s delivery standards for incoming international letter post, which will be compatible with each designated postal operator’s published domestic delivery standards.

A pilot project to evaluate possible RFID technical solutions was conducted with three Gulf-region countries, namely Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, from March to June this year. The UPU has now launched a call for tender to identify the solution that will be used for the global monitoring system.

“The UPU has made great efforts over the years to improve the quality of service, but we must improve across the board,” said Carlos da Silva from Portugal, which fully supported the proposal. “The system will imply a great deal of investment but it is worth it, and I believe everyone should do their bit.”

Read More

Middle Eastern postal market poised for growth

Posted by | Jul 15, 2008 | |

Postal operations in the Middle East have the potential to generate significant value, but they have limited time before regulatory liberalization and the spread of Internet commerce start to erode their competitive position, according to a new white paper Oliver Wyman, a leading international management consultancy.

• Middle Eastern postal companies today are like their European counterparts during the 1990s in facing abundant growth opportunities.

• The sector has begun to liberalize, slowly opening opportunities for new entrants.

• Immigrants in GCC countries are demanding value-added services.

• Low computer and Internet usage in GCC countries gives postal companies an additional advantage.

Middle Eastern postal companies can take advantage of several trends that Oliver Wyman expects to feed expansion and cross-selling opportunities in the region:

• Large existing post office networks and strong, recognized brands, such as UAE Post

• Large local populations and growing immigrant populations, which require basic services usually available at the local post office

• Regulated markets, which allow Middle Eastern postal companies to set barriers to entry much higher for new entrants as deregulation occurs. Bahrain already has a fully liberalized postal market and Egypt has committed to liberalization by 2009.

• Low penetration of PCs and the Internet at present, heavy reliance on cash transactions, and skepticism about online security

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!



View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest