Tag: TNT

Dutch minister sees no post liberalisation until fair competition in Germany and UK

Posted by | Jun 11, 2008 | |

Dutch Economic Affairs State Secretary Frank Heemskerk said Wednesday he won’t take the decision to liberalise the Dutch postal market until fair competition exists in the German and UK markets, and postal workers are given a satisfactory employment contract.

The statement came after Deutsche Post World Net AG. filed a complaint with the European Commission to protest against the renewed delay of the opening of the mail market in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government on Tuesday decided not to end the mail monopoly as planned on July 1 2008 but to extend it indefinitely.

Both the Dutch government and national carrier TNT NV are unhappy about the German government’s introduction of a sector-wide minimum wage of up to 9.80 euros, saying it prevents fair competition within the German market.

TNT says that, unlike its rivals, Deutsche Post enjoys an unfair advantage through a VAT exemption on 40 pct of its operations in Germany.

A Berlin court ruled in March that a German law imposing a minimum wage at all companies in the letter-carrier industry is illegal.

The German government appealed the decision, with a higher court expected to rule in September, a TNT spokesman said.

Heemskerk said he will update parliament on the situation by October 1

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German CEP operators expect moderate growth

Posted by | Jun 11, 2008 | |

Express and parcel delivery companies in Germany expect only moderate growth this year after 5 pct growth in 2007, according to an industry association.

Gunnar Uldall, former Hamburg economics senator and new president of the German International Express and Courier Services Association (BIEK), said that the CEP sector generated volume growth of nearly 5 pct and revenue growth of over 5 pct last year. Further moderate growth is expected for 2008. The association represents DPD, FedEx, Go!, Hermes, TNT and UPS.

The CEP industry was a key services sector with growing importance for the German economy, with its strong export focus, Uldall told a news conference. BIEK members had taken on about 3,000 more employees last year, and there is currently a need for qualified drivers, he noted. BIEK members employ about 65,000 staff directly or as self-employed drivers. There are about 173,500 people working in the German CEP sector as a whole.

Addressing key issues for the association, Uldall criticised Deutsche Post’s VAT exemption for letters up to 2kg and parcels up to 20kg which was a competitive distortion in the formally liberalised German mail market.

Since neither option was likely, however, BIEK proposed a compromise, with deliveries of up to 50 letters, including individual private letters, remaining VAT-exempt, and all other items, including bulk mail, parcels and added-value mail, being VAT-chargeable. This would not lead to a price increase for customers due to intense competition between Deutsche Post and private operators, Uldall said.

BIEK will also hold talks with Deutsche Bahn over opportunities to transport more express and parcel shipments by rail, and continue to promote the use of alternative fuels and motors to reduce CO2 emissions, he added.

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NetDespatch makes express firms into e-traders

Posted by | Jun 11, 2008 | |

The British technology firm NetDespatch has announced Velocity eTrader, a new service for courier and distribution companies, based on its Velocity web shipping and tracking platform.

The new Velocity eTrader website will allow shippers to book any services online, without having an account, and pay for them by credit or debit card. After entering all details, customers receive a quote based on mileage or weight from the Velocity eTrader pricing engine. Online payment is made through PayPal.

To help run an eTrader business, there is also an administration area that provides reports of both successful and failed transactions. With the new website, the company aims at capturing new business from eBay traders, cottage industries and business start-ups.

“eTrader opens up important new business opportunities for our courier and distribution customers, as more and more goods are bought and sold online and the number of local Post Offices dwindles. With payment by credit card, a formal account does not need to be opened, helping to attract a broad range of new customers, some of whom will undoubtedly eventually open a credit account,” said Becky Clark, CEO of NetDespatch.

As part of the NetDespatch Velocity “on demand” applications platform, eTrader adds to the wide range of NetDespatch web services that courier and distribution companies can provide to their customers, depots and suppliers. These include intuitive web booking, systems integration, pre-labelling, address management, mileage and weight based pricing, manifests, event tracking, management reporting, POD management, mobile data and eCommerce solutions. The services are all provided in real-time and fully integrated with other systems such as sales order processing, warehouse management and e-shopping cards.

The main courier partners of NetDespatch are TNT, Amtrak, APC Overnight, Priority Express and Expressair International.

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TNT offers Innight services in the Nordics

Posted by | Jun 10, 2008 | |

TNT is offering Innight distribution in the Nordic region following the launch of dedicated flights between Brussels and several regional airports at the start of June.

The express operator has started up a route between Brussels, Jönköping (southern Sweden) and Helsinki operated with a BAe 146, and two feeder routes operated with Cessnas linking Oslo and Billund (Denmark) to Jönköping.

Tony Jakobsen, Regional General Manager TNT Northern Europe, said TNT was the only international express operator offering such innight distribution services on a scheduled basis.

Stephen Naylor, managing director of TNT Sweden, added that Jönköping was ideally located to act as a hub for innight shipments from Central Europe heading for Nordic destinations. Key customers include the automotive and agricultural sectors.

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Greece to start Hellenic Post sale this year

Posted by | Jun 5, 2008 | |

Greece plans to begin the sale of its state-run postal company Hellenic Post (ELTA) this year, ahead of a deregulation of its postal services market, a government official said on Thursday.

Greece has been selling down stakes in state-controlled companies to strengthen the economy’s competitiveness and to help pay down public debt, which at about 95 percent of GDP, is one of the highest in the euro zone. The conservative government was examining two different ways of privatising ELTA but no decision had been made yet, Communications Ministry general secretary George Anastasopoulos told Reuters in an interview.

“Our aim is to begin procedures to find a partner for ELTA in 2008, or list company shares on the Athens bourse and then find a strategic investor,” he said.

Greece is targeting 1.6 billion euros in revenues from the sale of ports, airports and public companies this year, but has only raised about 450 million euros so far.

Analysts estimate that the government could garner a further 150 million euros if it sells up to 20 percent of ELTA.

“All over Europe we are seeing moves to attract investors and strategic partners in the (postal) sector, and we want to see what interest exists in ELTA. It’s our final chance to get ready before the market frees up,” said Anastasopoulos.

A strategic partner for ELTA’s courier subsidiary should be announced early next year, he added. Two companies out of an initial dozen that expressed interest will be asked to present binding bids.

He did not name the suitors but Greek media reported DHL, UPS, Speedex, TNT and Imperio-Star were in the race.

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