“Forward ever, backward never: onwards with Breaking Through”
POSTAL NEWS
No.46 -2018

Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector


SWISS POST’S Basel Logistics Centre To Make Way For Train Station Complex. May 30, 2018.

DHL and bpost to provide seamless e-commerce deliveries for Benelux customers. May 30, 2018.

Deutsche Post Streetscooter Powering Milk Delivery.May 30, 2018.   
Canada Post segment reports $70-million profit before tax in first quarter. May 25, 2018.

The ParlonZen approach, let's talk about it!. May 23, 2018 .
   

SWISS POST’S Basel Logistics Centre To Make Way For Train Station Complex

May 30, 2018
Swiss Post has announced that its postal building above the track of the SBB train station in Basel will make way for a new urban development complex know as “Nauentor” – and as a consequence all the functions of the Basel logistics centre except for the business customer counters will move to the Härkingen letter sorting centre by mid-2020.
In a statement issued on Monday (28 May), Swiss Post said: “Concentrating these functions at the Härkingen site is a response to the continual decline in letter volumes over recent years and a drop in the capacity utilization of sorting systems. Swiss Post will start the relevant consultation process in mid-June. Final decisions will be made in autumn 2018.”

Swiss Post added: “The realignment of existing letter processing in the Basel area is taking shape with the redesign of the Basel station district and the complete demolition of the ageing Swiss Post building down to its foundations.
” With fewer letters posted and cost pressures mounting, one of Swiss Post’s business tasks is to review and continually improve existing internal processes and realize optimization potential. Only by doing so can Swiss Post continue to offer suitable services at its customary high level of quality. The volume of addressed letters has dropped by an average of 1-2 percent in recent years. Over the past two years, this decline has grown to around 4 percent.
“A study thoroughly examined the situation and processes and concluded that it would make sense to integrate the work at the Basel logistics center into the Härkingen letter center. The required system capacities and floorspace are available at Härkingen.
“If Swiss Post Executive Management definitively decides to integrate the Basel logistics center into the Härkingen letter center located in the neighbouring Canton of Solothurn by autumn of this year, 86 employees (around 71 of whom are full-time) will be affected by the change. Swiss Post would carry out the integration into the Härkingen letter center by 2020 in a socially responsible manner. It intends to provide employees with a reasonable offer.”
Swiss Post said that it envisages cutting around 15 full-time positions – but it expects that these job cuts will occur through “natural staff turnover” and “long-term planning should ensure that compulsory redundancies can be avoided wherever possible”.

Source : https://postandparcel.info


DHL and bpost to provide seamless e-commerce deliveries for Benelux customers

May 30, 2018
Belgian postal operator bpost has agreed a non-exclusive partnership with DHL Parcel, a division of Deutsche Post DHL, to facilitate and accelerate the cross-border online shopping experience for consumers in the Benelux.
The partnership enables Belgian consumers to shop at Dutch online stores in the evening and have their purchase delivered by bpost the next day, and vice versa. Cross-border returns between Belgium and the Netherlands will also be made as easy as shopping domestically. For e-tailers, the partnership creates an all-in-one logistics solution, further helping to simplify the administrative and operational processes.
Wouter van Benten, CEO of DHL Parcel Benelux, said, “DHL and bpost are two leading innovative parcel deliverers working on a global scale. The partnership between bpost and DHL gives Dutch online stores access to a huge potential market of Belgian online shoppers and facilitates cross-border shopping, delivery and returns.”
Luc Cloet, CEO parcels and logistics – Europe and Asia, bpost, said, “We are delighted that our partnership with DHL is being extended to create an all-in-one solution for e-tailers in Belgium and the Netherlands. They now benefit from one single logistics solution that makes their life easier and widens their potential customer base.”
DHL and bpost have made significant operational investments in the Benelux region in recent years with bpost opening a new letter and parcel sorting center in Brussels that doubled the daily sorting capacity to 300,000 parcels.

DHL Parcel is also building a new sorting hub in Zaltbommel, Netherlands, which can handle half a million parcels. Both carriers support a wide-variety of delivery options including track-and-trace and return facilities, as well as the ability to choose where and when they receive their parcel.
Together, the two companies have more than 4,400 service points, comprising 1,900 in the Netherlands and 2,500 in Belgium.



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


Deutsche Post Streetscooter Powering Milk Delivery
May 30, 2018   
Deutsche Post is cementing its role as an electric car producer, with UK home delivery business Milk & More placing an initial order for 200 StreetScooters.
Milk delivery normally takes place at night or in the early hours of the morning, so by using electric vehicles delivery should be quieter and more environmentally friendly. British milkmen have delivered using electric vehicles since 1930.
According to Milk & More, growing numbers of UK customers are prepared to pay a premium for regionally sourced products that are packaged in an eco-friendly way. Environmentally friendly delivery fits in with those ideals. (As long as the power isn't from coal-fired power stations, of course!)
Milk & More's new StreetScooters have a usable box volume of 8 cubic metres. The load compartment is refrigerated.
The vehicles will be left-hand drive. This is to assist drivers when it comes to hopping in and out of the van, remembering that the milkman (milk person?) doesn't just deliver - he also collects empty used milk bottles. The bottles are cleaned and re-used on average 25 times.
Milk & More uses a network of 57 local delivery centres and a fleet of 1,600 vehicles, about 25% of which are electric milk trucks.



Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog


Canada Post segment reports $70-million profit before tax in first quarter
Parcels volumes continue to grow as Canadians shift to e-commerce deliveries
May 25, 2018
Canada Post is reporting a first-quarter profit, driven mostly by robust growth in its Parcels business as it delivers Canadians’ online purchases. The growth continues 2017’s positive momentum, when Canada Post employees delivered record Parcels volumes.
The Canada Post segment’s $70 million profit before tax for the first quarter, ended March 31, 2018, compares to a profit before tax of $50 million in the first quarter of 2017.1

Parcels results

In the first quarter, Canada Post – the country’s No. 1 parcel company – grew Parcels revenue by $110 million1 or 24.6 per cent,1 while volumes increased by 17 million pieces or 33.0 per cent2 compared to the same period in 2017. Domestic Parcels, the largest product category, continued to grow strongly, as revenue increased by $76 million1 or 23.6 per cent1,2 and volumes grew by six million pieces or 17.3 per cent.2 The growth in Parcels volumes was driven by strong performance from major commercial customers and by Canada Post’s solid delivery performance as consumers order more products online.

Transaction Mail results

Transaction Mail is mostly letters, bills and statements. In the first quarter of 2018, Transaction Mail revenue decreased by $46 million1 or 4.1 per cent1,2 while volumes decreased by 50 million pieces or 4.0 per cent2 compared to the same period in 2017. For Domestic Lettermail, the largest product category, revenue decreased by $24 million1 or 1.6 per cent1,2 and volumes decreased by 34 million pieces or 2.4 per cent.2 The ongoing decline in mail volumes is due to the growing use of digital alternatives by consumers and businesses. It is one of the most significant challenges facing the Corporation.

Direct Marketing results

In the first quarter of 2018, Direct Marketing revenue decreased by $3 million,1 which is an increase of 0.5 per cent1 when adjusted for trading days, while volumes fell by 23 million pieces or 0.5 per cent2compared to the same period in 2017. Revenue for Neighbourhood MailTM, the largest volume product category, remained constant while volumes decreased slightly, by seven million pieces compared to the same period in 2017.

Group of Companies results

The Canada Post Group of Companies3 reported a profit before tax of $96million, compared to a profit before tax of $68million1 in the same period in 2017. The Group of Companies’ positive first-quarter results were primarily driven by positive results in the Canada Post segment, which were largely due to parcel growth. The Purolator segment’s profit before tax was $21 million for the first quarter of 2018, compared to a profit before tax of $14 million in the first quarter of 2017.1

Source : https://www.canadapost.ca


The ParlonZen approach, let's talk about it!

May 23, 2018
As part of the National Health and Safety Commission (CNSST), La Poste presented the ParlonZen approach. Initiated since 2016, Force Ouvrière was surprised that it is presented only now.

What is it about: exchanges between the manager and his agents to facilitate teamwork on a daily basis. Organized during the working time, they must allow to emerge ideas to improve what does not work well. The ideas retained are intended to be put in place. The choice of topics is decided by the members of the team, then the manager decides on this choice. The process is presented in CHSCT.
Among the topics discussed on the pilot sites, there are themes directly related to health and safety at work. This is further proof that the E V aluations of R isk P rofessionals (EVRP) are not carried out correctly with a collective working together as they should! The establishment of ParlonZen replaces in fact the inevitable regulatory EVRP.

For FOCOM, this shows once again the difficulty of a real social dialogue within the company. Additional information will be provided at the CNSST on July 17; the approach must be generalized at the beginning of the school year.

Source : http://www.focom-laposte.fr

POSTAL NEWS
No.47 -2018

Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector


Landmark’ equal pay victory for Canadian postal union.June 6 2018.

Australia Post's environmental plan to save $10 million.    June 5, 2018.

XPO To Invest $90M In North American Road Fleet.
June 4, 2018.

Swiss Post tests Post Home Button. May 1, 2018.

DHL Parcel and POST Luxembourg partner in parcel shipping. June 1 ,2018.
   

Landmark’ equal pay victory for Canadian postal union
June 6 2018
Deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger has welcomed the news that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has won a landmark judgement which will equalise pay between the country’s rural and urban postal delivery workers.
After a two-year process, the independent arbitrator gave her verdict in June and ruled that Canada Post’s 8,000 rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMCs) do work of equal value to their 34,000 urban letter carriers.
As well as closing the approximately 25 per cent pay gap between rural and urban pay rates, the decision is also important in terms of gender equality – around two-thirds of RSMCs are female, while their urban colleagues are predominately male.
In his response to the ruling, CUPW president Mike Palecek described it as having “finally proven that RMSCs perform work of equal value to letter carriers.
“The days of Canada Post’s exploitation of women are coming to an end. RSMCs deserve equality and we settle for nothing less.”
Commenting on the news, Terry Pullinger said: “I’m sure that all CWU postal members and the wider union will want to congratulate CUPW on their achievement  and on this important step forward in the fight for equal pay for work of equal value.
“In Royal Mail, we have not historically seen this rural/urban pay differential, but there are several equality issues which our union is working with the company to address – including female-fit uniform, appropriate provision of facilities and the right to request a female representative,” he explained.
“For both the CWU and the CUPW, equality is high up on our industrial agendas.”

Source : https://www.cwu.org/news


Australia Post's environmental plan to save $10 million

June 5, 2018
Today, on World Environment Day, Australia Post has launched their very first Environmental Action Plan as part a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2020, and save $10 million every year through environmentally sustainable programs.
Running the country's largest delivery network that spans 11.7 million addresses and more than 16,000 vehicles, Australia Post created the Environmental Action Plan to shape ongoing reporting and future activities that will lead to long-term sustainability.
Chief Financial Officer Janelle Hopkins said that by driving sustainability, they can release resources to better explore new areas and improve customer experiences.
"That saving of $10 million every year enables Australia Post to invest more in improving and creating services our customers want to use," said Ms Hopkins.
"Since 2000 we have reduced our carbon emissions by 20 per cent, which is significant given domestic parcel volumes are continuing to grow, and more than two million parcels were delivered in a single day during Christmas last year.
"In the last eight years we have been working to aggressively reduce our carbon footprint, even going beyond our own sites to account for our third-party supply chain.
"Our first ever Environmental Action Plan is a step towards continuing to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our target of a 25 per cent reduction by 2020."
Australia Post installed the country's largest single-roof solar panel system late last year at the Sydney Parcels Facility, which Ms Hopkins said alone saves $800,000 every year within their extensive 48-site solar energy program.
"We are seeing immediate returns as we unlock renewable energy at some of our busiest sites, which helps to insulate the business against rising energy prices," Ms Hopkins said.
"But we're also looking at how we can leverage our existing network to support communities. Our partnerships with groups like TerraCycle, Planet Ark and Mobile Muster has seen us remove 26,000 tonnes of material from landfill. We also helped develop the world-first Nespresso recycling satchel to send used coffee pods to a purpose-built recycling centre, and our own satchel packaging is now completely recyclable.
"We're excited to see Australia Post make an even greater commitment towards delivering better commercial and environmental outcomes for the Australian community," said Ms Hopkins.


Source : https://auspost.newsroom.com.au


XPO To Invest $90M In North American Road Fleet

June 4, 2018
XPO Logistics has revealed plans to invest up to $90m in its North American road fleet.
In a statement issued on Thursday (31 May), XPOLogistics said that it will be buying 770 new tractors for its less-than-truckload (LTL) network in 2018.
The new tractors will have 15-litre engines and 12-speed transmissions, replacing models with 13-litre engines. The company anticipates that new, larger engine will offer “a more optimal blend of performance, fuel economy, emissions characteristics and engine life”.
Troy Cooper, president of XPO Logistics, commented: “We’re committed to giving our LTL drivers the latest technologies for comfort and safety. These new tractors also reflect our commitment to the environment by providing improved fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.”



Source : https://postandparcel.info/96607/news/infrastructure


Swiss Post tests Post Home Button

May 1, 2018
Swiss Post is testing a new ordering process for its doorstep services: from now on around 1,000 households can order Swiss Post products and services quickly and easily using the Post Home Button. A simple click of the button is all it takes for them to be able to hand over parcels or letters on their doorstep to delivery staff the following day. The test phase will last until the end of August 2018 and is taking place in the regions of Olten, Liestal and Sissach. The main focus is to investigate the technology, implementation and customer needs.
The Post Home Button is a small device that sends Swiss Post a signal via a wireless network at the push of a button. It is easy to use: one click is all it takes to request a Swiss Post service or place an order. It is possible to request predefined products and services, such as mail collection or A and B Mail stamps, using the Post Home Button and the relevant order cards.

Customer needs and various potential uses to be tested. The trial phase for the Post Home Button will take place between June and the end of August 2018 in the regions of Olten, Liestal and Sissach. Around 1,000 households are taking part in the test. As part of this trial, Migros Aare, Qualipet and Domino’s Pizza are also using the Post Home Button to test whether this technology can simplify the process for ordering their own products. Besides the button, Swiss Post is also assessing the acceptance of mobile-app-based ordering. Swiss Post hopes that this trial will help it gather insights into customer needs as well as into technical reliability and implementation. Once the test phase comes to an end in late August 2018 and the evaluation of the tests has been completed, Swiss Post will decide whether and in which form it will implement the Post Home Button.

New opportunity thanks to the Internet of things.With the Post Home Button Swiss Post is testing a new, innovative service based on the Low Power Network (LPN) which Swiss Post, Swisscom and SBB are building up across Switzerland (see press release from 22 March 2017). The LPN is a requirement for the implementation of the Internet of things. The networking of things presents Swiss Post with countless possibilities for new services. As well as the Post Home Button Swiss Post is also working on monitoring temperatures in parcel consignments using sensors, for example.

Swiss Post is managing the Post Home Button under the early Label, allowing it to test products and services at an early stage together with interested customers and to develop them in accordance with customer needs.

Source:  https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/company/media/press-releases/2018


DHL Parcel and POST Luxembourg partner in parcel shipping

June 1 ,2018
Improved cross-border parcel service thanks to Parcel Connect
Cooperation strengthens cross-border e-commerce and extends service offering
DHL Parcel and POST Luxembourg have signed a strategic partnership on cross-border parcel shipping. POST Luxembourg will become part of the DHL Parcel Europe parcel network, which offers a standardised parcel service throughout Europe, with new functionalities for parcel deliveries and returns. Parcel Connect is the name of this service, which is being offered by DHL Parcel in cooperation with other parcel service providers in Europe and orchestrated by DHL Parcel. In June, POST Luxembourg will become the official partner for Parcel Connect in Luxembourg.
Initially, the services offered will only cover delivery of parcels from Europe to Luxembourg (import). The cooperation with POST Luxembourg will allow the DHL Parcel Europe network to benefit from improved transit times to Luxembourg and to gain access to the country’s largest network of service points and parcel stations. E-commerce customers can take advantage of the following offers:
Parcel notification by e-mail/SMS
Option of changing the delivery date
Collection service for returns and
Simplified returns without additional costs for recipients
In a second phase, POST Luxembourg will also offer export services from Luxembourg (Parcel Connect Export).
“With POST Luxembourg as a new strategic partner, we are able to offer a service for Luxembourg that is even better tailored to the needs of B2C e-commerce customers,” says Achim Dünnwald, CEO of DHL Parcel. “This extends our proven ‘Parcel Union’ partnership model to ten partners in 14 countries, in its third year of existence. In other markets too, we are continuing to work on gaining ‘local heroes’ as partners and on expanding our harmonized Parcel Connect service throughout Europe.”
As Hjoerdis Stahl, Deputy Managing Director of POST Luxembourg and Director of POST Courrier explains: “On average, around 9,000 parcels from Europe arrive at our national sorting center. Thanks to Parcel Connect, we are able to offer our customers an even better service and hope to further increase this volume,” she continues. “The cooperation with DHL Parcel, and as a member of the DHL Parcel Europe network, also emphasizes the positioning of POST Luxembourg in the logistics area, in which we see good opportunities for growth.”
Parcel Connect was introduced by Deutsche Post DHL in 2014 to significantly simplify, extend, and accelerate the shipping of parcels in Europe. Today, 26 countries (countries where DHL Deutsche POST is present and partner countries including Luxembourg) belong to the DHL Parcel Europe network.

About POST Luxembourg
As the leading provider of postal services, POST Luxembourg has an extensive network of points of sale and parcel stations ("PackUp") and focuses on the expansion of platforms in the fields of logistics and e-commerce. POST Luxembourg is also the leading provider of telecommunications services in Luxembourg. Other activities include postal financial services and philately.
Founded in 1842 as an administration, POST Luxembourg is a public company owned by the Luxembourg State since 1992. With more than 4,300 employees, the POST Luxembourg Group is the largest employer in the country. The Group's revenue in 2017 amounted to approximately 770 million euros.
DHL – The logistics company for the world
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 360,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 60 billion euros in 2017.

Source : https://www.postgroup.lu/en/actualites/news-et-communique