Tag: Worldwide

Japanese parliament approves postal reform bills

Posted by | Oct 14, 2005 | |

Japan’s parliament approved the privatisation of the country’s postal service Friday, setting in motion the creation of the world’s largest private bank and delivering a crucial victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s reform program.

The package was passed 134 to 100 by the upper house. The vote paved the way for the enactment of the closely watched legislation, since the package was passed overwhelmingly by the powerful lower house on Tuesday.

The bills would split up and sell off Japan Post’s delivery, savings deposit and insurance services by 2017. The system controls some 330 trillion yen (USD2.9 trillion; euro2.42 billion) in savings and insurance deposits.

Koizumi has argued the change, which is the centerpiece of his reform platform, is needed to put the system’s massive deposits at the disposal of private investors. Those deposits had long been used by the ruling party as a fund for wasteful but politically useful public works projects.

Read More

Dempsey threatens to remove Irish An Post’s monopoly

Posted by | Oct 14, 2005 | |

The Government is threatening to remove the final part of An Post’s letter post monopoly if the Communications Workers’ Union (CWU) goes ahead with industrial action at the troubled State company.

With a ballot already underway for strike action that is likely to disrupt the mail in the busy pre-Christmas period, Government sources said that the Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey was minded to remove the monopoly immediately instead of waiting until an EU directive takes force in 2009.

Such an action would cause severe commercial difficulties for An Post in the long run, as it would free the hand of rival private sector companies to introduce their own mail services in big urban areas.

Despite the difficulties that such action would prompt for An Post, Government sources said the Minister believes that no alternative course is open to him as any intervention in the company’s industrial relations process would be in breach of social partnership.

Read More

UPS set to report higher results, despite fuel costs

Posted by | Oct 14, 2005 | |

Fighting high fuel costs in the air and on the ground, UPS Inc. is still expected to report higher earnings next week when the shipper turns in its third-quarter results.

Analysts expect UPS to earn 86 cents a share, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson First Call. Revenue is forecast at USD10.369 billion. Last year, the company earned 70 cents a share, according to First Call.

Against the backdrop of high fuel prices, competition is not relenting on any front. When rival FedEx Corp. reported its first-quarter results in late September, the company raised its outlook for the fiscal year even though fuel remains volatile.

Read More

UK Postal regulator warns off government price control proposals

Posted by | Oct 14, 2005 | |

The postal services regulator has warned the government not to interfere in its fight with Royal Mail over future price controls, in spite of the fact the controls will be crucial in determining the financial health of the state-owned company.

Sarah Chambers, chief executive of Postcomm, said Sir George Bain – who is reviewing Royal Mail’s future for the government – had been told any arbitration between the regulator and the company had by law to be carried out by the Competition Commission.

“The discussions we’ve had with Sir George have made it clearer what he’s not going to be doing – he’s not trying to determine our price control or somehow act as an arbitrator,” Ms Chambers told the Financial Times. Asked if Sir George was acting as a go-between, she said: “I think at the beginning that might have been the way they saw it but we made it clear that was not as we saw it.”

Read More

Deutsche Post expands in India with DHL

Posted by | Oct 14, 2005 | |

With bags of optimism and a lot of money, German postal company Deutsche Post is getting into the world’s fasting growing logistics market with its subsidiary DHL.

A key region in their Asian expansion strategy is India, which, like its neighbour China, has high levels of growth. Deutsche Post chairman Klaus Zumwinkel, recently opening a logistics HQ in Bombay, announced increased involvement in India and the whole Asia-Pacific area. Around 250 million dollars is invested there every year.

The Bonn-based company, which already has half of its turnover abroad, is set to become the clear world market leader in logistics (air and sea freight and contract logistics) with the agreed takeover of the British firm Exel. Zumwinkel said the takeover is due to be completed by December. He sees Asia as the engine of growth to cement this leading position.

“Asia is the world’s strongest growth market for us,” he notes.

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