POSTAL NEWS
No 58 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Millions of items shipped in one day or faster during Amazon prime event. July 18, 2019.
Royal Mail rolls out advanced technology to speed up parcel sorting in its Bristol Mail Centre. July 18, 2019.
FO claims general wage increase. July 18, 2019.
Australia Post to offer same-day wine delivery. July 17, 2019.
Would-be Postal Regulators pledge to hold mailing agency more accountable. July 16, 2019.
Millions of items shipped in one day or faster during Amazon prime event
July 18, 2019
Amazon has announced that over the two days of Prime Day, on July 15 and 16, Prime members purchased more than 175 million item and sales surpassed the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
Prime members worldwide saved more than one billion dollars throughout Prime Day and millions of items shipped in one day or faster using Prime Free One-Day, Prime Free Same-Day, or Prime Now worldwide – making it the fastest Prime Day ever.
Members in 18 countries shopped – double the number since the first Prime Day five years ago.
“We want to thank Prime members all around the world,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “Members purchased millions of Alexa-enabled devices, received tens of millions of dollars in savings by shopping from Whole Foods Market and bought more than $2 billion of products from independent small and medium-sized businesses. Huge thank you to Amazonians everywhere who made this day possible for customers.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/109356/news
Royal Mail rolls out advanced technology to speed up parcel sorting in its Bristol Mail Centre
July 18, 2019
Royal Mail has installed automated parcel sortation machinery in its Bristol Mail Centre to speed up the processing of parcels.
The new technology replaces a manual sorting process that can be both time consuming and physically demanding, often requiring two separate sorts to get parcels in the right place for despatch.
It will also increase Royal Mail’s capacity to process parcels at peak volumes by enhancing efficiency. Currently about 12 per cent of our parcels are machine sorted. The Company plans to increase that to over 80 per cent within five years. This has obvious productivity benefits.
The Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM) is an intelligent system of conveyor belts and scanning technology that automatically sorts parcels for despatch to mail centres across the country.
The move comes as the Company upgrades its national network by rolling out parcel sorting machinery to all mail centres across the UK. The technology is being deployed to manage better the growing volumes of parcels that enter the Royal Mail network on a daily basis. It brings the sortation of parcels more in line with the sortation of letters, 90% of which are processed by automated machinery.
As the Universal Service Provider, the Company provides the delivery backbone for e-commerce in the UK. Parcels generated by UK retailers continue to be a key growth area for the Company. Within all size categories, next day parcels are expected to significantly outpace growth in other delivery time categories.
The parcel sorting technology is now operational in 12 Mail Centres in Bristol, Swindon, Hemel Hempstead, Chelmsford, Greenford, Warrington, South Midlands (Northampton), Jubilee, Gatwick, Birmingham, Leeds and Preston.
Faster parcel sorting
The new technology replaces a manual sorting process that can be both time consuming and arduous, often requiring two separate sorts to get parcels in the right place for despatch.
Under the new system, parcels are tipped onto a conveyor belt at the front end of the machine before being manually placed onto individual cells on two conveyor belts. The parcels then enter Dimension Weight Scan areas which use bar scanning technology to read the destination of 2D barcoded items. For those items that do not have a barcode, the machine uses Optical Character Recognition technology to read the postcodes.
Once the machine has registered the destination address of a parcel, the item travels along the conveyor belt on the sorter until it reaches the appropriate container. At this point, the tray opens up and the parcel drops into the container ready to be taken to vehicles for despatch.
The machine is capable of sorting parcels to 81 different destinations within the Royal Mail network, covering the entire length and breadth of the country. It can handle parcels from the size of a CD up to an item slightly bigger than a 45cm by 35cm by 20cm tray - around the size of two shoe boxes side by side or a school rucksack - with a weight range of up to 3kg.
Additional benefits
With its bar scanning technology, the machine is also able to process tracked items much more quickly.
“The roll out of this new technology is transforming the way Royal Mail processes parcels which are continuing to grow in volumes,” said Simon Barker, National Operations Director, Royal Mail. “The technology will help us to speed up the passage of parcels to local mail centres. We have worked closely with our unions throughout this programme, and colleagues who work on the machine have said they prefer the quality of work compared to manual sorting.”
As part of its five-year strategic plan, the Company is investing around £1.8 billion over five years in the UK’s postal service. The c £1.8 billion investment programme will focus on customer service improvements, digital initiatives, network enhancements and new ways of working to deliver more productivity and efficiency. This initiative will help fund the UK’s Universal Service. The planned investment brings to almost £4 billion the amount Royal Mail has invested in the UK since 2013, the year of its flotation, when it became one of the most widely-held FTSE stocks.
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases
FO claims general wage increase
July 18, 2019
While La Poste prides itself on presenting minimum wages above the SMIC * in its 2018 Social Report, FO continues to claim the increase in wages for everyone in the company.
From class I to groups B and C, the average remuneration is 1932 euros net for employees and 2219 euros net for civil servants (excluding bonuses and variable shares). FO notes that the average net salary at La Poste is very low despite mandatory annual negotiations (NAO) and repeated FO demands.
50% of postal workers earn less than 1800 euros per month. Indeed, from class I to class II, 10.4% of agents are paid less than 1400 euros monthly , 21.2% of agents have between 1400 and 1600 euros monthly, 10.5% of agents have between 1600 and 1800 euros monthly and 15.4% agents who have between 1800 and 2000 euros monthly. From class III, 11.1% of agents are paid between 2000 and 2200 euros monthly, 9.7% have between 2200 and 2600 euros monthly and 4.7% have between 2600 and 3000 euros monthly. From Groups A, B and C, 7% of agents are paid more than 3000 euros monthly.
Like the general wage increase, FO claims for each postman a salary worthy of the name by respecting the principle of " equal work, equal pay ".
FO claims the implementation of the 13 th month for all and the end of the gel index point of the Civil Service with a catch cumulative purchasing power losses since 2000.
* SMIC: Minimum Interprofessional Growth Salary
Source : http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
Australia Post to offer same-day wine delivery
July 17, 2019
The country’s postal service has announced plans to partner with a listed technology business to offer same-day delivery of wines and other beverages to Australian retailers.
Australia Post said that it is partnering with ASX-listed Digital Wine Ventures to launch a new service called WINEDEPOT.
In a joint statement, the companies described the new partnership as “a vertically integrated trading and logistics platform aimed at servicing Australia’s multibillion-dollar wine industry”.
Designed to cater for all facets of the supply chain — including producers, importers, distributors and retailers — WINEDEPOT will create four depots within existing Australia Post distribution centres, with one each in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
With that comes staffing, warehousing, infrastructure and back-end IT systems provided by Australia Post. Orders will flow directly into Australia Post’s fulfillment channels.
“Each depot will hold a very broad range of suppliers inventory on consignment, which can be accessed by a range of sales channels. As orders are processed through our platform, they are routed to the depot closest to the delivery address where they are picked, packed (by bottle or case) and drop-shipped to the end customer,” said Dean Taylor, CEO of Digital Wine Ventures.
“Depots are then automatically replenished on a bi-weekly basis from WINEDEPOT’s regional bulk storage facilities on behalf of suppliers.”
According to Mr Taylor, the use of Australia Post’s distribution centres will remove “the typical need for collection, transfer and sortation”, which he said will reduce handling and costs and, ultimately, delivery times.
He also expressed a hope that the learnings from this partnership will unlock opportunities to expand into other countries, as early as next year, citing New Zealand, China, Singapore, the UK and the US as potential target markets.
Australia Post’s head of growth products, Paul Hersbach, said the postal giant sees potential to “transform” the wine supply chain through the partnership.
“Australia Post is always looking for ways to support Australian businesses, particularly those in regional areas, where most wineries are located,” he said.
“As wine is heavy, bulky and fragile, shipping one case at a time from regional areas to consumers in major cities drives higher costs and increases risk of damage to consumer product. WINEDEPOT’s model will address many of these limitations and provide a much-improved overall customer experience.”
Mr Hersbach continued: “Our partnership with WINEDEPOT provides the wine industry with a specialised distribution service that will not only save money but also improve the consumer delivery experience. We believe that it will help many wine businesses increase their online sales, as they place their inventory closer to end consumers and offer same-day evening delivery as a standard service.”
The partnership is for an initial five-year term with 12-month exclusivity. The companies said they have agreed a schedule of fees, and there are no minimum-use requirements in place.
According to its website, Digital Wine Ventures is a company that “invests in technology-driven businesses servicing the global wine and beverage industry”.
Source : https://www.mybusiness.com.au/sales
Would-be Postal Regulators pledge to hold mailing agency more accountable
July 16, 2019
Two potential U.S. Postal Service regulators want to take new steps to ensure the mailing agency is delivering mail on time and meeting all of its performance goals, the nominees told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Ann Fisher and Ashley Poling would fill two vacancies on the Postal Regulatory Commission, which approves USPS rates, tracks negotiated agreements and provides other oversight functions. Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee expressed support for the nominees, both of whom formerly worked for the panel.
Fisher has spent the last 12 years at PRC after her experience on Capitol Hill, while Poling has spent the last five years working on postal issues for Democrats on the committee. Both nominees said finding ways to incentivize USPS to meet its goals would be a key priority if confirmed to their roles.
“The No. 1 issue is performance,” Fisher said.
Poling questioned the data USPS provides to PRC and Congress, noting when it last revised its delivery standards—largely eliminating overnight delivery and slowing other timeframes to enable large-scale processing plant closures—the agency realized just 5.6% of its projected savings.
“One thing I want to explore is, is there more that can be done in terms of holding USPS accountable?” Poling said.
Both nominees also highlighted the ongoing review of the Postal Service’s rate-setting system.
The plan PRC put forward in 2017 would deny the Postal Service’s request to have full autonomy in establishing its prices, but proposed new caps to allow USPS to increase its rates by more than the previous inflation-based ceiling. Fisher and Poling identified the finalizing of a pricing system that provides stability to USPS customers as the top step PRC could take without legislation to help improve the mailing agency’s fiscal outlook.
Poling suggested PRC give the Postal Service additional flexibility in setting its rates if the agency meets its performance goals. She also said PRC should provide “more thorough oversight” of USPS’ negotiated agreements that provide discounts to large-scale mailers, a key priority for President Trump who has insisted—without evidence—that Amazon is receiving a cushy deal.
Fisher briefly touched on an issue long considered a third-rail in efforts to reform the Postal Service, suggesting PRC provide an updated look at the universal service obligation and its statutory monopolies.
“I would love for the commission to provide Congress with food for thought to help them move ahead in these areas,” Fisher said.
The Trump administration has proposed its own ideas for reforming the Postal Service, including a more aggressive pricing model. A task force Trump created suggested maintaining the existing methodology for “essential services”—a term used to include, among other things, person-to-person mail and packages, bills and government mailings—while charging more for commercial deliveries, such as e-commerce packages, marketing mail and advertising mail.
Source : https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/07
POSTAL NEWS
No 57 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Nationwide appeal in memory of Kelly. July 17, 2019.
DHL Supply Chain partners Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia Pacific. July 16, 2019.
Poste Italiane opens Italy’s largest e-commerce logistics centre. July 16, 2019.
Royal Mail marks the return of The Open to Royal Portrush with a special postbox and postmark. July 15, 2019.
FM Logistic’s double-digit growth a sign of ‘customer confidence’. July 12, 2019.
Nationwide appeal in memory of Kelly
July 17, 2019
CWU members across the UK will have the chance to donate to the Kelly Mary Fauvrelle Appeal Fund in a nationwide fundraiser next week.
Tuesday 23rd July is being earmarked for the day when units all around the country will be able to hold workplace collections to raise support for the family of Ms Fauvrelle, a postwoman from Croydon Delivery Office who was brutally murdered last month.
Adding further tragedy, at the time of her death Kelly had been eight months pregnant and her baby, a boy who the family named Riley, tragically died the following week.
As well as helping the bereaved family through this traumatic time, the CWU Appeal is also aimed at assisting organisations campaigning against knife crime and a lasting memorial to Kelly and her son.
Announcing the nationwide initiative yesterday, our general secretary Dave Ward said that it had been launched in response to requests from a number of members and branches and asked all branches to participate if possible.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to CWU members and the public for their outpouring of support following these tragic events,” said Dave, adding: “We know your thoughts and support are really appreciated by the family and our members in the Croydon office.”
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
DHL Supply Chain partners Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia Pacific
July 16, 2019
This is the first smart warehouse for DHL in Asia Pacific to deploy the digital twin technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets.
DHL Supply Chain, the global market leader for contract logistics solutions, has successfully implemented an integrated supply chain solution for Tetra Pak's warehouse in Singapore, one of its largest globally.
This is the first smart warehouse for DHL in Asia Pacific to deploy the digital twin technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets.
"Tetra Pak is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company serving the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries, and we are proud to play a part in their vision to make food safe and available everywhere," said Jerome Gillet, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines. "By jointly implementing a digital solution to support Tetra Pak's warehousing and transport operations, this collaboration is a great example for smart warehouses of the future to deliver agile, cost effective and scalable supply chain operations."
Combining the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with data analytics, DHL Supply Chain created a smart warehouse solution (video) for Tetra Pak by bridging its physical warehouse with a unique virtual representation that monitors and simulates both the physical state and behavior of the warehouse assets in real time. With this digital twin solution, Tetra Pak is able to maintain 24/7 coordination of its operations to resolve issues as they occur, particularly those that involve safety and productivity.
Warehouse supervisors can use real-time operational data to make informed decisions to reduce congestion, improve resource planning and allocate workload. Using IoT and proximity sensors on Materials Handling Equipment (MHE), spatial awareness is enhanced, thus reducing potential collision risks. Controlled areas with restricted access are also monitored with management alerts.
A DHL control tower monitors the flow of inbound and outbound goods to maintain time efficiency, ensuring goods are correctly shelved within 30 minutes of receipt, and delivery-bound goods are ready for shipment within 95 minutes.
To reduce operational risks and improve safety, DHL Supply Chain has implemented a container storage management solution that minimizes the need for employees to handle heavy containers. All employees are also trained to work within newly introduced safety measures.
"Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do at Tetra Pak. To keep the cogs of our operations turning seamlessly, it is vital that we have complementary warehousing and supply chain solutions that can meet the high demands of our customers. We are pleased with the successful implementation of this smart warehouse, and look forward to partnering DHL Supply Chain to further enhance our productivity and maintain our high safety standards in our supply chain operations," said Devraj Kumar, Director, Integrated Logistics, South Asia, East Asia & Oceania, Tetra Pak.
DHL Supply Chain has a proven track record in Singapore of leveraging knowledge and expertise gained through its international operations to meet customer requirements locally, which has allowed it to expand and strengthen its business in the country. The company offers third party logistics (3PL) solutions, allowing customers to fully outsource their logistics management and operations. Solutions include warehouse management, domestic transportation, service parts logistics, packaging design and recycling, all delivered through state-of-the-art IT solutions and project management techniques.
Source : https://www.dpdhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2019
Poste Italiane opens Italy’s largest e-commerce logistics centre
July 16, 2019
Poste Italiane has opened the largest e-commerce hub in Italy, which is located in the Bologna freight terminal and has a total surface of 75,000 sq m. Around 600 people will be employed in the new hub, that will feature modern technologies and robots capable of sorting 250,000 parcels daily. The company invested €50m in the hub. The construction took 17 months. Rooftop solar panels have also been installed, which according to Poste Italiane will reduce CO2 emissions by 225 tonnes.
The new hub is part of Poste Italiane’s strategy to achieve growth in the e-commerce logistics market on the back of technological investments, strategic partnerships and services which are tailored to the needs of Italian online consumers as well as e-tailers.
Matteo Del Fante, Poste Italiane CEO, said: “Enhancing the opportunities offered by the digitalisation and digital payments and mobile communication, the new Bologna centre will contribute towards the growth of the e-commerce market and digitalisation in Italy as outlined in the development plan ‘Deliver 2022’.”
As part of this strategy, Poste Italiane previously introduced the ‘Joint Delivery Model’ for parcel delivery in the afternoon and during weekends. It also created ‘Punto Poste’, which is Poste Italiane’s network for the collection of online purchases and the delivery of returns, consisting of around 3,000 shops as well as 350 automated lockers.
Source : https://www.ti-insight.com
Royal Mail marks the return of The Open to Royal Portrush with a special postbox and postmark
July 15, 2019
As The Open returns to Royal Portrush for the first time in 68 years, Royal Mail unveils a special edition postbox honouring the legendary Championship in the town centre. Royal Mail is also marking the 148th Championship with a postmark, appearing on stamped mail from July 15 to July 16.
The Open is golf’s original Championship, played on the most famous links courses in the UK and one of the four major championships in professional golf. Every July the world’s best golfers compete for the iconic Claret Jug trophy and the title of Champion Golfer of the Year.
The 148th Open will be the largest ever sporting event to be held in Northern Ireland. Unprecedented demand for tickets led to The Open being sold out on Championship Days for the first time in its history.
The postbox is located in Portrush town centre and decorated with facts and graphics relating to The Open. The postbox will be decorated for the duration of the tournament.
Mark Street, Head of Campaigns at Royal Mail said: “At Royal Mail, we mark special events and anniversaries across the UK where we can. As one of the largest ever sporting events to be held in Northern Ireland, The 148th Open is a momentous occasion that we are proud to honour with a special postbox, as golf’s original Championship returns to Royal Portrush after almost 70 years.”
The postbox is situated on Main Street in Portrush town centre, just off Atlantic Avenue.
Neil Armit, Chief Commercial Officer at The R&A, said, “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and we are delighted that Royal Mail is celebrating the Championship’s historic return to Royal Portrush with a specially designed commemorative postbox to be situated in the town.”
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases
FM Logistic’s double-digit growth a sign of ‘customer confidence’
July 12, 2019
FM Logistic has reported revenues of €1,318 million in the year ending March 2019, up 11.8% year-on-year, and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of €35.1 million, up 32% from last fiscal year’s €26.5 million.
Adjusted for currency effects, revenue growth was 15%. The EBIT improvement was driven by measures taken by the company to increase its operational efficiency and be more selective in its commercial approach.
“FM Logistic delivered a solid performance in fiscal 2018-19 with a double-digit growth in revenues and EBIT,” said Jean-Christophe Machet, FM Logistic CEO. “Revenue growth was exclusively organic, a sign of customer confidence. The profitability improvement reflects the first results of our Focus plan. Initiated in 2017, this plan has four objectives: set the right prices for our services, increase operational efficiency, develop human resources and be more selective from a commercial standpoint. These results lend further credibility to our business model as an independent and family owned company.”
FM Logistic took advantage of the sustained demand for logistics services in Europe and Asia, which was propelled by omnichannel distribution and e-commerce. FM Logistic won €190 million worth of new contracts during fiscal 2018-19, notably from companies in the FMCG, retail, perfume and cosmetics sectors.
FM Logistic’s transport business achieved a revenue growth of 17% (at constant FX), helped by the performance of its Citylogin urban logistics service. Citylogin has gained traction with large e-commerce and retail companies.
FM Logistic continued to expand its international presence across Europe during FY 2018-19 with the opening or expansion of several logistics platforms in Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Spain and Italy.
Construction is underway on new logistics platforms in India and Vietnam. Countries outside the French market now account for 61% of FM Logistic’s revenues.
In France, FM Logistic started, or extended, 19 new customer projects and inaugurated two new multi-client logistics platforms in Escrennes (in the Loiret district) and L’Herbergement (in western France) to answer the demand from leading consumer goods and retail brands.
In parallel, FM Logistic continued to invest in the automation of its warehouse processes, enhancing operational efficiency with the deployment of additional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), collaborative robots (cobots) and inventory drones. The company also continued its digital transformation, with the migration of several applications to the cloud, the adoption of new warehouse management systems (WMS), the rollout of a digital HR Suite, and the implementation of Google’s G Suite.
In FY 2018-19, FM Logistic started to roll out a new sustainable development programme. This translates into, among others, the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of the new logistics platforms at Escrenne and l’Herbergement, France. FM Logistic has also teamed up with a French research university to design and develop an exoskeleton especially made for logistics operators.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/108812/news/infrastructure
No 58 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Millions of items shipped in one day or faster during Amazon prime event. July 18, 2019.
Royal Mail rolls out advanced technology to speed up parcel sorting in its Bristol Mail Centre. July 18, 2019.
FO claims general wage increase. July 18, 2019.
Australia Post to offer same-day wine delivery. July 17, 2019.
Would-be Postal Regulators pledge to hold mailing agency more accountable. July 16, 2019.
Millions of items shipped in one day or faster during Amazon prime event
July 18, 2019
Amazon has announced that over the two days of Prime Day, on July 15 and 16, Prime members purchased more than 175 million item and sales surpassed the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.
Prime members worldwide saved more than one billion dollars throughout Prime Day and millions of items shipped in one day or faster using Prime Free One-Day, Prime Free Same-Day, or Prime Now worldwide – making it the fastest Prime Day ever.
Members in 18 countries shopped – double the number since the first Prime Day five years ago.
“We want to thank Prime members all around the world,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “Members purchased millions of Alexa-enabled devices, received tens of millions of dollars in savings by shopping from Whole Foods Market and bought more than $2 billion of products from independent small and medium-sized businesses. Huge thank you to Amazonians everywhere who made this day possible for customers.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/109356/news
Royal Mail rolls out advanced technology to speed up parcel sorting in its Bristol Mail Centre
July 18, 2019
Royal Mail has installed automated parcel sortation machinery in its Bristol Mail Centre to speed up the processing of parcels.
The new technology replaces a manual sorting process that can be both time consuming and physically demanding, often requiring two separate sorts to get parcels in the right place for despatch.
It will also increase Royal Mail’s capacity to process parcels at peak volumes by enhancing efficiency. Currently about 12 per cent of our parcels are machine sorted. The Company plans to increase that to over 80 per cent within five years. This has obvious productivity benefits.
The Parcel Sorting Machine (PSM) is an intelligent system of conveyor belts and scanning technology that automatically sorts parcels for despatch to mail centres across the country.
The move comes as the Company upgrades its national network by rolling out parcel sorting machinery to all mail centres across the UK. The technology is being deployed to manage better the growing volumes of parcels that enter the Royal Mail network on a daily basis. It brings the sortation of parcels more in line with the sortation of letters, 90% of which are processed by automated machinery.
As the Universal Service Provider, the Company provides the delivery backbone for e-commerce in the UK. Parcels generated by UK retailers continue to be a key growth area for the Company. Within all size categories, next day parcels are expected to significantly outpace growth in other delivery time categories.
The parcel sorting technology is now operational in 12 Mail Centres in Bristol, Swindon, Hemel Hempstead, Chelmsford, Greenford, Warrington, South Midlands (Northampton), Jubilee, Gatwick, Birmingham, Leeds and Preston.
Faster parcel sorting
The new technology replaces a manual sorting process that can be both time consuming and arduous, often requiring two separate sorts to get parcels in the right place for despatch.
Under the new system, parcels are tipped onto a conveyor belt at the front end of the machine before being manually placed onto individual cells on two conveyor belts. The parcels then enter Dimension Weight Scan areas which use bar scanning technology to read the destination of 2D barcoded items. For those items that do not have a barcode, the machine uses Optical Character Recognition technology to read the postcodes.
Once the machine has registered the destination address of a parcel, the item travels along the conveyor belt on the sorter until it reaches the appropriate container. At this point, the tray opens up and the parcel drops into the container ready to be taken to vehicles for despatch.
The machine is capable of sorting parcels to 81 different destinations within the Royal Mail network, covering the entire length and breadth of the country. It can handle parcels from the size of a CD up to an item slightly bigger than a 45cm by 35cm by 20cm tray - around the size of two shoe boxes side by side or a school rucksack - with a weight range of up to 3kg.
Additional benefits
With its bar scanning technology, the machine is also able to process tracked items much more quickly.
“The roll out of this new technology is transforming the way Royal Mail processes parcels which are continuing to grow in volumes,” said Simon Barker, National Operations Director, Royal Mail. “The technology will help us to speed up the passage of parcels to local mail centres. We have worked closely with our unions throughout this programme, and colleagues who work on the machine have said they prefer the quality of work compared to manual sorting.”
As part of its five-year strategic plan, the Company is investing around £1.8 billion over five years in the UK’s postal service. The c £1.8 billion investment programme will focus on customer service improvements, digital initiatives, network enhancements and new ways of working to deliver more productivity and efficiency. This initiative will help fund the UK’s Universal Service. The planned investment brings to almost £4 billion the amount Royal Mail has invested in the UK since 2013, the year of its flotation, when it became one of the most widely-held FTSE stocks.
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases
FO claims general wage increase
July 18, 2019
While La Poste prides itself on presenting minimum wages above the SMIC * in its 2018 Social Report, FO continues to claim the increase in wages for everyone in the company.
From class I to groups B and C, the average remuneration is 1932 euros net for employees and 2219 euros net for civil servants (excluding bonuses and variable shares). FO notes that the average net salary at La Poste is very low despite mandatory annual negotiations (NAO) and repeated FO demands.
50% of postal workers earn less than 1800 euros per month. Indeed, from class I to class II, 10.4% of agents are paid less than 1400 euros monthly , 21.2% of agents have between 1400 and 1600 euros monthly, 10.5% of agents have between 1600 and 1800 euros monthly and 15.4% agents who have between 1800 and 2000 euros monthly. From class III, 11.1% of agents are paid between 2000 and 2200 euros monthly, 9.7% have between 2200 and 2600 euros monthly and 4.7% have between 2600 and 3000 euros monthly. From Groups A, B and C, 7% of agents are paid more than 3000 euros monthly.
Like the general wage increase, FO claims for each postman a salary worthy of the name by respecting the principle of " equal work, equal pay ".
FO claims the implementation of the 13 th month for all and the end of the gel index point of the Civil Service with a catch cumulative purchasing power losses since 2000.
* SMIC: Minimum Interprofessional Growth Salary
Source : http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
Australia Post to offer same-day wine delivery
July 17, 2019
The country’s postal service has announced plans to partner with a listed technology business to offer same-day delivery of wines and other beverages to Australian retailers.
Australia Post said that it is partnering with ASX-listed Digital Wine Ventures to launch a new service called WINEDEPOT.
In a joint statement, the companies described the new partnership as “a vertically integrated trading and logistics platform aimed at servicing Australia’s multibillion-dollar wine industry”.
Designed to cater for all facets of the supply chain — including producers, importers, distributors and retailers — WINEDEPOT will create four depots within existing Australia Post distribution centres, with one each in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
With that comes staffing, warehousing, infrastructure and back-end IT systems provided by Australia Post. Orders will flow directly into Australia Post’s fulfillment channels.
“Each depot will hold a very broad range of suppliers inventory on consignment, which can be accessed by a range of sales channels. As orders are processed through our platform, they are routed to the depot closest to the delivery address where they are picked, packed (by bottle or case) and drop-shipped to the end customer,” said Dean Taylor, CEO of Digital Wine Ventures.
“Depots are then automatically replenished on a bi-weekly basis from WINEDEPOT’s regional bulk storage facilities on behalf of suppliers.”
According to Mr Taylor, the use of Australia Post’s distribution centres will remove “the typical need for collection, transfer and sortation”, which he said will reduce handling and costs and, ultimately, delivery times.
He also expressed a hope that the learnings from this partnership will unlock opportunities to expand into other countries, as early as next year, citing New Zealand, China, Singapore, the UK and the US as potential target markets.
Australia Post’s head of growth products, Paul Hersbach, said the postal giant sees potential to “transform” the wine supply chain through the partnership.
“Australia Post is always looking for ways to support Australian businesses, particularly those in regional areas, where most wineries are located,” he said.
“As wine is heavy, bulky and fragile, shipping one case at a time from regional areas to consumers in major cities drives higher costs and increases risk of damage to consumer product. WINEDEPOT’s model will address many of these limitations and provide a much-improved overall customer experience.”
Mr Hersbach continued: “Our partnership with WINEDEPOT provides the wine industry with a specialised distribution service that will not only save money but also improve the consumer delivery experience. We believe that it will help many wine businesses increase their online sales, as they place their inventory closer to end consumers and offer same-day evening delivery as a standard service.”
The partnership is for an initial five-year term with 12-month exclusivity. The companies said they have agreed a schedule of fees, and there are no minimum-use requirements in place.
According to its website, Digital Wine Ventures is a company that “invests in technology-driven businesses servicing the global wine and beverage industry”.
Source : https://www.mybusiness.com.au/sales
Would-be Postal Regulators pledge to hold mailing agency more accountable
July 16, 2019
Two potential U.S. Postal Service regulators want to take new steps to ensure the mailing agency is delivering mail on time and meeting all of its performance goals, the nominees told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Ann Fisher and Ashley Poling would fill two vacancies on the Postal Regulatory Commission, which approves USPS rates, tracks negotiated agreements and provides other oversight functions. Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee expressed support for the nominees, both of whom formerly worked for the panel.
Fisher has spent the last 12 years at PRC after her experience on Capitol Hill, while Poling has spent the last five years working on postal issues for Democrats on the committee. Both nominees said finding ways to incentivize USPS to meet its goals would be a key priority if confirmed to their roles.
“The No. 1 issue is performance,” Fisher said.
Poling questioned the data USPS provides to PRC and Congress, noting when it last revised its delivery standards—largely eliminating overnight delivery and slowing other timeframes to enable large-scale processing plant closures—the agency realized just 5.6% of its projected savings.
“One thing I want to explore is, is there more that can be done in terms of holding USPS accountable?” Poling said.
Both nominees also highlighted the ongoing review of the Postal Service’s rate-setting system.
The plan PRC put forward in 2017 would deny the Postal Service’s request to have full autonomy in establishing its prices, but proposed new caps to allow USPS to increase its rates by more than the previous inflation-based ceiling. Fisher and Poling identified the finalizing of a pricing system that provides stability to USPS customers as the top step PRC could take without legislation to help improve the mailing agency’s fiscal outlook.
Poling suggested PRC give the Postal Service additional flexibility in setting its rates if the agency meets its performance goals. She also said PRC should provide “more thorough oversight” of USPS’ negotiated agreements that provide discounts to large-scale mailers, a key priority for President Trump who has insisted—without evidence—that Amazon is receiving a cushy deal.
Fisher briefly touched on an issue long considered a third-rail in efforts to reform the Postal Service, suggesting PRC provide an updated look at the universal service obligation and its statutory monopolies.
“I would love for the commission to provide Congress with food for thought to help them move ahead in these areas,” Fisher said.
The Trump administration has proposed its own ideas for reforming the Postal Service, including a more aggressive pricing model. A task force Trump created suggested maintaining the existing methodology for “essential services”—a term used to include, among other things, person-to-person mail and packages, bills and government mailings—while charging more for commercial deliveries, such as e-commerce packages, marketing mail and advertising mail.
Source : https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/07
POSTAL NEWS
No 57 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Nationwide appeal in memory of Kelly. July 17, 2019.
DHL Supply Chain partners Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia Pacific. July 16, 2019.
Poste Italiane opens Italy’s largest e-commerce logistics centre. July 16, 2019.
Royal Mail marks the return of The Open to Royal Portrush with a special postbox and postmark. July 15, 2019.
FM Logistic’s double-digit growth a sign of ‘customer confidence’. July 12, 2019.
Nationwide appeal in memory of Kelly
July 17, 2019
CWU members across the UK will have the chance to donate to the Kelly Mary Fauvrelle Appeal Fund in a nationwide fundraiser next week.
Tuesday 23rd July is being earmarked for the day when units all around the country will be able to hold workplace collections to raise support for the family of Ms Fauvrelle, a postwoman from Croydon Delivery Office who was brutally murdered last month.
Adding further tragedy, at the time of her death Kelly had been eight months pregnant and her baby, a boy who the family named Riley, tragically died the following week.
As well as helping the bereaved family through this traumatic time, the CWU Appeal is also aimed at assisting organisations campaigning against knife crime and a lasting memorial to Kelly and her son.
Announcing the nationwide initiative yesterday, our general secretary Dave Ward said that it had been launched in response to requests from a number of members and branches and asked all branches to participate if possible.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to CWU members and the public for their outpouring of support following these tragic events,” said Dave, adding: “We know your thoughts and support are really appreciated by the family and our members in the Croydon office.”
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
DHL Supply Chain partners Tetra Pak to implement its first digital twin warehouse in Asia Pacific
July 16, 2019
This is the first smart warehouse for DHL in Asia Pacific to deploy the digital twin technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets.
DHL Supply Chain, the global market leader for contract logistics solutions, has successfully implemented an integrated supply chain solution for Tetra Pak's warehouse in Singapore, one of its largest globally.
This is the first smart warehouse for DHL in Asia Pacific to deploy the digital twin technology, which involves using digital models to better understand and manage physical assets.
"Tetra Pak is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company serving the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries, and we are proud to play a part in their vision to make food safe and available everywhere," said Jerome Gillet, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines. "By jointly implementing a digital solution to support Tetra Pak's warehousing and transport operations, this collaboration is a great example for smart warehouses of the future to deliver agile, cost effective and scalable supply chain operations."
Combining the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with data analytics, DHL Supply Chain created a smart warehouse solution (video) for Tetra Pak by bridging its physical warehouse with a unique virtual representation that monitors and simulates both the physical state and behavior of the warehouse assets in real time. With this digital twin solution, Tetra Pak is able to maintain 24/7 coordination of its operations to resolve issues as they occur, particularly those that involve safety and productivity.
Warehouse supervisors can use real-time operational data to make informed decisions to reduce congestion, improve resource planning and allocate workload. Using IoT and proximity sensors on Materials Handling Equipment (MHE), spatial awareness is enhanced, thus reducing potential collision risks. Controlled areas with restricted access are also monitored with management alerts.
A DHL control tower monitors the flow of inbound and outbound goods to maintain time efficiency, ensuring goods are correctly shelved within 30 minutes of receipt, and delivery-bound goods are ready for shipment within 95 minutes.
To reduce operational risks and improve safety, DHL Supply Chain has implemented a container storage management solution that minimizes the need for employees to handle heavy containers. All employees are also trained to work within newly introduced safety measures.
"Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do at Tetra Pak. To keep the cogs of our operations turning seamlessly, it is vital that we have complementary warehousing and supply chain solutions that can meet the high demands of our customers. We are pleased with the successful implementation of this smart warehouse, and look forward to partnering DHL Supply Chain to further enhance our productivity and maintain our high safety standards in our supply chain operations," said Devraj Kumar, Director, Integrated Logistics, South Asia, East Asia & Oceania, Tetra Pak.
DHL Supply Chain has a proven track record in Singapore of leveraging knowledge and expertise gained through its international operations to meet customer requirements locally, which has allowed it to expand and strengthen its business in the country. The company offers third party logistics (3PL) solutions, allowing customers to fully outsource their logistics management and operations. Solutions include warehouse management, domestic transportation, service parts logistics, packaging design and recycling, all delivered through state-of-the-art IT solutions and project management techniques.
Source : https://www.dpdhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2019
Poste Italiane opens Italy’s largest e-commerce logistics centre
July 16, 2019
Poste Italiane has opened the largest e-commerce hub in Italy, which is located in the Bologna freight terminal and has a total surface of 75,000 sq m. Around 600 people will be employed in the new hub, that will feature modern technologies and robots capable of sorting 250,000 parcels daily. The company invested €50m in the hub. The construction took 17 months. Rooftop solar panels have also been installed, which according to Poste Italiane will reduce CO2 emissions by 225 tonnes.
The new hub is part of Poste Italiane’s strategy to achieve growth in the e-commerce logistics market on the back of technological investments, strategic partnerships and services which are tailored to the needs of Italian online consumers as well as e-tailers.
Matteo Del Fante, Poste Italiane CEO, said: “Enhancing the opportunities offered by the digitalisation and digital payments and mobile communication, the new Bologna centre will contribute towards the growth of the e-commerce market and digitalisation in Italy as outlined in the development plan ‘Deliver 2022’.”
As part of this strategy, Poste Italiane previously introduced the ‘Joint Delivery Model’ for parcel delivery in the afternoon and during weekends. It also created ‘Punto Poste’, which is Poste Italiane’s network for the collection of online purchases and the delivery of returns, consisting of around 3,000 shops as well as 350 automated lockers.
Source : https://www.ti-insight.com
Royal Mail marks the return of The Open to Royal Portrush with a special postbox and postmark
July 15, 2019
As The Open returns to Royal Portrush for the first time in 68 years, Royal Mail unveils a special edition postbox honouring the legendary Championship in the town centre. Royal Mail is also marking the 148th Championship with a postmark, appearing on stamped mail from July 15 to July 16.
The Open is golf’s original Championship, played on the most famous links courses in the UK and one of the four major championships in professional golf. Every July the world’s best golfers compete for the iconic Claret Jug trophy and the title of Champion Golfer of the Year.
The 148th Open will be the largest ever sporting event to be held in Northern Ireland. Unprecedented demand for tickets led to The Open being sold out on Championship Days for the first time in its history.
The postbox is located in Portrush town centre and decorated with facts and graphics relating to The Open. The postbox will be decorated for the duration of the tournament.
Mark Street, Head of Campaigns at Royal Mail said: “At Royal Mail, we mark special events and anniversaries across the UK where we can. As one of the largest ever sporting events to be held in Northern Ireland, The 148th Open is a momentous occasion that we are proud to honour with a special postbox, as golf’s original Championship returns to Royal Portrush after almost 70 years.”
The postbox is situated on Main Street in Portrush town centre, just off Atlantic Avenue.
Neil Armit, Chief Commercial Officer at The R&A, said, “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and we are delighted that Royal Mail is celebrating the Championship’s historic return to Royal Portrush with a specially designed commemorative postbox to be situated in the town.”
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases
FM Logistic’s double-digit growth a sign of ‘customer confidence’
July 12, 2019
FM Logistic has reported revenues of €1,318 million in the year ending March 2019, up 11.8% year-on-year, and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of €35.1 million, up 32% from last fiscal year’s €26.5 million.
Adjusted for currency effects, revenue growth was 15%. The EBIT improvement was driven by measures taken by the company to increase its operational efficiency and be more selective in its commercial approach.
“FM Logistic delivered a solid performance in fiscal 2018-19 with a double-digit growth in revenues and EBIT,” said Jean-Christophe Machet, FM Logistic CEO. “Revenue growth was exclusively organic, a sign of customer confidence. The profitability improvement reflects the first results of our Focus plan. Initiated in 2017, this plan has four objectives: set the right prices for our services, increase operational efficiency, develop human resources and be more selective from a commercial standpoint. These results lend further credibility to our business model as an independent and family owned company.”
FM Logistic took advantage of the sustained demand for logistics services in Europe and Asia, which was propelled by omnichannel distribution and e-commerce. FM Logistic won €190 million worth of new contracts during fiscal 2018-19, notably from companies in the FMCG, retail, perfume and cosmetics sectors.
FM Logistic’s transport business achieved a revenue growth of 17% (at constant FX), helped by the performance of its Citylogin urban logistics service. Citylogin has gained traction with large e-commerce and retail companies.
FM Logistic continued to expand its international presence across Europe during FY 2018-19 with the opening or expansion of several logistics platforms in Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Spain and Italy.
Construction is underway on new logistics platforms in India and Vietnam. Countries outside the French market now account for 61% of FM Logistic’s revenues.
In France, FM Logistic started, or extended, 19 new customer projects and inaugurated two new multi-client logistics platforms in Escrennes (in the Loiret district) and L’Herbergement (in western France) to answer the demand from leading consumer goods and retail brands.
In parallel, FM Logistic continued to invest in the automation of its warehouse processes, enhancing operational efficiency with the deployment of additional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), collaborative robots (cobots) and inventory drones. The company also continued its digital transformation, with the migration of several applications to the cloud, the adoption of new warehouse management systems (WMS), the rollout of a digital HR Suite, and the implementation of Google’s G Suite.
In FY 2018-19, FM Logistic started to roll out a new sustainable development programme. This translates into, among others, the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of the new logistics platforms at Escrenne and l’Herbergement, France. FM Logistic has also teamed up with a French research university to design and develop an exoskeleton especially made for logistics operators.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/108812/news/infrastructure