Tag: UAE

Qatar post pilots Motorola's RFID solution to measure the quality of postal services

Posted by | Oct 6, 2008 | |

RFID technology was evaluated by Qatar Post as part of a wider initiative to measure the quality of postal services throughout the Middle East. Motorola radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and other technology suppliers, were part of the trial in a joint project with Emirates Post and Saudi Post.

Qatar Post, which is member of UPU Quality of Service Project Group Steering Committee, recently concluded a successful trial in the Arab region (22 Countries) during which it deployed and tested both passive and semi-active RFID systems. The project was initiated to evaluate various RFID technologies as a way to measure the postal quality across the three countries. This unique trial could pave the way for the use of cost-effective RFID technologies to track mail around the world.

Motorola XR480 fixed RFID readers were installed along with other antennas in mail processing centers across Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to track anonymous test envelopes containing RFID tags. This created a simulated environment of how mail moves through the postal system and help authorities better understand the time and route that mail takes on its journey from collection to delivery.

This trial will allow and help Qatar Post to make both short-term and long-term decisions about its future business. On a day-to-day basis, Qatar Post will be able to identify delays in the delivery process and make adjustments accordingly. On a long-term basis, it can evaluate the average route of a letter and assess whether it is following the most efficient course, altering routing accordingly. It also allows Qatar Post to see where any potential errors in its delivery processes might occur, so that these can be corrected before they impact customers or incur extra charges.

This unique trial also could ultimately lead to the adoption of RFID by postal companies around the world, providing them with a measurement matrix for international deliveries as post moves from one national carrier to another. This trial will not only be important for the Arab region but will help the remaining countries` members to prove the success of RFID as a method to monitor post, reduce costs and provide better services for customers.

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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.

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FedEx Office expands presence in the Middle East

Posted by | Sep 23, 2008 | |

FedEx Office, an operating company of FedEx Corp. and Al-Kharafi Group announced the official opening of the first FedEx Kinko’s location in Beirut. The new center is located in the Sassine Square-Achrafieh business district and will help meet the growing demands of local small and medium businesses (SMBs) and mobile or traveling professionals.

As the only industry brand that offers 24/7 business solutions, the new FedEx Kinko’s location provides a one-stop shop for document solutions and business services, including copying, digital printing, professional finishing, large format printing, signs and graphics creation, Internet access, and computer rentals. In addition, the center offers access to FedEx Express international shipping services and is open 24 hours, seven days a week.

The first FedEx Kinko’s Middle East location opened in 1998 in Dubai. Earlier this year, FedEx Office and Al-Kharafi Group opened a center in Dubai in January and another in Kuwait City in June. With the addition of the Beirut center, there are now nine FedEx Kinko’s locations in the region, including four centers in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and four in Kuwait.

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Empost Cargo and Logistics expects 20 pct growth this year

Posted by | Sep 1, 2008 | |

On February 2007 Empost – UAE’s national courier company – diversified to create a subsidiary division for cargo and logistics in order to offer integrated transport and logistics services covering more than 200 destinations.

The new entity, Empost Cargo and Logistics, has specialised infrastructure and operates out of dedicated locations, with its hub at one of the most important locations for the logistics sector – the Dubai Airport Free Zone (Dafza) Dubai Airport Free Zone (Dafza).

Sultan Al Midfa, CEO of Empost, spoke to Emirates Business about the performance of the company’s logistics division.

How has the performance of Empost Cargo and Logistics been since its establishment last year? Have you managed to meet your expectations?
Yes, we have met all expectations – our own and those of the market. Initially, we were known as a courier company. Since we established the cargo division, we have emerged as the leading express courier, cargo and logistics company in the UAE and the region. We have become a ‘one-stop shop’ in the local market.

What services did you start with, and which ones have you added so far?
To cater to the booming logistics and supply chain industry in the Middle East, Empost launched its cargo and logistics services in 2007. We started with freight forwarding (air and sea), land transportation, warehousing and packing services. Then we added wooden packing services to our list, providing value-added services to our clients.

We plan to open new offices at the Logistics City, and in Jebel Ali and Sharjah, as well as other countries.

Our total investment last year was 24 per cent of our capital and for this year, investment expectation is 12 per cent of our capital.

According to your 2007 financial report, Empost Cargo and Logistics achieved a 31-per cent growth over 2006. What are the reasons for this? Did you expect it?
We have achieved more than we expected. The cargo and logistics sector in the UAE is booming, because of various development projects that have attracted numerous local as well as foreign investors.

What kind of business model are you following? Is it any different from that of the other 3PL companies in the region?
We have our own growth strategy, which is constantly reviewed and enhanced to help us tap further opportunities. We have a simple, straightforward strategy to help us maintain our position as the market leader and offer quality service at a reasonable price.
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How big is your footprint in the region and globally? How do you see this increasing in the next two years?
Empost has been in the market for more than 10 years, and we have excellent alliances with well-known regional and global companies that are known for quality service.

Over the next two years there will be a lot of new projects implemented to help us serve various communities, especially, the UAE, India, Philippines and Indonesia.
Empost has tied up with major government institutions, banks and corporations. Currently we are working on plans of extending our services into new destinations and assessing new products and services that are targeted at niche markets.

How do you leverage the services and facilities of your parent company, Emirates Post , to effectively run the business?

Emirate Post has a well-established network of its own, and because we come under the same group, we are able to tap into some of the resources of Emirates Post to help us deliver high quality service to our customers. As a one-stop shop, we offer our customers a variety of services, which include cargo, courier or any other service.

How much growth is Empost Cargo and Logistics expecting this year and in the coming year, in terms of revenue and operation size?

We are expecting about 20 per cent growth this year. However, the division will continue to greatly contribute in the overall performance of Empost. Currently, the cargo and logistics division contributes about 30 per cen

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Emirates Post delays IPO Discuss

Posted by | Aug 28, 2008 | |

Citing “current market conditions”, Emirates Post has postponed an initial public offering (IPO) that it had planned for this year, a top executive said yesterday (27th August 2008). “We were planning to launch an IPO this year, but we have now delayed our plans looking at the current market conditions,” Emirates Post Holding Group President Abdullah Al Daboos told Emirates Business in a telephone interview.

“We will see how the market performs in the next two quarters and then decide on the timing. It will most likely happen next year.” Emirates Post Holding Group, the holding company of Emirates Post, will appoint a consultant to rework overall group strategy, Al Daboos said. Consulting firms on the shortlist are McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group and Booz & Company.

“We will appoint one of them in the next two weeks; they will then work on revising our internal strategy and on whether to go public or not,” said Al Daboos.

The group is also planning to apply for a banking licence, Al Daboos had told this newspaper earlier this year. Abu Dhabi-based Al Qudra Holding on Tuesday said it had shelved plans to offer its shares to the public.

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