Tag: UK

Amtrak taps 10 million online bookings through NetDespatch

Posted by | Feb 27, 2008 | |

Amtrak and NetDespatch are celebrating after reaching a landmark 10 million online bookings. Amtrak customer taps4less.com reached the milestone while booking its daily shipment of bathroom supplies, to be delivered by Amtrak on a next day service nationwide.

Amtrak’s business has been revolutionised by its Online Collections, Despatch and International services supplied by ‘Software as a Service’ specialist NetDespatch. Like many other Amtrak customers, taps4less.com benefits from a fully electronic system for booking, pre-labelling and tracking. T aps4less.com ship s tens of thousands of parcels a year, and the NetDespatch Velocity service has proved vital to optimising its business by eliminat ing the keying in of shipments , cutting out virtually all paperwork and transcription errors .

One of the biggest benefits brought to Amtrak by NetDespatch is the ease with which their customer s can link their order processing and warehouse systems to the NetDespatch servers via the Internet. When taps4less.com found it could integrate so easily, the company immediately connected its own sales ordering system, so that o rder details only need to be entered once; usually by the customer online.

Reaching 10 million online booking is a real landmark. Our customers are always very enthusiastic about Online Despatch and also Connector, our easy web integration tool. We can thank NetDespatch for all their innovation and hard work delivering what is a clear market leader in online technology,” comments Gerry Ruffell, Commercial Director of Amtrak.

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China’s currency sprints into the fast lane in UK Post Office bureaux de change to meet rocketing demand

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

Rocketing demand for the Chinese yuan suggests that China may be making the leap from a niche to a mainstream holiday destination, according to Post Office Travel Services.

In response, the UK’s largest provider of foreign currency is gearing up for the Olympic Games by making the yuan available on demand at its major bureaux de change branches.

Over the past three years Post Office bureaux de change across the UK have tracked a growth in sales for Chinese yuan of more than 337 per cent. This trend tallies with the experience of tour operators, who report a quadrupling of China bookings in the same period.

With the Beijing Olympic Games now less than six months away and interest in holidays to China reaching a peak, the Post Office expects demand to mushroom during 2008. It has responded by adding Chinese yuan to its top tier of currencies, available on demand in 1,400 Post Office® bureaux de change branches nationwide.

China also looks to be one of 2008’s better value destinations for UK holidaymakers. According to the Post Office, sterling’s drop in value of less than eight per cent against the Chinese yuan compares favourably with falls of over 13 per cent against the euro and other major currencies.

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Opinions over GBP 4.5m Royal Mail bonuses

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

Royal Mail bosses received more than GBP 4.5 million in bonuses last year – enough to prevent the closure of dozens of post offices.

Royal Mail accounts released yesterday show that Adam Crozier, the chief executive, was paid GBP 1.3 million in salaries and bonuses in the financial year 2006/07.

Overall, the company’s board received GBP 3.1million in “long-term incentive plans” on top of their GBP 4.1 million remuneration, of which GBP 2.5 million was salaries and the rest other bonuses.

The payouts prompted unions to ask why senior executives were getting such large bonuses while post offices were being closed and sub-postmasters were losing their jobs.

Earlier this week, Royal Mail announced a six-week consultation on plans to close 169 post offices in London by the summer. The move comes after a string of closures in rural areas.

Critics pointed out that the bonus figure was equivalent to a GBP 26,000 subsidy for each London branch facing closure.

Campaigners have said that depriving villages of rural post offices will cut a vital lifeline, particularly for elderly people.

But the Government says many offices are not profitable enough to justify a large subsidy from the taxpayer.

A spokesman for the Post Office said: “This is not simply about saving running costs – the problem facing Post Office branches is that there are too many chasing too few customers and too little income.”

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Local logistics firm drives business forward

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

Southwick-based distribution company Axtra Express Haulage, a member of Palletways, the number one pallet network in Europe, has expanded their vehicle fleet to meet increased customer demand.

Axtra Express Haulage joined the Palletways network, which offers express distribution of small consignments of palletised freight across the UK and to mainland Europe, in August 2007 and has now invested £198,000 in six new vehicles to meet the growth in business. The company now has a 22-strong fleet and the expansion means that Axtra has doubled the amount of pallets they can handle as a member of the Palletways network.

Axtra Express Haulage is one of more than 100 local members that make up the Palletways UK network, which provides a range of express distribution services, including next day, economy and timed delivery options.

Mel Weller, Managing Director of Axtra Express Haulage said, “We have seen a huge growth in business since joining the Palletways network and we are excited about the coming year’s business opportunities. Being part of Palletways, the largest network of its kind, means we can offer our customers cost-effective overnight and express freight services to anywhere in the UK, as well as being able to offer services to mainland Europe.”

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TNT boosts green rating

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

TNT has enhanced its ‘green’ credentials by gaining the ISO 14001 accreditation, an official acknowledgement that TNT is making significant strides towards reducing its carbon footprint and CO2 emissions.

Twelve TNT locations up and down the UK, were put through a tough critical examination by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LQRA), with assessors conducting checks on the company’s environmental management activities. These included waste reduction and recycling, fuel efficiency, environmental training, pollution control and energy reduction.

Tom Bell, TNT express services managing director, said: “We are the only express and logistics operator to achieve this certification on a company-wide basis, and the first to hold both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (Health & Safety) standards at the same time.

“The transport industry generates 20 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and as express industry leaders, TNT contributes to that output. We want to pave the way in reducing our carbon footprint and lead by example. This is a tremendous achievement but it’s not just about winning awards – it’s about doing the right thing.”

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