POSTAL NEWS
No 54 -2018
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
DPD opens new distribution center and depot. July 3, 2018.
The Spanish startup DelSúper makes the leap to B2B with CORREOS and creates the new brand Super Technologies. July 02, 2018.
Swiss Post decides not to increase prices for letters and parcels. June 29, 2018.
Record High For UK Next-Day Deliveries. June 29, 2018.
Royal Mail plant & facilities members to vote on pay deal. June 29 2018.
DPD opens new distribution center and depot
July 3, 2018
DPD has opened two new, purpose-built facilities as part of its ongoing investment program to expand network capacity and improve efficiency.
DPD has relocated its Nottingham depot to a new 60,000ft² state-of-the-art distribution center (DC) at Blenheim Park Road in Nottingham, UK.
The new facility will cover a more optimum delivery area, accommodating 133 new delivery routes, and ensure the operation can handle the parcel volume growth predicted in the area through to 2025.
The parcel carrier has also opened a new purpose-built 45,200ft² depot in Barking on the outskirts of London, a new location for the company. The new depot is ideally located with excellent access to road networks, enabling DPD to increase its delivery capacity within the M25 and across East London. The hub will service 149 new delivery routes.
When fully operational, the two new facilities will collectively create 384 new jobs in a range of roles including drivers, operations, warehousing and back office.
Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD, commented, “I’m delighted to announce the opening of these two new facilities, they enable us to increase our capacity and help ensure we continue to maintain the high level of services our customers have come to expect from us.
“Investment in new locations, larger, purpose-built depots and our new, larger DCs makes a huge difference to our operational efficiency. Nottingham gives us room to carry on growing, while gaining a new location within the M25 gives our drivers better access to major road networks, helping to improve mileage, journey times and CO₂ emissions.
“Our business has grown rapidly in the last few years due to the popularity of our innovative services which put consumers in control of their own delivery. The new facilities at Nottingham and Barking are the latest in our ongoing investment in our infrastructure and will help us continue to deliver a first-class service to businesses, online retailers and their customers for years to come.”
Source : https://www.postalandparceltechnologyinternational.com/news
The Spanish startup DelSúper makes the leap to B2B with CORREOS and creates the new brand Super Technologies
July 02, 2018
DelSúper was born as an aggregator of local supermarkets from which to make purchases for customers and now they offer their same-day delivery technology to online platforms, stores and markets under their new brand Super Technologies
Thanks to the synergy with CORREOS, it has evolved its business model, offering its technology to the B2B segment, offering the retailer the necessary technology to offer deliveries in 1 hour to its customers in a profitable way
They are already working in Zaragoza and, soon, in Madrid, with the postal and parcel company as a logistics partner
The Spanish startup was one of the winners of the first Lehnica Challenge and has benefited from CORREOS 'acceleration program for entrepreneurs for a year.
When there are only a few days until the five winners of the second edition of the Reto Lehnica , the contest for entrepreneurs of CORREOS, are announced, the winning companies of the first edition make a very positive assessment of their year of participation in this acceleration program launched fromCorreosLabs , the space for innovation and entrepreneurship of the postal and parcel company.
A prominent example is the Spanish startup DelSúper , which began its journey as a technological platform that allowed online shopping in supermarkets of the user to make deliveries in one hour. Its added value were its two key figures: the "supercomprador", which made the purchase as if it were the consumer itself - including fresh products and white label - and the "supercomputing", which was responsible for collecting the order and take it to the home.
Currently, a year after starting its collaboration with CORREOS, DelSúper has developed its technology and has evolved its business model so that it now offers it to customers in the B2B segment - such as online platforms, stores, supermarkets, etc. - with a new orientation in which they contribute their technology and CORREOS their logistical capacity to deal with the fast deliveries in 1 hour or in strips of one hour during the same day. This new approach has materialized under the launch of its new brand Super Technologies .
Thanks to the operational experience of three years making deliveries in 1 hour, Super Technologies is offering retailers the necessary technology so they can offer their end customers the same-day delivery solution, providing them with a solution that allows scalability and profitability of operations. The profitability, in fact, is the critical point of the same-day logistics and Super Technologies reaches a saving of 80% of the logistical costs thanks to its efficiency and automation of the processes.
"What started a year ago with the excitement of receiving a prize, has ended up being something bigger: the synergy of two companies that has made it possible to work on large projects that have been happening and that will revolutionize the same-day delivery," he explains. Juan Rivero , founder of the Spanish startup.
In January 2018, they launched the "MiZesta" project , promoted by the Retail Innovation Center of Zaragoza (TZir), which offers online purchases of fresh and supermarket products and their reception, in a single delivery, within the maximum period Two hours CORREOS is the logistics partner and its delivery people are those who deliver on the same day of fresh food, a novelty that has allowed the postal and parcel company to enter the thriving world of "Food Tech".
In addition, the project seeks to promote the digital transformation of local commerce and integrate it into the field of e-commerce, an unstoppable sales channel that every year increases its reach in Spain. Nine merchants from the Valdespartera market in Zaragoza , one of the reference markets in the city, and the Dia supermarket are already testing this new way of selling, without having to invest in their own online store, thanks to the technological development of Super Technologies and the logistics experience of CORREOS.
After this start, several projects are already underway to export this new concept of purchase and delivery to other locations. Soon, a similar initiative will be tested in Madrid.
"The alliance with CORREOS is giving us great security for clients and investors. That is why we are confident that we will continue to work together to offer our technological solutions to many other customers along with the logistics solution of CORREOS, " says Juan Rivero .
Reto Lehnica: springboard to success for entrepreneurs
The Spanish startup DelSúper -now, Super Technologies- was one of the winners of the first edition of the Lehnica Challenge, the contest for entrepreneurs launched from CorreosLabs , the laboratory for innovation and entrepreneurship of CORREOS. For one year, the startup has benefited from a customized acceleration program, with access to space and technological resources of CorreosLabs and mentoring by experts from CORREOS, as well as financial assistance of up to 30,000 euros to start the project.
"CORREOS has shown speed and flexibility of execution outside of the usual in large companies. It has resulted from the best technological partners we have had and with a logistical muscle beyond doubt, " says Juan Rivero .
CorreosLabs represents CORREOS 'commitment to continue innovating in the logistics and transport sector in a broad sense, capturing the best startups in the market and taking advantage of their solutions for the sector. It is another example of the work that the postal and parcel company is developing to promote internal and external entrepreneurship, explore new business routes, modernize and improve the services it provides and support the development of entrepreneurs and the business sector in Spain.
Source : http://www.correos.es/ss/Satellite/site/info_corporativa
Swiss Post decides not to increase prices for letters and parcels
June 29, 2018
It will not become more expensive to send letters and parcels in the coming year. Swiss Post has decided not to increase prices for letters and parcels in 2019. This was agreed upon jointly by Swiss Post and the price regulator. In addition, Swiss Post will refrain from charging the customs inspection fee of 13 francs for another year.
Swiss Post has not increased its prices for A and B Mail letters for 14 years. Despite shrinking mail volumes and a difficult market environment, Swiss Post will again refrain from raising prices next year – and this also applies to parcels. (Economy and Priority) This was agreed upon jointly by Swiss Post and the price regulator. While it is good news for customers, it means a decrease in revenue for Swiss Post. Swiss Post needs cost-oriented and market-driven prices in order to remain competitive. Combined with the waiver of the customs inspection fee, Swiss Post will forgo millions of francs in revenue in 2019, by mutual agreement with the price regulator. This comes at a time when customer behaviour is rapidly changing in an increasingly digitized world. Swiss Post relies on profits in order to finance the universal service from its own funds, continue to develop and meet customers’ modern demands.
Swiss Post to seek dialogue for the years 2020 onwards
Swiss Post’s core business is continually declining. The volume of letters and over-the-counter transactions has been shrinking for years, and low interest rates mean that Swiss Post’s profits have steadily fallen in recent years. For this reason, Swiss Post will seek dialogue with the price regulator in the coming year in order to discuss the pricing structure for letters and parcels from 2020.
There will be no general price increases for letters and parcels in 2019. For some less heavily used products, there may be selective minor price modifications. These will come into force at the beginning of 2019. Swiss Post will individually inform any customers who are affected.
Source : https://www.post.ch
Record High For UK Next-Day Deliveries
June 29, 2018
Online retail parcel delivery order volumes in the UK were up 14.8% year-on-year in May, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index.
In a statement issued today (29 June), IMRG added: “The shift over toward faster fulfilment was evident in May, when use of next-day / specified-day services hit a record high for this time of the year – at 37% of UK-delivered orders – as retailers look to use quality of experience, such as the delivery offer, to win and retain customers in what has proved to be an increasingly difficult and complex overall retail environment in 2018.”
On the downside, the ever-rising tide of parcel volumes and more consumers taking advantage of the faster options have led to more late deliveries.
According to IMRG: “While the percentage of orders using fast fulfilment options reached a high in May, that pressure, combined with strong volume growth, is likely to be a chief cause of a drop in on-time delivery performance, which reached its lowest May level in the history of the Index (88%). This is also the first time the percentage of deliveries arriving on-time has dipped beneath 90% in May.”
Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director, IMRG, added: “IMRG have carried out shopper surveys every year for the past nine years and what’s interesting about the move toward faster fulfilment is that customers haven’t really been asking for it – these studies have consistently found that two days is still perfectly acceptable. As technology and processes have evolved however, industry has come to view it as a potential differentiator in acquiring and retaining customers and their expectations are changing in line with that over time.”
This is a revealing observation, and it chimes with the findings of Triangle’s UK Domestic B2B and B2C Express Parcels Distribution Surveys.
Writing on Post&Parcel earlier this month, Triangle Research’s Agustin Maril suggested that the need for speed was coming not such from the online shoppers but from the retailers, who see fast delivery as a way to get ahead of the pack.
Maril added: “More consumers are using next day or even same day delivery – and often they are doing this simply because the service is on offer and they want to get their money’s worth.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info
Royal Mail plant & facilities members to vote on pay deal
June 29 2018
Hundreds of engineers, cleaners and admin workers working for Royal Mail’s plant and facilities services division (RMP&FS) will be voting on a deal providing a consolidated pay rise, improvements to overtime, stand-by and call-out rates and extra lump-sum payments to cleaners.
The agreement, which was negotiated between the CWU and RMP&FS senior management, will, if approved in the ballot, be backdated to April 1 and will be paid out in members’ July pay packets.
CWU assistant secretary Ray Ellis said: “The consolidated pay element of the deal is a 2.5 per cent increase flowing through to London Weighting, Scottish Distant Islands Allowance and pensionable allowances.”
This represents a significant improvement on the company’s previous offer of 2 per cent, while the consolidation of ABP allowances for engineers and admin grades, and an additional £120 lump sum for cleaners – due in December and to be consolidated at the end of March, raising the overall value for a cleaner on max by 3.25 per cent, he explained.
Mick Kavanagh, who is currently covering for Mark Baulch as acting assistant secretary, highlighted another positive element to the deal in the introduction of a new overtime multiplier for cleaners – weekdays x1.2, Saturdays x1.5 and Sunday x2.
“The significant improvement in overtime rates deals with a major issue of concern for cleaning members in a positive way going forward,” he said.
The postal executive has endorsed the negotiators’ recommendation of the deal and the ballot of RMP&FS members will commence on July 11
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
No 54 -2018
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
DPD opens new distribution center and depot. July 3, 2018.
The Spanish startup DelSúper makes the leap to B2B with CORREOS and creates the new brand Super Technologies. July 02, 2018.
Swiss Post decides not to increase prices for letters and parcels. June 29, 2018.
Record High For UK Next-Day Deliveries. June 29, 2018.
Royal Mail plant & facilities members to vote on pay deal. June 29 2018.
DPD opens new distribution center and depot
July 3, 2018
DPD has opened two new, purpose-built facilities as part of its ongoing investment program to expand network capacity and improve efficiency.
DPD has relocated its Nottingham depot to a new 60,000ft² state-of-the-art distribution center (DC) at Blenheim Park Road in Nottingham, UK.
The new facility will cover a more optimum delivery area, accommodating 133 new delivery routes, and ensure the operation can handle the parcel volume growth predicted in the area through to 2025.
The parcel carrier has also opened a new purpose-built 45,200ft² depot in Barking on the outskirts of London, a new location for the company. The new depot is ideally located with excellent access to road networks, enabling DPD to increase its delivery capacity within the M25 and across East London. The hub will service 149 new delivery routes.
When fully operational, the two new facilities will collectively create 384 new jobs in a range of roles including drivers, operations, warehousing and back office.
Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD, commented, “I’m delighted to announce the opening of these two new facilities, they enable us to increase our capacity and help ensure we continue to maintain the high level of services our customers have come to expect from us.
“Investment in new locations, larger, purpose-built depots and our new, larger DCs makes a huge difference to our operational efficiency. Nottingham gives us room to carry on growing, while gaining a new location within the M25 gives our drivers better access to major road networks, helping to improve mileage, journey times and CO₂ emissions.
“Our business has grown rapidly in the last few years due to the popularity of our innovative services which put consumers in control of their own delivery. The new facilities at Nottingham and Barking are the latest in our ongoing investment in our infrastructure and will help us continue to deliver a first-class service to businesses, online retailers and their customers for years to come.”
Source : https://www.postalandparceltechnologyinternational.com/news
The Spanish startup DelSúper makes the leap to B2B with CORREOS and creates the new brand Super Technologies
July 02, 2018
DelSúper was born as an aggregator of local supermarkets from which to make purchases for customers and now they offer their same-day delivery technology to online platforms, stores and markets under their new brand Super Technologies
Thanks to the synergy with CORREOS, it has evolved its business model, offering its technology to the B2B segment, offering the retailer the necessary technology to offer deliveries in 1 hour to its customers in a profitable way
They are already working in Zaragoza and, soon, in Madrid, with the postal and parcel company as a logistics partner
The Spanish startup was one of the winners of the first Lehnica Challenge and has benefited from CORREOS 'acceleration program for entrepreneurs for a year.
When there are only a few days until the five winners of the second edition of the Reto Lehnica , the contest for entrepreneurs of CORREOS, are announced, the winning companies of the first edition make a very positive assessment of their year of participation in this acceleration program launched fromCorreosLabs , the space for innovation and entrepreneurship of the postal and parcel company.
A prominent example is the Spanish startup DelSúper , which began its journey as a technological platform that allowed online shopping in supermarkets of the user to make deliveries in one hour. Its added value were its two key figures: the "supercomprador", which made the purchase as if it were the consumer itself - including fresh products and white label - and the "supercomputing", which was responsible for collecting the order and take it to the home.
Currently, a year after starting its collaboration with CORREOS, DelSúper has developed its technology and has evolved its business model so that it now offers it to customers in the B2B segment - such as online platforms, stores, supermarkets, etc. - with a new orientation in which they contribute their technology and CORREOS their logistical capacity to deal with the fast deliveries in 1 hour or in strips of one hour during the same day. This new approach has materialized under the launch of its new brand Super Technologies .
Thanks to the operational experience of three years making deliveries in 1 hour, Super Technologies is offering retailers the necessary technology so they can offer their end customers the same-day delivery solution, providing them with a solution that allows scalability and profitability of operations. The profitability, in fact, is the critical point of the same-day logistics and Super Technologies reaches a saving of 80% of the logistical costs thanks to its efficiency and automation of the processes.
"What started a year ago with the excitement of receiving a prize, has ended up being something bigger: the synergy of two companies that has made it possible to work on large projects that have been happening and that will revolutionize the same-day delivery," he explains. Juan Rivero , founder of the Spanish startup.
In January 2018, they launched the "MiZesta" project , promoted by the Retail Innovation Center of Zaragoza (TZir), which offers online purchases of fresh and supermarket products and their reception, in a single delivery, within the maximum period Two hours CORREOS is the logistics partner and its delivery people are those who deliver on the same day of fresh food, a novelty that has allowed the postal and parcel company to enter the thriving world of "Food Tech".
In addition, the project seeks to promote the digital transformation of local commerce and integrate it into the field of e-commerce, an unstoppable sales channel that every year increases its reach in Spain. Nine merchants from the Valdespartera market in Zaragoza , one of the reference markets in the city, and the Dia supermarket are already testing this new way of selling, without having to invest in their own online store, thanks to the technological development of Super Technologies and the logistics experience of CORREOS.
After this start, several projects are already underway to export this new concept of purchase and delivery to other locations. Soon, a similar initiative will be tested in Madrid.
"The alliance with CORREOS is giving us great security for clients and investors. That is why we are confident that we will continue to work together to offer our technological solutions to many other customers along with the logistics solution of CORREOS, " says Juan Rivero .
Reto Lehnica: springboard to success for entrepreneurs
The Spanish startup DelSúper -now, Super Technologies- was one of the winners of the first edition of the Lehnica Challenge, the contest for entrepreneurs launched from CorreosLabs , the laboratory for innovation and entrepreneurship of CORREOS. For one year, the startup has benefited from a customized acceleration program, with access to space and technological resources of CorreosLabs and mentoring by experts from CORREOS, as well as financial assistance of up to 30,000 euros to start the project.
"CORREOS has shown speed and flexibility of execution outside of the usual in large companies. It has resulted from the best technological partners we have had and with a logistical muscle beyond doubt, " says Juan Rivero .
CorreosLabs represents CORREOS 'commitment to continue innovating in the logistics and transport sector in a broad sense, capturing the best startups in the market and taking advantage of their solutions for the sector. It is another example of the work that the postal and parcel company is developing to promote internal and external entrepreneurship, explore new business routes, modernize and improve the services it provides and support the development of entrepreneurs and the business sector in Spain.
Source : http://www.correos.es/ss/Satellite/site/info_corporativa
Swiss Post decides not to increase prices for letters and parcels
June 29, 2018
It will not become more expensive to send letters and parcels in the coming year. Swiss Post has decided not to increase prices for letters and parcels in 2019. This was agreed upon jointly by Swiss Post and the price regulator. In addition, Swiss Post will refrain from charging the customs inspection fee of 13 francs for another year.
Swiss Post has not increased its prices for A and B Mail letters for 14 years. Despite shrinking mail volumes and a difficult market environment, Swiss Post will again refrain from raising prices next year – and this also applies to parcels. (Economy and Priority) This was agreed upon jointly by Swiss Post and the price regulator. While it is good news for customers, it means a decrease in revenue for Swiss Post. Swiss Post needs cost-oriented and market-driven prices in order to remain competitive. Combined with the waiver of the customs inspection fee, Swiss Post will forgo millions of francs in revenue in 2019, by mutual agreement with the price regulator. This comes at a time when customer behaviour is rapidly changing in an increasingly digitized world. Swiss Post relies on profits in order to finance the universal service from its own funds, continue to develop and meet customers’ modern demands.
Swiss Post to seek dialogue for the years 2020 onwards
Swiss Post’s core business is continually declining. The volume of letters and over-the-counter transactions has been shrinking for years, and low interest rates mean that Swiss Post’s profits have steadily fallen in recent years. For this reason, Swiss Post will seek dialogue with the price regulator in the coming year in order to discuss the pricing structure for letters and parcels from 2020.
There will be no general price increases for letters and parcels in 2019. For some less heavily used products, there may be selective minor price modifications. These will come into force at the beginning of 2019. Swiss Post will individually inform any customers who are affected.
Source : https://www.post.ch
Record High For UK Next-Day Deliveries
June 29, 2018
Online retail parcel delivery order volumes in the UK were up 14.8% year-on-year in May, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index.
In a statement issued today (29 June), IMRG added: “The shift over toward faster fulfilment was evident in May, when use of next-day / specified-day services hit a record high for this time of the year – at 37% of UK-delivered orders – as retailers look to use quality of experience, such as the delivery offer, to win and retain customers in what has proved to be an increasingly difficult and complex overall retail environment in 2018.”
On the downside, the ever-rising tide of parcel volumes and more consumers taking advantage of the faster options have led to more late deliveries.
According to IMRG: “While the percentage of orders using fast fulfilment options reached a high in May, that pressure, combined with strong volume growth, is likely to be a chief cause of a drop in on-time delivery performance, which reached its lowest May level in the history of the Index (88%). This is also the first time the percentage of deliveries arriving on-time has dipped beneath 90% in May.”
Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director, IMRG, added: “IMRG have carried out shopper surveys every year for the past nine years and what’s interesting about the move toward faster fulfilment is that customers haven’t really been asking for it – these studies have consistently found that two days is still perfectly acceptable. As technology and processes have evolved however, industry has come to view it as a potential differentiator in acquiring and retaining customers and their expectations are changing in line with that over time.”
This is a revealing observation, and it chimes with the findings of Triangle’s UK Domestic B2B and B2C Express Parcels Distribution Surveys.
Writing on Post&Parcel earlier this month, Triangle Research’s Agustin Maril suggested that the need for speed was coming not such from the online shoppers but from the retailers, who see fast delivery as a way to get ahead of the pack.
Maril added: “More consumers are using next day or even same day delivery – and often they are doing this simply because the service is on offer and they want to get their money’s worth.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info
Royal Mail plant & facilities members to vote on pay deal
June 29 2018
Hundreds of engineers, cleaners and admin workers working for Royal Mail’s plant and facilities services division (RMP&FS) will be voting on a deal providing a consolidated pay rise, improvements to overtime, stand-by and call-out rates and extra lump-sum payments to cleaners.
The agreement, which was negotiated between the CWU and RMP&FS senior management, will, if approved in the ballot, be backdated to April 1 and will be paid out in members’ July pay packets.
CWU assistant secretary Ray Ellis said: “The consolidated pay element of the deal is a 2.5 per cent increase flowing through to London Weighting, Scottish Distant Islands Allowance and pensionable allowances.”
This represents a significant improvement on the company’s previous offer of 2 per cent, while the consolidation of ABP allowances for engineers and admin grades, and an additional £120 lump sum for cleaners – due in December and to be consolidated at the end of March, raising the overall value for a cleaner on max by 3.25 per cent, he explained.
Mick Kavanagh, who is currently covering for Mark Baulch as acting assistant secretary, highlighted another positive element to the deal in the introduction of a new overtime multiplier for cleaners – weekdays x1.2, Saturdays x1.5 and Sunday x2.
“The significant improvement in overtime rates deals with a major issue of concern for cleaning members in a positive way going forward,” he said.
The postal executive has endorsed the negotiators’ recommendation of the deal and the ballot of RMP&FS members will commence on July 11
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
POSTAL NEWS
No 55 -2018
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Vote on the EU Mobility Package: Opportunity for a new social start. July 4, 2018.
BPOST Issues €650 M Long-Term Bond. July 4, 2018.
Financial situation of PostBus subsidiaries abroad not presented in full. July 3, 2018.
PostNL replaces car rides with electric carrier bikes in Utrecht. July 3, 2018.
ALIBABA Signs Broad Partnership with France’s Bolloré Group. July 2, 2018.
Vote on the EU Mobility Package: Opportunity for a new social start
July 4, 2018
The European Parliament did not decide today (4.7.) On the mobility package, but instead referred the proposal back to the committee responsible for transport. The complex legislative process, which affects both road freight transport and the bus industry, is thus back to zero. "Now the opportunity for a social new beginning must be used. It must be possible to regulate Europe-wide competition fairly and sustainably in the interests of employees and their companies. The social upheavals must not be further fueled, "said Deputy Chairman of the United Services Union (ver.di) Andrea Kocsis.
From ver.di's point of view, existing rules on driving time and rest periods must not be impaired either for bus drivers or for truck drivers. The posting directive must apply without exception to all employees (bus drivers and truck drivers) and all types of transport (international traffic and cabotage) from the first day onwards. And cabotage should not be further liberalized. Over the past few weeks, the union has vigorously warned against further wage dumping and the destruction of tariff-protected jobs in the coach and freight forwarding industry.
Source : https://psl.verdi.de/presse
BPOST Issues €650 M Long-Term Bond
July 4, 2018
bpost has announced that it has issued a €650m 8-year bond, two times oversubscribed, with a coupon of 1.25%.
The company said that the transaction will serve to refinance the November 2017 acquisition of Radial Holdings “at very good financial conditions”.
Koen Van Gerven, CEO of bpost, commented: “Following the award of an A credit rating by Standard & Poor’s in June 2018, this bond offering allows us to take another step towards the execution of our strategic plan. This transaction confirms the long-term confidence of investors.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/97214/news
Financial situation of PostBus subsidiaries abroad not presented in full
July 3, 2018
The recently published enquiry report by law firm Kellerhals Carrard indicates that PostBus diverted hidden profits. Swiss Post has investigated this matter thoroughly over the past few weeks. Their investigations confirm that, between 2007 and 2012, PostBus paid hidden profits to the Swiss Post parent company for which there was no justification. It has also been revealed that, for years, CarPostal France and PostBus Liechtenstein were not charged for all services. This means a full picture of the economic viability of PostBus’s operations abroad was not given in the past. Swiss Post has decided upon measures to ensure this cannot happen again, and is now also reviewing its future operations in Liechtenstein.
In-depth investigations conducted by Swiss Post now confirm that, between 2007 and 2012, PostBus diverted hidden profits to the parent company at the time in the form of illicit licence fees for the benefit of the PostBus brand. This resulted in around 67 million francs in total being paid by PostBus to its parent company between 2007 – 2012. In a regulated market with licensed providers, there is no justification for paying a licence fee for the PostBus brand. Such a practice enabled profits at PostBus Switzerland Ltd to be kept correspondingly low, and is unacceptable.
The enquiry report by Kellerhals Carrard also shows that whilst hidden profits were being diverted to the Group, funds totalling a similar amount were invested in PostBus's operations abroad, and so there is reason to suspect that profits generated unlawfully have helped expand these operations. In fact, these higher profits essentially resulted in greater financial strength. The Group’s overall liquidity was high enough, however, to ensure funding from the Group, even without the excess compensatory payments received.
Subsidiaries abroad not charged for all services
It should be said that the hidden profits paid by PostBus to the parent company had no impact on profits in either foreign subsidiary. However, certain costs were not charged either to CarPostal France or PostBus Liechtenstein over a number of years. The strategic decisions taken at the time were legitimate, but from today’s perspective need to be examined critically. Had the costs been allocated differently at the direct expense of the foreign subsidiaries, then the positive EBIT would not have been reached until later at least in France. For PostBus Liechtenstein a positive EBIT may not have resulted in recent years under such circumstances. In light of these findings, the company's future operations in Liechtenstein are now coming under scrutiny, with a view to the licence renewal in 2021.
The economic viability of PostBus's operations abroad were thus not made entirely clear in the past, which reveals an additional weakness in the financial management of PostBus at the time.
Package of measures at PostBus to be extended to operations abroad
Executive Management has given a high priority to implementing the Group's functional financial management at PostBus. The plan is for PostBus to be subject to the same financial management as all of the Group’s other units. Work to this end has already begun, with the ultimate aim being to ensure these events can never happen again. Swiss Post will try to provide answers in response to these issues and to the review of responsibilities that has already been announced, and it will also clarify legal responsibilities.
Source: https://www.ipc.be/en/News-Portal/general-news
PostNL replaces car rides with electric carrier bikes in Utrecht
July 3 2018
PostNL is replacing 20 daily car rides with diesel-powered delivery vans in Utrecht with a more sustainable way of delivering using electric carrier bikes and small electric vehicles. These will be deployed to deliver business mail to companies and empty more than 150 letterboxes in the city. In the evening, part of the parcels will be delivered using electric carrier bikes. This way, PostNL aims to contribute to a cleaner city centre and to improve accessibility.
560 green delivery kilometres in Utrecht every day
PostNL has opted for the electric carrier bike, as the company intends to green its transport movements. The electric carrier bike is emission-free and often faster than cars in busy city centres. By deploying electric carrier bikes, PostNL is replacing 20 car rides every day. This means 560 emission-free delivery kilometres a day, and a CO² emission reduction of approximately 35,000 kg per year. A special transfer location has been created in the Utrecht city centre, from which deliveries are made.
Clean deliveries in city centres
For years, postmen have delivered their post on foot or by bicycle. PostNL deploys delivery vans for emptying letterboxes and collecting and delivering large numbers of business mail. A test to replace these delivery vans with electric carrier bikes and small electric vehicles (Stints) was carried out in the Amsterdam city centre in 2016. In 2017, PostNL started making deliveries with 60 electric carrier bikes, replacing 100 car rides in our capital every day. In the Leeuwarden city centre, PostNL delivers both mail and parcels entirely emission-free using electric cars and small electric vehicles. After Utrecht and Leeuwarden and Amsterdam, PostNL is planning to deploy electric carrier bikes in about ten cities in 2018. In addition, parcels are increasingly delivered using green gas and electric cars. As a major logistics e-commerce service provider, PostNL aims for fully emission-free deliveries in 25 city centres by 2025. For this purpose, PostNL signed the Zero Emission City Logistics Green Deal together with various government bodies and other businesses.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/news/2018
ALIBABA Signs Broad Partnership With France’s Bolloré Group
July 2, 2018
Alibaba Group and French conglomerate Bolloré Group have signed a wide-ranging agreement to partner in the areas of cloud services, digital transformation, clean energy and mobility and logistics.
The two companies announced the agreement in Paris Monday. They said their business units and subsidiaries, including Alibaba Cloud, Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, Bolloré Logistics and Blue Solutions, will collaborate on related projects while also sharing expertise on their respective markets. For Bolloré, that includes Europe, as well as Africa.
“We are delighted to have concluded this comprehensive partnership agreement with a leading international company such as Alibaba Group,” said Cyrille Bolloré, vice chairman and managing director of Bolloré Group, in a statement. “We are looking forward to working with them and their subsidiaries to develop business in our respective markets and join forces in other parts of the world.”
Puteaux, France-based Bolloré owns businesses across sectors including transportation and logistics, plastics and paper and media and advertising, as well as electricity storage and electric vehicles. Alibaba Cloud said it would deliver a suite of services that include cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, a content delivery network and security solutions to help support those businesses as well as draw on Bolloré’s industry knowledge to “create a joint value proposition” for customers.
“The sophisticated cloud services provided by Alibaba Cloud and the expertise of Bolloré Group will complement each other and create synergy in servicing our customers more effectively as well as providing them the opportunity to succeed in digital age,” Alibaba Cloud President Simon Hu said.
Alibaba is also partnering with Bolloré’s battery-making division, Blue Solutions, on ways to bring internet applications, such as voice control, multimedia, navigation and autonomous driving, to electric cars and buses. The companies will also research ways to leverage Blue Solutions’ electricity-storage capabilities for clean-energy solutions at Alibaba’s data centers, in addition to exploring car-sharing services in China.
For logistics, Cainiao and Bolloré will seek ways to cooperate in their respective hubs and networks in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. They will also share best practices and will look into the development of some joint software and data management solutions.
“As a global technology company, digital transformation and innovation in all fields are fundamental drivers of Alibaba’s mission of making it easy to do business anywhere, with the ultimate goal of better serving our consumers and stakeholders worldwide, today and tomorrow,” Alibaba Group General Manager in Europe Terry von Bibra said.
“Hence, we are confident that the expertise and skills brought by both partner groups will generate incredible value and opportunities as the partnership unfolds,” he said.
Source : https://www.alizila.com