“Forward ever, backward never: onwards with Breaking Through”
POSTAL NEWS
No.38 -2018

Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector


Swiss Post commits to partnership with Siemens Healthineers. May 07, 2018.

Postal Scientific Research & Planning Academy Participates in Industry Forum. May 07, 2018.

New CFO For New Zealand Post. May 4, 2018.

Profits Continue, Innovation is the Way Forward for Canada Post. May 4 2018.

UPS and Teamsters Discuss Two-Tier Wages, Sunday Deliveries. May 9, 2018.   

Swiss Post commits to partnership with Siemens Healthineers

May 07, 2018
To expand its range of eHealth services, Swiss Post will in future partner with “Siemens Healthineers eHealth Solutions”.
With the new partnership, Swiss Post can expand the range of electronic patient record products it already offers and provide new services to its customers. Siemens Healthineers has gained substantial experience in eHealth, such as through the introduction of electronic healthcare records in Austria.
Swiss Post wants to add new services to its E-Health solution. That is why it is now bringing on board “Siemens Healthineers eHealth Solutions”. Thanks to its wide experience in the eHealth field and its ability to provide functionality which has already been proven in the marketplace, Siemens Healthineers is the ideal eHealth partner for Swiss Post. Over the medium-term, Swiss Post will integrate its existing eHealth services into the new solution – with the aim of having the electronic patient record certified in accordance with the Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPDG) by early 2020. The new system is also intended to improve the customer experience. The cooperation with Siemens Healthineers eHealth Solutions strengthens the strategic expansion of Swiss Post’s eHealth business. This in turn boosts the logical further development, both physical and digital, of its information transport core business.
During the transition to the new platform, customers will still be able to access their services at any time and will be seamlessly migrated.
The partner – Siemens Healthineers
“Siemens Healthineers eHealth Solutions” was developed by “ITH Icoserve technology for healthcare GmbH”. The company is based in Innsbruck and is owned by Siemens Healthineers. Siemens Healthineers has implemented several major eHealth projects, such as in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Spain. The components from Siemens Healthineers eHealth Solutions will allow data from healthcare institutions to be linked with each other and with patients. As such, they will support a healthcare system based on co-operation and integration. As with Swiss Post’s solution, the focus is on the patients, their data and their individual well-being.
Swiss Post E-Health already up and running in several cantons
Swiss Post has spent many years working with leading technology partners to develop secure digital solutions for the modern healthcare sector. With Swiss Post’s modular eHealth portfolio, authorized healthcare professionals can access and exchange patient records quickly and easily. This makes the relevant data available at any time and from any location, which helps to simplify cooperation between healthcare professionals and increase patient safety. The individual services make the processes along the treatment path efficient, secure and cost-effective. A number of cantons and more than 100 institutions have already committed to using Swiss Post’s E-Health solution. In addition to the E-Health solution, its services for the healthcare sector also include, for example, logistics services such as the transport of medicines.

Source:  http://www.posteurop.org


Postal Scientific Research & Planning Academy Participates in Industry Forum

May 07, 2018
The Postal Scientific Research & Planning Academy of China Post Group participated in the China Express Green Packaging Industry Alliance Summit jointly sponsored by China Express Association (CEA) and China Packing Federation in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, on April 10, 2018.
As the initiating unit of the China Express Green Packaging Industry Alliance, a representative from the Postal Scientific Research & Planning Academy delivered a speech with the theme of "Impact of the Series National Standards of the Packings for Express Service on the Industry's Development."
The academy held a discussion with delegates of the forum for the revision of standards, principles, main amended content, and their impact on the industry.
The academy said it would continue to participate in and promote the relevant work on the standardization of green packaging, to assist governmental departments, industry associations and enterprises, and contribute to the construction of an ecological civilization in the postal industry.
Attendees were related leaders of the State Post Bureau of the People's Republic of China, the China Packaging Federation, and representatives of provincial postal administrations, various express and e-commerce enterprises and some environmental packaging manufacturers. They discussed at the forum how e-commerce and express enterprises could promote green packaging.
The China Express Green Packaging Industry Alliance was co-founded by the China Packing Federation, the CEA, dozens of express and packaging enterprises, industry organizations, scientific research institutions and e-commerce platforms. It has more than 60 members by now.
The alliance has been striving to promote the application of environmentally friendly packaging materials and the cyclic utilization of express packaging materials since its founding, and help society to implement the concept of environmental protection.

Source : english.chinapost.com.cn


New CFO For New Zealand Post

May 4, 2018
Michael Boersen has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at New Zealand Post, with effect from 9 May.
Boersen has previously held senior leadership roles at Auckland District Health Board, TR Group Ltd and Southern Cross Healthcare Group.
He has also held positions as Finance Director, and subsequently Chief Executive at Radius Health Group Limited, and most recently as Chief Financial Officer and then as Chief Executive at Yellow Pages Ltd.
New Zealand Post’s Chief Executive David Walsh said Michael Boersen’s experience with Yellow, through some commercially challenging times, makes him very well suited to join the business.
“Michael focused on improving operational performance and efficiency of the business through the decline of its print, and growth of Yellow’s digital revenues,” said Walsh.
“Here at NZ Post we are also facing challenges with a huge uptake in e-commerce and parcels being sent, while letters are in decline. Michael’s experience will be invaluable as our business faces these challenges and adapts to being a commercially sustainable business, committed to staying in New Zealand communities for the long term.”
Walsh also thanked John van Woerkom for the role he has played in the last twelve months as NZ Post’s acting Chief Financial Officer. 

Source :https://postandparcel.info


Profits Continue, Innovation is the Way Forward for Canada Post
May 4 2018
Ottawa - The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) welcomes yet another profitable result from Canada Post Corporation (CPC) for 2017.
“Postal workers have always seen the potential for growth and improvement in the postal service,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “The phantom of huge losses at Canada Post is far behind us, and it’s high time to put growth and new service ideas front and centre.”

The Canada Post segment made $74 Million before taxes, on revenue of $6.4 Billion. The success was mainly driven by increased revenue from parcels, which outpaced the decline in revenue from lettermail in 2017.
The Canada Post Pension plan’s position also improved in 2017, on both the going-concern basis and the solvency basis, which are two actuarial standards of evaluating a pension plan’s health.
“Our members are proud to have delivered another net surplus. We perform the service and we build the public’s faith in the brand.” Palecek continued, “These are just the sort of stable, modest profits everyone should want to see in a Crown Corporation, and another confirmation of what CUPW has been saying all along: there never was a financial crisis at Canada Post, and there’s all kinds of room for growth.”
The federal government mandates the service to be financially self-sustaining. This January, following on a 2016 service review, it asked CPC not to pay dividends to the government – investing its surpluses instead in growth and adapting its services to the public’s changing needs.
One of the union’s big hopes for innovation is to bring back postal banking. Postal banking, a successful part of postal services all around the world, could help keep Canada Post sustainable, improve financial access for marginalized populations, and perhaps even provide a public alternative to the big private banks.
Meanwhile, CUPW is anticipating the filling of several vacancies on CPC’s Board of Directors. Palecek says that the senior management behind the 2013 service cuts have been proven wrong for good: “Were hoping to see new direction from the top down, with an openness to new ideas, better treatment of the workers, and sincere hope for the future at Canada Post.” 

Source : http://www.cupw.ca


UPS and Teamsters Discuss Two-Tier Wages, Sunday Deliveries. May 9, 2018.
Proposal for lower-paid ‘hybrid’ drivers to work weekends divides labor union during contract discussions
By Paul Ziobro
May 9, 2018
United Parcel Service Inc. and the Teamsters union are discussing a two-tier wage system that would allow the company to hire lower-paid workers to deliver packages on weekends, including Sundays, as the parcel giant tries to manage the surge in e-commerce.

The proposal, raised in recent contract negotiations, calls for creating a “hybrid driver” position that would pay a minimum of $15 an hour and top out at a rate of $30. These employees would work Sunday to Thursday or Tuesday to Saturday, avoiding costly overtime to provide weekend service.

Under the current contract, most package-truck drivers work Monday-to-Friday shifts and earn higher wages on weekends. The union says they are entitled to double-time wages in some areas for working on a Sunday, amounting to nearly $74 an hour.

The hybrid driver role would allow UPS to start regular Sunday delivery of packages, a service the U.S. Postal Service provides for customers such as Amazon.com Inc. UPS started Saturday package delivery in some markets in 2017 but hasn’t disclosed any plans to start delivering on Sundays.

A Teamsters spokeswoman said the wage proposal for UPS was part of the negotiating process and the two sides hadn’t come to any agreement about hybrid drivers. A UPS spokesman on Tuesday declined to comment on contract talks.


The two sides are negotiating one of the largest collective bargaining agreements in the U.S., covering about 280,000 UPS employees. UPS, which has about 454,000 workers world-wide, is trying to complete a new contract before a five-year agreement expires on July 31. UPS Chief Executive Officer David Abney said recently he was confident an agreement would be reached in time.

The hybrid-driver idea has inflamed divisions within the Teamsters, including a faction opposed to the current union leadership of President James P. Hoffa.

Last week, Denis Taylor, director of the Teamsters package division, removed three members from the negotiating committee, of which he is co-chairman, according to Teamsters United, a group that opposes Mr. Hoffa’s leadership. The dismissed committee members opposed the hybrid-driver proposal and said they were removed for revealing the contract proposals to union members.

“The key to negotiations of this scope is educating and mobilizing members,” said Matt Taibi, an official at Teamsters Local 251 in Rhode Island, who was removed from the negotiating committee. “Members need to know what it is they’re fighting for.”

The rift between the Teamsters United and Mr. Hoffa’s team runs deep. Mr. Hoffa, the son of the famous labor leader with the same name, narrowly won re-election as the Teamsters general president in 2016 over Fred Zuckerman, who led the Teamsters United ticket. Mr. Zuckerman and other union leaders, such as Sean O’Brien, president of Teamsters Local 25 in Boston, have called for more transparency.

“It’s unfortunate that these negotiations are some of the most important and it seems like this leadership is focused on adversaries,” Mr. O’Brien said in an interview.

The current contract already has ‘hybrid’ positions wherein workers can attain a full-time role by cobbling together multiple part-time shifts—from loading trucks and sorting packages to clerical work and washing cars. Such positions are paid a premium to the starting part-time wage of $10 an hour.

Those jobs don’t allow workers to deliver packages on the company’s traditional brown boxcars. That function is viewed as a premium position in the Teamster ranks, with annual pay typically above $80,000 with generous benefits.

Other issues being negotiated include raising starting wages for part-time workers and reining in excessive overtime. UPS executives last month expressed confidence they would reach an agreement, avoiding the first strike at the company since 1997.

The Atlanta-based company, which has been spending heavily to automate its network to handle the surge in e-commerce parcels, has also been taking steps to curb employee costs. Last month it offered early buyouts to managers and in 2017 froze pension plans for 70,000 nonunion staffers.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/
POSTAL NEWS
No.39 -2018

Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector


Crowd-sourced delivery: what will be the impact for posts? May 11,2018.
DPD Announces Real Living Wage Pledge And Worker Contract With Holiday & Sick Pay. May 8, 2018.
Posten Norge launches at-home parcel sending service. May 8, 2018.
Your old mobile can reduce digital exclusion. May 08, 2018.
U.S. Postal Service Showcases Innovative Physical and Digital Platforms at 2018 National Postal Forum.
May 07, 2018.
   
Crowd-sourced delivery: what will be the impact for posts?
May 11, 2018
Disruption in the e-commerce environment and the challenges and opportunities for posts will be the main theme for the IPC Annual Conference 2018 taking place in Vancouver, on 17-18 May, with the participation of CEOs and senior executives from leading posts worldwide. 
Crowd-sourced delivery is one of the disruptive business models that will be discussed at the Annual Conference. With increased smartphone penetration, the traditional e-commerce experience is evolving. Emerging technologies and business structures are lowering barriers for new entrants in the delivery market, who are often offering faster and cheaper last-mile delivery than incumbents in select metropolitan areas. This includes technology platforms such as Uber, who are providing consumers with last-mile delivery fulfilment. With the emergence of the collaborative economy, crowd-sourced delivery platforms and applications provide consumers with multiple options for the delivery of their parcel.
This article looks at the main trends in crowd-sourced delivery, the impact on traditional delivery and the response of postal operators. IPC’s Market Intelligence team conducted the majority of the research underpinning this article for the Global Postal Industry Report 2017, published in November 2017.

Technology-driven transformation
New technologies are the driving force behind new business models that are disrupting traditional delivery networks. Digital platforms and mobile devices are reducing barriers to entry and enabling customers – both companies and individuals – to become competitors in the sharing economy.
These technological developments are enabling delivery models that are flexible, reliable, trackable in real time and allow consumers to rate their experiences in real time. Importantly, crowd-sourced delivery companies are creating solutions to increase trust in their digital platforms, giving customers confidence when providing purchasing and address information.
Most digital platforms rely on algorithms for establishing the delivery costs, delivery routing and “grouping” of couriers with senders/receivers. Most crowd-sourced delivery companies also provide payment through their digital platforms, using PayPal or other payment software, negating the need for cash transactions with couriers.
Start-ups take a variety of forms with considerable variation in control of their delivery network. Nevertheless, an asset-light, technology-based business model underpins most crowd-sourced delivery companies.

Challenges faced by sharing economy
There are limits to using the sharing economy to conduct parcel deliveries and there remain several hurdles for these companies to overcome.
The geographic range of these companies remains limited, mainly competing with traditional companies in major cities. To date, delivery start-ups have mainly limited themselves to high-density urban areas, where there are sufficient couriers and sufficient customers conducting online purchases. Most crowd-sourced delivery companies have not been attracted to cross-border flows, and many restrict themselves to deliveries within one large city.
In a young and somewhat volatile market, competition and funding constraints are the two main causes for the failure of crowd-sourced delivery start-ups. Regulation is also a considerable risk to the profitability of the sharing economy business model. For instance, legal concerns around the status of those participating in the sharing economy will play a role in the viability of sectors of the sharing economy. Even well-known brands such as Shyp and UberRush have recently ceased operations in the face of these challenges.

E-retailers investing in sharing economy
E-retailers looking to increase control of supply chains have begun investing in crowd-sourced delivery. For instance, Amazon established Amazon Flex in September 2015 for the US market to fulfil Amazon Prime one- and two-hour delivery commitments. In 2013, eBay acquired Shutl, a UK-based company with a marketplace platform for courier networks offering local delivery within hours of an online purchase. Since 2015, Alibaba has actively participated in the sharing economy through a number of investments and joint ventures, starting with food delivery.

China: an active crowd-sourced delivery market
Crowd-sourced delivery is becoming increasingly popular in China. Several large crowd-sourced delivery companies in China are backed by e-retailers and investment firms. Renren Kuaidi, which claims to have more than one million couriers, is partially owned by a leading Chinese investment firm, Tencent. One of China’s leading e-retailers, Alibaba, has made investments in crowd-sourced delivery: GoGoVan (through its Hong Kong investment fund); Dianwoda (operating in 100 cities in China); and Ele.me (a food delivery company). New Dada – one of the largest crowd-sourced delivery operators – has also received investment funding from US retailer Walmart.
Another leading player in Asia is Lalamove, a Hong Kong-based company operating in five Asian markets that promises local express delivery within 55 minutes. Lalamove is an on-demand logistics company in Asia that matches drivers with customers and SME businesses to fulfil same-day deliveries. It is the leading same-day delivery and logistics provider in Southeast Asia and China and has recently completed its latest US$100m Series C funding round.
Lalamove has expanded from its base in Hong Kong to multiple countries in Southeast Asia and mainland China. Currently, Lalamove has a pool of 2m drivers of vans, trucks and motorcycles operating in 100+ cities across China and Southeast Asia. Servicing over 15m users. Lalamove is already present in 40 cities in China, with plans to expand into less populated Chinese cities.
Charlie Chen, part of Lalamove’s Southeast Asian operations team, will speak at the IPC Annual Conference 2018 and share some of her experiences in a highly dynamic market.

Posts looking into crowd-sourced delivery
Several postal operators have responded to the sharing economy and crowd-sourced delivery in a number of ways, including through acquisitions, launching their own crowd-sourced delivery platforms and services, and by offering the kind of on-demand services that compete with the crowd-sourced delivery alternatives.
In Belgium, bpost launched bringr, a collaborative platform app, in 2016 and announced in 2017 the expansion of bringr services to Ghent and Brussels after being successfully trialled in Antwerp. Le Groupe La Poste fully acquired the crowd-sourced delivery company Stuart in March 2017, increasing its ownership of the subsidiary from 22% to 100%. Having already expanded from Paris to operate in Lyon, London, Madrid and Barcelona, Stuart is planning to operate in other European capital cities. Deutsche Post DHL Group has also undertaken trials in crowd-sourced delivery. After trialling a crowd-source delivery app called bring.BUDDY in Germany in 2010, DHL trialled MyWays in Sweden’s capital city in 2013, using crowd-sourced couriers for completing last-mile delivery from DHL collection locations.
Central to the postal efforts to participate in the sharing economy is the opportunity to add value and generate additional revenue streams, including those considered to be outside of core postal services. bpost has highlighted that the services offered by bringr are separate to its traditional business, noting that the deliveries performed by the startup would not typically be captured by bpost’s network or services. Leveraging their brands and extensive network, posts are in a position to learn from these pilots and generate brand awareness for their crowd-sourced services.

Source : https://www.ipc.be/en/New
018

DPD Announces Real Living Wage Pledge And Worker Contract With Holiday & Sick Pay

May 8, 2018
DPD said that the launch of the new Driver Code “follows a widespread internal review, consultation with hundreds of the carrier’s drivers and input from leading figures in the Labour movement”.
DPD said that all its drivers will be briefed individually in the next few weeks on the new measures coming into force on 2 July.
According to DPD: “The new Driver Code is based on choice, flexibility, opportunity and clear communication. It lays out the guiding principles of the relationship between DPD and its drivers.
“At the core of the new Code is the option for all drivers to be able to choose how they contract with DPD. All drivers will be able to choose if they want to be employed directly by DPD, be a self-employed franchisee or become a self-employed worker.
“The new worker contract is designed to generate driver earnings of £28,800 per annum on average, based on a standard five-day week contract, with no upper cap on earnings. In addition, workers will receive 28 days paid holiday, a pension and sick pay.
“To ensure that all its self-employed drivers receive at least the equivalent of the Real Living Wage, DPD will monitor and measure their earnings on a monthly basis. This process will be independently audited by one of the UK’s leading financial audit organisations.”
Lord Watts, the former chairman of the Labour Parliamentary Party, and Iain Wright, the former chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee in the House of Commons, acted as external advisers to DPD on the Driver Code.
DPD added: “In future, all new DPD drivers will have the opportunity to ‘try before they buy’, by starting as an employed driver before deciding if they wish to be a self-employed worker, a self-employed franchisee, or remain as an employee. Before becoming self-employed, they will have access to free, independent business advice from approved suppliers.
“DPD’s current breach system for self-employed drivers will be scrapped altogether and replaced by a clear and consistent points-based Service Failure System to monitor service delivery and contract performance. Drivers will be briefed in detail on the new system before the introduction and there will be a full review before any points are allocated.
“To improve communication with drivers still further, DPD has created two new roles within the depot network; Owner Driver Relationship Managers and Service Champions. The onus is on ensuring effective two-way communication with drivers in each depot and creating more opportunities for drivers to give feedback direct to management and communicate concerns.”
Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD commented: “The Driver Code represents a complete reappraisal of every aspect of our driver package. Our aim is simple – to make DPD the carrier of choice for delivery drivers and for our drivers to be the best rewarded in the industry. The feedback we’ve already had from the depots suggests we are on the right track. Many of the ideas here have come directly from the meetings my team and I have had with drivers and their input has been vital throughout this process.
“I think the new worker contract is a great package and it will set the benchmark in our industry. But we’ve made it very clear that we think it should be about driver choice – there are three great ways to contract with DPD now and drivers are free to choose which one suits them best.
“Loads of our drivers tell us they still love the self-employed franchisee model because of the flexibility and the capacity to earn significantly more. While we’ve been able to improve this contract further as part of this review, we recognise that it isn’t for everyone. In future we want to make sure that drivers fully understand the risks and the benefits, whichever way they contract with us. By introducing ‘try before you buy’, plain English contracts, free, independent business advice and the ability to switch contracts, we aim to get every driver onto the right contract for them.”

Source : https://postandparcel.info


Posten Norge launches at-home parcel sending service

May 8, 2018
Norway’s Posten Norge has launched a ‘from door’ parcel sending service that allows customers to send parcels from home.
For a surcharge of Nkr15 (US$1.85) over the regular postage fee, customers can arrange at-home parcel collection from their regular postperson. Customers can go online, pay for postage, and arrange for next-day collection of parcels. The online payment generates a single-use code that the customer writes on the parcel, ready for collection.
The shipment must weigh less than 2kg and fit in a mailbox. If it is larger, customers can buy a digital postage stamp and deliver it to regular red mailboxes or post offices.
Tone Wille, CEO of Posten Norge, said, “This is an offer for those who want a simpler day and this new service contributes to that. Physical supplies do not get old-fashioned, it only happens in new ways.
“The customers who have already tested the solution are delighted and say that this is a need. For us in the Post, it is exciting to combine new technology and traditional mailboxes.”
Read more on what Marek Różycki, managing partner at Last Mile Experts, thinks on this new technology here. 

Source : http://www.postalandparceltechnologyinternational.com/news


Your old mobile can reduce digital exclusion

May 08, 2018
From May 7 to May 20, used mobile phones can be donated in   2,208 post offices throughout Spain
The mobile phones will be delivered to NGOs that work with groups at risk of digital exclusion
The Social Action of #diadeinternet this year aims to collect mobile phones and deliver them to NGOs that work with people at risk of digital exclusion. In an increasingly connected world, a mobile that your first buyer considers obsolete can still be of great help to another person who cannot access the opportunities offered by a phone. The solidarity action is celebrated as part of the activities of the World Internet Day of 2018, which includes more than 50 organizations under the theme "The Society of Data".
Anyone who wants to donate a mobile will only have to make sure it still works and deposit it in one of the boxes that have been deployed in 2,208 post offices. United Hands, Messengers of Peace (the foundation of Father Angel), Amadip Esment Fundació, NGO Rescate, El Molí d'en Puigvert and Christian Human Formation in Human Rights (Venezuela) are the organizations that will receive the phones for their donation.
There are many reasons to give a second life to those inactive phones: it is good for the environment and, in addition to helping others through technology, the opportunity is taken to raise awareness of the need to perform a proper data erasure before discarding the telephones. The reuse of technology also encourages responsible consumption, especially when it is a product made of materials whose extraction can have serious consequences in the countries of origin.
Correos supports this initiative as a sign of its links with society. The public company has underlined the social aspect of its work: "Our role as the backbone of communications throughout the territory goes beyond our traditional activity, assuming a commitment to promote the social and digital inclusion of all citizens."
The action seeks that each of these mobile pass occupy space in a drawer to facilitate the life of a person in a vulnerable situation, for which perhaps it can make a big difference and improve their quality of life.                                                           
About the Internet Day: The # diadeinternet is a network project that arises from society, society and society. The anniversary of May 17 reveals the possibilities of new technologies to improve the standard of living of its citizens.
Source : http://www.correos.es


U.S. Postal Service Showcases Innovative Physical and Digital Platforms at 2018 National Postal Forum

May 07, 2018
Nearly 10 Million Users Are Now Enrolled in Informed Delivery Platform – Bridging the Digital and Physical Mail Experiences

In her keynote address opening the 50th Anniversary of National Postal Forum (NPF), Postmaster General and CEO Megan Brennan highlighted the Postal Service’s focus on meeting customer’s needs today, while anticipating their needs of tomorrow by continuing to invest in the future to create opportunities for growth and profitability for the entire industry.
Brennan announced to thousands of customers at the Forum that nearly 10 million users are now enrolled in Informed Delivery, the Postal Service’s innovative daily mobile offering which allows users to see their incoming mail to be received later that day.
“Informed Delivery broadens the definition of the mail moment by bridging the digital and physical – it allows consumers to connect to their physical mail anytime, anywhere,” said Brennan. “Informed Delivery is becoming part of the daily digital life of the American consumer. It builds anticipation of the physical mail piece, and allows marketers to increase their digital engagement with the consumer from a single mail piece.”
Informed Delivery has experienced rapid growth over the past year and is adding 135,000 new users per week. By equipping mail with digital capabilities, the Postal Service is giving mail new functionality, while improving the predictability and accessibility of mail for consumers. “This digital integration is changing the relationship the American consumer has with their mail,” said Brennan.
In addition to Informed Delivery, the Postal Service has been investing heavily in Informed Visibility, the data and analytics platform that allows businesses to leverage robust operational data.  “With Informed Visibility, businesses are more effectively integrating marketing data, measuring ROI of their mailings, and building more responsive, omni-channel campaigns,” said Brennan. “Companies are combining data from Informed Visibility with their customer analytics in order to deliver those seamless, intuitive experiences consumers expect.”
Brennan spoke to the rising consumer expectations and new paradigms for the mailing and shipping industry.  The Postmaster General focused on the rising prominence of customer experience as a differentiator for American businesses, and the central role the mail and shipping industry play in delivering that experience.
Using Informed Delivery and Informed Visibility as leading examples, Brennan illustrated the important ways that the Postal Service is evolving with the modern experience economy, and outlined strategies to meet the needs of consumers who expect their shipping and mailing experience to be seamless from start to finish.  Brennan also articulated platform strategies to drive industry growth and profitability, and for gaining a larger share of total marketing spend. 
“The Postal Service is uniquely positioned to reach every household through our integrated digital and physical network,” said Brennan. “Our industry delivers a differentiated experience when it leverages this trusted channel. Together, we are an integrated value chain with a shared purpose to exceed the expectations of today’s consumers.”
Through the integration of physical and digital, as well as the strategic investments in data and operations, the Postmaster General outlined the tremendous opportunities available to the Postal Service and its partners.  “Our industry will continue to drive innovation and value for America’s businesses as we extract the full potential of the data and information technology that now accompanies the mail and shipping investment.”
The National Postal Forum – taking place May 6-9, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas – is an annual national gathering of more 4,000 professionals from the mailing and shipping industry. The four-day event serves as an ideal opportunity for industry professionals to gather, learn and collaborate in service of their business.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Source : https://about.usps.com