Tag: USA

UPS Small Business Contest expands beyond U.S.

Posted by | May 8, 2007 | |

From Bangor, Maine, to Beijing, China, if you came up with an idea that turned into a business that took off, UPS wants to hear from you. You could win USD 25,000.

Last year, several small businesses – including one dedicated to teaching children about money management and another that provides products and ideas to help people with dementia – were rewarded for their creative thinking and original business concepts. This year, UPS is taking its third annual UPS Best “Out-of-the-Box” Small Business Contest global.

The international contest will honor the most innovative small businesses and is designed for companies with annual 2006 revenues of at least USD 250,000 but not more than USD 10 million. Eligible businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Singapore are asked to submit a 500-word essay explaining why they’re original and how they’ve been successful.

Small businesses entering the contest must submit a 500-word essay and complete the online entry process at www.ups.com/outofthebox . Entries may be submitted through Sept. 1, 2007, and must be completed by an employee or owner of an eligible business on behalf of that business, with a limit of one entry per business. For a complete description of the contest rules and regulations, small businesses should visit the Web site.

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Pitney Bowes’ Group 1 Software solutions receive USPS® CASS™ certifications

Posted by | May 7, 2007 | |

Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes Company announced that the latest releases of its CODE-1 Plus® and Finalist® address cleansing software solutions have received U.S. Postal Service® CASS certification for the upcoming Cycle L requirements, scheduled for implementation on August 1, 2007.
These CASS Certified™ solutions are components of Group 1 Software’s Address Quality Hub™ platform, which is designed to help mailers address the impact of the upcoming postal rate increases, as well as CASS Cycle L requirements designed to reduce undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail. Under these requirements, CASS Certified software will be required to perform DPV™ processing, which is expected to reduce the number of ZIP + 4® coded addresses that are eligible for postage discounts.

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The US Postal Service saved by two Turks

Posted by | May 7, 2007 | |

Caglar Gogus and Hamit Hamutcu are two young management consultants. The U.S. Postal Service had been losing USD 2 billion a year up until 2001.When the duo were hired, the consultants developed a new business model for the firm, helping it to earn a profit of USD 800 million a year. Restructuring the postal service, which has the status of an autonomous public organization, the duo even managed to have a ruling passed in the United States Congress so that the organization can be freed of its current structure and assume a new identity. With this restructuring, the firm has been able to gain back market share it had lost to giants such as FedEx and UPS. It now operates on the business model that the two consultants have developed in 40,000 locations through the United States.

Stating that they have founded their project on a multi-legged strategy, Hamutçu says the two most important elements were competitiveness and increasing market share in prominent categories. Stating that they have found the postal service to be under attack on a number of different fronts.

Hamutcu explains that due to this reason they switched to a customer-based approach from a product-based approach. They have put in practice a number of projects, ranging from renovating call centers to establishing new sales teams for different client groups, from training thousands of postmen to conducting field research about client needs and the situation of the competition, says the consultant. He explains that one of their most substantial projects was the innovation they have brought to the pricing strategy.

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UPS franchisees to demonstrate outside annual shareholders meeting In Wilmington

Posted by | May 6, 2007 | |

Franchisees representing United Parcel Service franchise outlets across the United States under the Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) and The UPS Store brands will demonstrate at Thursday’s (May 10) meeting of UPS shareholders in Wilmington, Del.

“All of us in the franchisee organizations believe UPS shareholders should hear our concerns and understand UPS’ total failure to live up to promises and projections made to us – and to UPS shareholders,” said Joe Wightman, who operates a UPS (Mail Boxes Etc.) store in New York City. He is also an official in the Platinum Shield Association (PSA), which has some 131 members, many of whom will be in Wilmington Thursday.

Wightman said an equally disturbing concern is profitability. “Last year at the shareholders meeting, we asked UPS CEO Mike Eskew what percentage of the franchises were profitable for the franchisee, and he professed not to know, despite the fact that UPS’ own Franchise Advisory Council had informed management that 60% of the franchises were not profitable,” he added. “As a UPS shareholder I believe management has issued misleading statements and needs to ‘come clean’ with all UPS shareholders.”

Echoing Wightman’s concerns over UPS’ treatment of its franchisees are members of three other franchisee organizations, the Brown Shield Association, IAMCO and the Brown Board Owner’s Association, whose members will also appear at the UPS shareholder meeting in Wilmington.

Wightman said a measure of UPS’ failure to take steps to improve the company’s relations with its franchisees is the spate of lawsuits brought by his organization and others in recent months. “Just last week a class action was filed in San Francisco over UPS practices in weighing and measuring packages,” he said, “and virtually every franchisee who will be in Wilmington this week is part of a lawsuit or arbitration against UPS.”

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New US postage rates take effect May 14

Posted by | May 4, 2007 | |

New postage rates go into effect on Monday, May 14, including a two-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail stamp to 41 cents. Post Offices nationwide are now selling the new 41-cent stamps and also one and two-cent stamps for customers who still have a supply of 39-cent stamps.Customers can also order stamps online at www.usps.com or by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24. The new stamps are also available at Automated Postal Centers and ATM’s nationwide (beginning May 14). In addition to the new domestic rates, changes will take effect May 14 for customers sending international mail. USPS has simplified its eight main international products into four: Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Mail International. New packaging will allow mailers to use the same Priority Mail and Express Mail packaging for shipping both within the United States and to other countries. For details of the International Mail changes, go to: http://www.usps.com/ratecase and select “New International Rates, Fees and Country Listing.” New rates can be downloaded from http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007/pr07_039.pdf.

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