Tag: Switzerland

Swiss Post once again reports exceptionally fast delivery times

Posted by | Apr 21, 2008 | |

Swiss Post is one of the fastest postal organizations in Europe. This is the result of independent measurements carried out on international delivery times. Last year, Priority-class letters coming into Switzerland from Europe reached their destination in an average of just two days. Once again, that’s faster than the European average.
In 2007, Swiss Post managed to retain its high standard in the mailing of its international letters. In tests conducted by the International Post Corporation (IPC), the company once again achieved a relatively high ranking, thus living up to its reputation as one of the fastest and most reliable postal operators in Europe. Priority letters mailed from Europe to Switzerland in 2007 took two days on average to reach their destination – the same as the previous year. In general, priority mail from Switzerland to other European destinations also reached the intended recipient within an average of just 2.1 days of posting. Swiss Post International (SPI), the international arm of Swiss Post, once again beat the typical delivery time of 2.2 days for all the countries surveyed.
29 European nations participate in the IPC’s international measurement system, known as the UNEX study. The IPC determines international delivery times by introducing around 400,000 test letters to international mail flows. The involvement of external, independent measurement contractors guarantees the validity of the results.

Read More

UPU becomes an observer to the GAC

Posted by | Apr 10, 2008 | |

The UPU will sit on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) as an observer.

The role of GAC within the ICANN community is to provide advice on the activities of ICANN as they relate to concerns of governments, multinational governmental organizations and treaty organizations. The GAC’s area of competence includes matters where there may be an interaction between ICANN’s policies and various laws or international agreements, as well as public policy objectives. By becoming an observer of the GAC, the UPU joins national governments, the European Commission and international organizations including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the African Union in discussions on policy issues related to the Internet.

The UPU’s participation in the GAC’s activities is also in line with the mandate given to the postal sector by the governments and other stakeholders at the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which recognized the postal sector as a key industry to bring the benefits of the Information Society to people around the world. Since then, the UPU has facilitated the development of policies aimed at fostering the adoption of new technologies within the postal sector aimed at the inclusion of remote and underserved areas in the growth of e-business.

In this context, the UPU has also been working to establish a sector-wide Internet Top Level Domain called “.POST” that would help Posts develop an industry specific area on the Internet. The UPU and ICANN are currently engaged in negotiations intended to result in the delegation of the .POST domain to the UPU.

Read More

Swiss Post subsidiary MailSource UK Ltd acquires UK-based Graphic Data Ltd

Posted by | Apr 3, 2008 | |

MailSource UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Swiss Post, has acquired Graphic Data Ltd – a company with 200 employees that specializes in digital document management. It has thus significantly expanded its outsourcing potential in the mailroom services segment for large companies. It can now offer complete work flows, including the electronic input, processing and digital archiving of documents, from a single source. These services – usually provided on a centralized basis – are increasingly being offered internationally. MailSource UK Ltd has already worked together with Graphic Data Ltd – a company well established in the British market – since 2006 in the form of a strategic partnership. The acquisition brings the number of employees working for MailSource UK in Britain to over 1,100.

By acquiring Graphic Data Ltd – based in Milton Keynes, near London – MailSource UK Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Post, is expanding the physical part of its document flows with digital processes. Primarily specialised in internal mailroom services, MailSource UK Ltd will now be able to handle the entire outsourced document management process for companies from a single source: from incoming mail and in-house forwarding through digitization (scanning) and integration into the electronic workflow to the electronic archiving of documents. This will greatly increase the competitiveness of the document solutions provided by MailSource UK, because large customers are increasingly willing to choose solutions that integrate the processing of both physical and digital mail. They also require services to extend beyond national borders to include several locations.

Read More

Sixteen Postal Operators Sign REIMS III Terminal Dues Agreement

Posted by | Apr 1, 2008 | |

After two years of negotiations European postal operators have reached a new agreement on terminal dues payments replacing the REIMS II Agreement in force since 1997.

The REIMS III Agreement took effect on 1 January 2008 with sixteen European postal operators committing to it. REIMS stands for Remuneration for the Exchange of International Mails. The sixteen posts that are now part of REIMS III are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Additional posts are expected to sign the agreement, which will remain open for signature for all present and former parties of the REIMS II Agreement and the REIMS East Agreement that participated in its negotiation.

REIMS III continues with quality of service standards much more ambitious than the targets under the EU Postal Directive. The individualized penalties in REIMS III for not reaching the J+1 standard and a target of 93 percent will continue to produce quality of service benefits. Transitional rules have been outlined that will continue to raise targets for those parties that have not yet reached 93% J+1.

A second benefit in the REIMS III agreement is that ensures that terminal dues as stipulated in the EU Postal Directive are cost-based, and are based on regulated domestic tariffs in the delivering country.

The parties to REIMS III have the firm commitment to continue to offer Third Party Access in line with the EU Commission’s 2003 Exemption Decision.

With the REIMS East transitional arrangement and the REIMS and REIMS East IDM Agreements incorporated into the REIMS III Agreement, it is expected that more REIMS East parties will sign the REIMS III Agreement during 2008.

Read More

Swiss Post simplifies its brand structure

Posted by | Mar 26, 2008 | |

Swiss Post will reinforce its core brand appearance in future. The PostMail and PostLogistics flagship brands and most brands of the Swiss and international subsidiaries are to be grouped under the core brand. The PostFinance and PostBus flagship brands – which have been in place for a number of years – will continue to exist alongside the core brand.

Swiss Post is beefing up its brand and gearing its brand structure more closely to customers’ needs. In future it wants to offer services increasingly from a single source under the Swiss Post core brand and make it easier for customers to obtain information about the various services available from the Group. The brands of most subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and the PostMail and PostLogistics flagship brands will be transferred to the core brand, which will benefit from their dynamic, innovative image. The national flagship brands PostFinance and PostBus and a few subsidiaries will continue to exist, for strategic and in some cases legal reasons. Swiss Post is thus bundling its forces, improving the effectiveness of communication and reducing the need for coordination. This will improve its chances of being perceived in a fiercely competitive market – on the international level too – and will also help to cut costs.

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