POSTAL NEWS
No 99 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Swiss Post’s recipe for success. December 12, 2019.
Royal Mail's talking Christmas post boxes.
December 11, 2019.
Holiday Season and Overburdening. December 11, 2019.
Innovator of the Year: UPS' Flight Forward.
December 9, 2019.
bpost and BD myShopi reach agreement on acquisition of CityDepot activities. December 9, 2019.
Swiss Post’s recipe for success
December 12, 2019
MER speaks to Swiss Post’s CEO Roberto Cirillo speaks to Mail & Express Review from his office in the political centre of Switzerland – Bern – about the company’s bid for entrepreneurial freedom and his commitment to make Swiss Post more relevant.
What drew you to Swiss Post?
Swiss Post is a unique company that is well established among the Swiss population. That fascinated me right from day one. At Swiss Post it’s not just about economic viability, but also the benefits to society. Swiss Post is part of the fabric of Switzerland and supports our country’s development. And I want to make my own contribution.
What have you learnt about the company since you started?
Since joining Swiss Post at the beginning of April 2019, I’ve spent time getting to know the company and its DNA. During these 20 weeks I’ve gathered impressions from nearly 30 visits, and I’ve met hundreds of our employees on the front line, as well as local management. I’ve been impressed by these encounters and the commitment shown by staff. And more importantly, I’ve been able to get to grips with Swiss Post’s own situation. The reality is much more varied and complex than it appears from the outside. Swiss Post is deeply rooted in Switzerland, both in the economy and society as a whole, and it provides outstanding logistics services thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities.
How does the geography of Switzerland impact on how Swiss Post is run?
I’d say that alongside Swiss Post’s employees, it defines the company’s DNA, because our universal service obligation is based on the geography of the country. Swiss Post guarantees a universal service in payment transactions and in transporting people, letters, parcels and newspapers. The company needs to provide a nationwide network of access points to guarantee that a high-quality universal service is available to all population groups in every region within a reasonable distance. As part of its universal service obligation, Swiss Post transports a parcel to Zermatt or to the Val Poschiavo just as quickly and for the same price as a parcel to Zurich, for instance. And for many people in mountain regions, PostBus is the gateway to the world, because we connect remote areas with conurbations.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/117855/features/post-features
Royal Mail's talking Christmas post boxes
December 11, 2019
Royal Mail’s talking postboxes are back for Christmas. Four postboxes have been spruced up in Christmas trim, with elves ready to respond once a letter or card is posted.
The elves say things like “Call your mother,” “Eat more vegetables,” “If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back at you,” “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains,” and “Send help.”
The four postboxes are located in Greenwich, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, and will be in place for the entire festive season.
(According to Royal Mail, the postboxes respond to letters being posted with the sounds of elves hard at work, not fomenting a workers’ revolution.)
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
Holiday Season and Overburdening
December 11, 2019
The holiday season is upon us once again. This is the busiest time of the year in terms of workload, as parcel and Admail volumes are at an all-time high in the weeks leading up to the holidays.
While the employer alleges it takes our health and safety seriously, we are the ones who can best protect ourselves from harm. We have the right to refuse to perform dangerous work! At times, we are faced with having to decide between serving our customers well and protecting our physical and mental well-being and safety.
Too often, we have to deal with severe or even extreme weather conditions, dangerous situations such as workplace violence, a high level of stress caused by an excessive workload and long hours of work, even more so at this time of the year. All of these situations can lead to anxiety and jeopardize our health and safety.
That is why it is important to remember that workers have an individual right to refuse, which is recognized by some collective agreements and the Canada Labour Code.
You have the right to refuse work if you have reasonable grounds to believe that the performance of this work will endanger your health and safety, or physical well-being, or may similarly endanger a co-worker.
How to exercise your right to refuse
Under the Collective Agreement
For urban unit members, inform your supervisor and shop steward immediately that you are invoking your right to refuse under clause 33.13 of the collective agreement.
As soon as the employer is informed, it must conduct an investigation in your presence, if you wish, and in the presence of union representatives or a member of the Local Joint Health and Safety Committee representing the employees, to determine whether an immediate action is needed to eliminate potential risks.
Until the situation is remedied, the employer cannot assign any other worker to the portion of the work that gave rise to the refusal.
Under the Canada Labour Code
RSMCs and members of federally certified private sector units can exercise their right to refuse under the appropriate provisions included in Part II of the Canada Labour Code (Section 128). Provincially certified units follow their provincial labour codes.
In the federal sector, you must inform the employer, who must conduct an investigation in your presence immediately. If the employer does not remedy the situation to your satisfaction, and you wish to maintain your right of refusal, you must inform the employer and the Local Health and Safety Committee or the health and safety representative (offices with fewer than 20 employees). The Committee will then designate two members (an employee representative and an employer representative) to conduct an investigation.
Following this process, if the employer concludes there is no danger, it must advise you in writing and, if you do not think it is safe, that is when you must inform the Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that you wish to continue to refuse.
For more information, see the “Right to Refuse” reference card sent to all locals on October 24, 2019.
Please contact your Local or regional office if you are under provincial regulations (private sector bargaining unit represented by CUPW).
Taking our health and safety seriously at work can make a difference between being seriously injured, which could have a long-term impact, or lead to death, and being able to spend precious time with the people you love and be able to truly enjoy the upcoming holidays.
Source: https://www.cupw.ca/en
Innovator of the Year: UPS' Flight Forward
December 9, 2019
UPS has been able to translate its years of experience as a cargo airline into a budding drone operation, the first to receive a "Standard Part 135" certification from the FAA.
Drone delivery is a field in its infancy with plenty of proponents and critics alike. But with the largest names in technology entering the space — most notably Amazon and Alphabet — it might come as a surprise that UPS is, in many ways, leading the way.
UPS has been able to transition its years of experience as a cargo airline into a budding drone operation by working closely with federal regulators on projects focused on healthcare and prescription delivery. Supply Chain Dive is recognizing UPS as the Innovator of the Year for this work, which has culminated in the receipt of a Standard Part 135 certification — the first ever granted.
Many of the pilot projects involving drone delivery began just last year when the Federal Aviation Administration announced the winners of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The "winners" were localities picked by the federal agency to participate in projects that would help determine the future of drone operations and regulations.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation was one of these winners and it began working with multiple partners, including UPS, to bring drone delivery to health care.
Ever since, UPS has been working with the WakeMed hospital system in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"They were really interested in really understanding how this new technology could improve patient healthcare outcomes, and how they could deliver better care today," Bala Ganesh, the vice president of the advanced technology group at UPS, told Supply Chain Dive in an interview.
Before it started working with UPS, WakeMed used couriers to carry blood samples from its hospital to its main lab. But UPS and WakeMed were able to cut down delivery time to between five and 10 minutes with a Matternet drone carrying the samples, Ganesh said.
"We quickly learned that there's a lot of use and value to this kind of model," he said.
The next step for UPS was figuring out a way to monetize this service. UPS had to get this step sanctioned by the FAA, but in March it was able to announce the first drone flight to transport a product under a contractual delivery agreement. From then on, UPS was making money on "numerous planned daily revenue flights at the WakeMed Raleigh campus," the company explained in a press release from the announcement.
"Once we did that we felt that we were on a good path to actually starting to move forward the path into commercialization and deployment," Ganesh said. "So to do that we chose to take the strategy of creating a separate entity that could be nimble and flexible."
UPS called the new entity called Flight Forward, which it announced in July, saying it would create drone systems for "revenue-generating deliveries." UPS has since completed more than 1,500 of these revenue-generating flights with WakeMed since March 2019.
Less than three months later, UPS was granted the Part 135 clearance it needed to begin expanding its operation. This clearance gave UPS the ability to not just make money off of its deliveries, but to fly the drones beyond the visual line of sight of the operator. UPS' Flight Forward was the first company to get the "Standard Part 135," which is the highest level of clearance and has "no limits on the size or scope of operations," according to the FAA website.
UPS is not the only company to apply for Part 135 clearance. Amazon and Alphabet's Wing Aviation have also applied. Wing Aviation's application was also approved, but there are multiple levels of Part 135 clearance and Wing received a lower clearance, the "single pilot certificate." The FAA has not yet made a decision on Amazon's application.
UPS' involvement in the FAA IPP and its history of operating a cargo airline helped it to secure this certification, according to Basil Yap, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program manager for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, who has worked with UPS as it piloted drone delivery in the state. "They went above and beyond and pulled in a lot of their UPS expertise from their airline," Yap said.
Since then, UPS has announced plans to expand its work on hospital campuses and is now working with Kaiser Permanente to explore use cases across its network of 39 hospitals. It is also looking into business-to-consumer use cases for drone delivery with CVS, where the two companies will explore delivering prescriptions and retail products to customer's homes.
"This is not a test or anymore," Ganesh said, "this is full-fledged deployment."
Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news
bpost and BD myShopi reach agreement on acquisition of CityDepot activities
December 9, 2019
bpost group and BD myShopi have reached agreement on the acquisition of CityDepot, effective 1 January 2020. CityDepot combines deliveries to businesses and traders on behalf of haulers and logistics companies. The acquisition takes BD myShopi’s specialised sustainable logistics services for residential and commercial centres to the next level. bpost group, meanwhile, continues its transformation, focusing on the sustainable delivery of parcels to consumers.
In recent years, CityDepot, a bpost subsidiary since 2015, has grown into a leading name in combined logistic deliveries to commercial centres. New technologies and evolving customer expectations are radically changing the context in which CityDepot operates.
To continue to grow in a fast-changing environment, bpost focuses today on delivering parcels to consumers. In city centres, bpost is investing heavily in electric vehicles to deliver parcels and letters. Parcels are increasingly delivered first time to the customer’s preferred location, which means there’s less and less need for a second delivery attempt.
For those reasons, bpost has decided to transfer the CityDepot activities to a new owner.
Raf Lambrix, CEO of BD myShopi explains how this fits in with the business strategy: “We see an increasing demand for specialised, sustainable logistics in residential and commercial centres. Key there is proximity, which has been in BD myShopi’s DNA for decades. The acquisition of CityDepot enables us to further improve and enlarge our expertise and solutions. As a result, we can combine even more deliveries and so limit the number of journeys.That meets the demand of all stakeholders for sustainable logistics. Conversely,
CityDepot customers gain access to our impressive network of depots and our knowledge of local delivery challenges and opportunities. At CityDepot, we have everything we need to fulfil our role of specialised logistics provider."
Kathleen Van Beveren, CEO parcels & logistics Europe & Asia for bpost says, “Thanks to CityDepot we have gained a great deal of experience of sustainable city deliveries in recent years, which we will build upon to pursue our growth as a major partner for sustainable B2C e-commerce logistics. By putting a strong focus on our current and future B2C activities, we can continue to fulfil customer expectations and provide a high-quality sustainable service. I would like to thank the management and staff of CityDepot for their efforts over the past few years and wish them every success as part of BD myShopi.”
CityDepot employs 30 people, all of whom will remain in post after the acquisition by BD myShopi.
Source : https://corporate.bpost.be/media/press-releases/2019
POSTAL NEWS
No 100 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
FEDEX joins Collect+. December 11, 2019.
Postmasters win Horizon payout – but did Post Office chiefs get off lightly? December 11, 2019.
DPD UK records biggest ever Cyber Weekend.
December 9, 2019.
Parcel firm Doddle in talks with the US Postal Service as it looks to break into the US market. December 7, 2019.
An Post’s new €15m Global Parcel Hub opens in Dublin.
December 6, 2019.
FEDEX joins Collect+
December 11, 2019
FedEx Express (FedEx) has announced a collaboration with PayPoint. As a result of the new partnership, FedEx will also join Collect+, the UK’s largest independent store-based delivery and returns service.
FedEx and Collect+ have rolled the service out to more than 2,300 Collect+ stores across the UK. This brings the total number of convenience locations where recipients can collect their parcels, to almost 11,500 across Europe. The service aims to increase access for all recipients outside of regular delivery and office hours, by offering a range of flexible and convenient locations where packages can be collected.
“Collect+ is the perfect retailer to help us meet the growing need for a convenient, secure pickup option in a variety of UK locations,” said Jon Stockton, Vice President, Ground Operations UK, FedEx Express. “We understand customers may not always want packages delivered to their home or office, but they do want secure, alternate delivery options, and we’re on a mission to make that happen. We are proud to work with Collect+ to make our customers’ lives easier. Collect+ also offers environmental benefits through increased fuel efficiencies for our ground fleet from smarter routes.”
By bringing together a comprehensive proportion of Collect+ UK locations with the growing FedEx network, this new collaboration aims to give customers the advantage of a hassle-free shopping experience and the ability to collect their parcels at a time that suits them.
Nick Wiles, Executive Chairman of PayPoint said, “We’re delighted to be working with FedEx Express and the feedback from retailers and customers since launch has been excellent. This forms part of our collaboration announcement earlier this year and is another example of our drive to become the UK’s foremost provider of click and collect services.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/117821/news/parcel
Postmasters win Horizon payout – but did Post Office chiefs get off lightly?
December 11, 2019
CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said today the union was “pleased” compensation and an apology have been achieved by the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) on behalf of Postmasters in their long-running legal action against Post Office bosses over the Horizon scandal.
The BBC reported this afternoon that the financial settlement is ‘almost £58m’ and the Post Office’s new chief executive officer Nick Read said: ‘…we have fallen short and we apologise to those affected’ – both developments that have been warmly welcomed by the union, as we have been very sympathetic to the 557 complainants.
And, although Andy said he was “obviously pleased an outcome has been secured for the long-suffering former Postmasters,” he added: “Based upon the legal costs already incurred, the Post Office would be saving tens of millions of pounds by avoiding the court cases scheduled for next year as the costs associated with these would have amounted to somewhere in this region, if not higher.
“So while it’s great news that this large group of former Postmasters, who have been appallingly treated by their employer, have achieved compensation and an apology, I can’t help asking if the Post Office may have got off lightly here.
Andy continued: “It was absolutely outrageous what happened in this case, and the sheer anguish that this group of hard-working Postmasters were subjected to, as the Post Office made one ill-judged error after another and seemingly attempted to cover up the failings of Horizon by attacking the innocent.
“There should be a full judicial inquiry into this scandal and the full force of the law should be brought down on those board members and directors responsible,” he insisted.
The CWU fully supports the actions and objectives of the JFSA, which brought the case, and the union has highlighted the fact that the NFSP – which Justice Fraser described as not being independent of the Post Office and is the only organisation to have ‘official recognition’ by the Post Office for Postmasters – refused to support the action and effectively turned a blind eye to many hundreds of their former members who made legitimate complaints about the grossly unfair treatment by the Post Office.
“This union can and should be very proud of the role we play in supporting our Postmaster members, particularly Mark Baker our branch secretary,” Andy continued, adding that, “if the formal inquiry we’ve called for does go ahead, there also need to be serious questions asked about the NFSP and their far-too-cosy relationship with the company, which was at the very core of the problems faced by these Postmasters.”
Andy added “the union will be calling for Parliamentary scrutiny of what has transpired and led to this landmark settlement for so many unjustly penalised Postmasters. The new government needs to ensure those responsible for this travesty are held to account and we will also be campaigning in Westminster to ensure the Post Office has to recognise the CWU as the legitimate voice of Postmasters.”
Notwithstanding today’s development, the presiding judge, Justice Fraser we are told will still be handing down his judgement on the Second Trial next Monday.
Source: https://www.cwu.org/news
DPD UK records biggest ever Cyber Weekend
December 9, 2019
DPD UK has recorded its biggest ever Cyber Weekend, with parcel volumes up 13% on 2018.
The company experienced record volumes of parcels in its four automated sorting hubs each night in the week running up to Black Friday (November 29) and right through the weekend.
DPD UK had a record number of delivery vans on the road over the weekend having recruited a significant number of new permanent drivers during the year in preparation for Cyber Weekend, and the company’s growing fleet of electric vehicles made a significant contribution to the landmark effort.
Parcel volumes are expected to fall slightly now, before building to a second peak on December 16 following the last major weekend of online Christmas shopping.
Dwain McDonald, DPD UK’s CEO, said, “We have maintained our very high service standard, despite record volumes, and that is something everyone should be very proud of. We start planning for peak in January and we look at every single aspect of the whole process, but when it all comes together it is still a great achievement for everyone involved.”
Source: https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/e-commerce
Parcel firm Doddle in talks with the US Postal Service as it looks to break into the US market
December 7, 2019
Doddle is in talks with the US Postal Service and major retailers about deals that could help the UK parcel firm break America.
The company – owned and chaired by Travelex founder Sir Lloyd Dorfman – is in advanced discussions to pilot a parcels collection and returns service with USPS, which has more than 31,000 post offices in the US.
It follows a deal last month with Australia Post as part of the five-year-old firm’s expansion plans.
Doddle started out as a joint venture with Network Rail, but the plan to launch parcel collections and stores in train stations failed to take off. Network Rail sold out of the venture in 2015.
Doddle has since moved away from having physical stores and focused instead on licensing its software, such as with the Australian deal. Around 20 per cent of retail revenues in the UK are online, but the percentage is much lower abroad, where Dorfman sees a big opportunity.
He said: ‘If you believe in the long-term exponential growth of e-commerce, we’ve got a really critical part to play. The UK online retail market is quite advanced and developed so all the growing pains we’ve seen here are starting to manifest themselves in these markets that are behind us.
‘By and large everyone’s got some sort of collections solution, but the problem they’re all starting to wrestle with is in the returns sector – that is more complicated.’
Dorfman, worth an estimated £720million, said Doddle is also in talks about potential tie-ups with ‘very large’ American retailers.
Source : https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-7767781
An Post’s new €15m Global Parcel Hub opens in Dublin
December 6, 2019
An Post today unveiled the Dublin Parcel Hub (DPH), a €15m investment in automated parcel processing at Oak Road, Dublin 12. The new international hub is a gateway for incoming and outgoing national and international parcels and a key milestone in An Post’s transformation from an old world of letters to a new world of e-Commerce logistics. The business is making big moves to flourish as a sustainable, profitable business, successfully delivering in a digital world.
The new 50,000 sq. metre world-class logistics facility significantly increases An Post’s parcel processing capacity as the Company expands its global reach and digital capability to become the backbone of e-Commerce in Ireland. The new hub will be a vital gateway to international trade for leading Irish brands like Eason, Brown Thomas, Carrolls Irish Gifts, Blarney Woollen Mills, Arnotts and Carraig Donn.
The hub’s world-class Beumer Technology enables 13,000 parcels to be processed every hour and transforms the parcels operation from a manual set-up to a 90% automated process. The new Beumer system is self-learning and can recognise all Irish locations, allowing for optimal accuracy. Following processing, parcels are despatched directly from the Dublin Parcel Hub to local delivery units.
Since Friday last, the DPH has handled more than one million parcels generated by online shoppers over Black Friday and Cyber Monday through Irish and international etailers. This year An Post will handle 16 million parcels from the UK alone, 5 million from the US, Canada and Brazil, and over 1 million from Germany.
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said ‘’An Post is one of the staples of Irish life and it is great to see this investment to future-proof its business model. In today’s globalised economy, it is imperative for any country that wishes to stay ahead of the curve to invest in e-Commerce technologies, just as An Post is doing.
“The Dublin Parcel Hub will help to connect Irish businesses and consumers to the world. By transforming its business model, An Post will be supporting Ireland to harness the winds of international trade, which support one in every seven jobs in the EU.’’
David McRedmond, CEO, An Post said “We’re ambitious for An Post and for Ireland in the international e-Commerce world. This hub is a significant investment in Ireland’s economic infrastructure, providing Irish business and consumers with the world’s most advanced technology coupled with An Post’s expertise, connecting them to global markets and linking international business to every address in Ireland. With over 50% of Irish retail now online, the Dublin Parcel Hub sits right at the centre of a new world order of global trading and shopping for customers.
“The European Investment Bank recently approved a €40 million loan to support An Post’s transformation strategy and we will invest this, and additional funds from our own resources, to rebuild our entire network over the next five years to remain in step with the rapidly emerging global e-Commerce landscape.
An Post’s business and personal customers will benefit from faster, more accurate, energy-efficient services”, he concluded.
Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels said “An Post’s vision is to continue to drive growth and expertise as the eCommerce backbone of Ireland for shippers and shoppers. With parcel volumes growing at 40% per annum, An Post needed to make a step change into Parcel Automation. We believe that Ireland can become a world leader in e-Commerce and the DPH is an important milestone in this development.
“An Post local delivery staff know every household and business address in the country and theirs may be the only human interaction a customer has when purchasing a product online. We’re the market leader in the parcel sector in Ireland with more than 40% market share and we have the trade agreements in place to connect 280,000 Irish businesses to 200 countries worldwide through the global postal network.
“In 2018, An Post processed more than 30 million parcels – a 42% increase on the prior year as shoppers increasingly opted to buy goods online. All the signs indicate another large volume increase this year and into the future. Indeed, today (Friday) will be our single busiest single day ever in terms of parcels”, he added
An Post’s Dublin Parcel Hub was launched by Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels; David McRedmond, CEO, An Post and European Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan.
Source : https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News
No 99 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Swiss Post’s recipe for success. December 12, 2019.
Royal Mail's talking Christmas post boxes.
December 11, 2019.
Holiday Season and Overburdening. December 11, 2019.
Innovator of the Year: UPS' Flight Forward.
December 9, 2019.
bpost and BD myShopi reach agreement on acquisition of CityDepot activities. December 9, 2019.
Swiss Post’s recipe for success
December 12, 2019
MER speaks to Swiss Post’s CEO Roberto Cirillo speaks to Mail & Express Review from his office in the political centre of Switzerland – Bern – about the company’s bid for entrepreneurial freedom and his commitment to make Swiss Post more relevant.
What drew you to Swiss Post?
Swiss Post is a unique company that is well established among the Swiss population. That fascinated me right from day one. At Swiss Post it’s not just about economic viability, but also the benefits to society. Swiss Post is part of the fabric of Switzerland and supports our country’s development. And I want to make my own contribution.
What have you learnt about the company since you started?
Since joining Swiss Post at the beginning of April 2019, I’ve spent time getting to know the company and its DNA. During these 20 weeks I’ve gathered impressions from nearly 30 visits, and I’ve met hundreds of our employees on the front line, as well as local management. I’ve been impressed by these encounters and the commitment shown by staff. And more importantly, I’ve been able to get to grips with Swiss Post’s own situation. The reality is much more varied and complex than it appears from the outside. Swiss Post is deeply rooted in Switzerland, both in the economy and society as a whole, and it provides outstanding logistics services thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities.
How does the geography of Switzerland impact on how Swiss Post is run?
I’d say that alongside Swiss Post’s employees, it defines the company’s DNA, because our universal service obligation is based on the geography of the country. Swiss Post guarantees a universal service in payment transactions and in transporting people, letters, parcels and newspapers. The company needs to provide a nationwide network of access points to guarantee that a high-quality universal service is available to all population groups in every region within a reasonable distance. As part of its universal service obligation, Swiss Post transports a parcel to Zermatt or to the Val Poschiavo just as quickly and for the same price as a parcel to Zurich, for instance. And for many people in mountain regions, PostBus is the gateway to the world, because we connect remote areas with conurbations.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/117855/features/post-features
Royal Mail's talking Christmas post boxes
December 11, 2019
Royal Mail’s talking postboxes are back for Christmas. Four postboxes have been spruced up in Christmas trim, with elves ready to respond once a letter or card is posted.
The elves say things like “Call your mother,” “Eat more vegetables,” “If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back at you,” “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains,” and “Send help.”
The four postboxes are located in Greenwich, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, and will be in place for the entire festive season.
(According to Royal Mail, the postboxes respond to letters being posted with the sounds of elves hard at work, not fomenting a workers’ revolution.)
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
Holiday Season and Overburdening
December 11, 2019
The holiday season is upon us once again. This is the busiest time of the year in terms of workload, as parcel and Admail volumes are at an all-time high in the weeks leading up to the holidays.
While the employer alleges it takes our health and safety seriously, we are the ones who can best protect ourselves from harm. We have the right to refuse to perform dangerous work! At times, we are faced with having to decide between serving our customers well and protecting our physical and mental well-being and safety.
Too often, we have to deal with severe or even extreme weather conditions, dangerous situations such as workplace violence, a high level of stress caused by an excessive workload and long hours of work, even more so at this time of the year. All of these situations can lead to anxiety and jeopardize our health and safety.
That is why it is important to remember that workers have an individual right to refuse, which is recognized by some collective agreements and the Canada Labour Code.
You have the right to refuse work if you have reasonable grounds to believe that the performance of this work will endanger your health and safety, or physical well-being, or may similarly endanger a co-worker.
How to exercise your right to refuse
Under the Collective Agreement
For urban unit members, inform your supervisor and shop steward immediately that you are invoking your right to refuse under clause 33.13 of the collective agreement.
As soon as the employer is informed, it must conduct an investigation in your presence, if you wish, and in the presence of union representatives or a member of the Local Joint Health and Safety Committee representing the employees, to determine whether an immediate action is needed to eliminate potential risks.
Until the situation is remedied, the employer cannot assign any other worker to the portion of the work that gave rise to the refusal.
Under the Canada Labour Code
RSMCs and members of federally certified private sector units can exercise their right to refuse under the appropriate provisions included in Part II of the Canada Labour Code (Section 128). Provincially certified units follow their provincial labour codes.
In the federal sector, you must inform the employer, who must conduct an investigation in your presence immediately. If the employer does not remedy the situation to your satisfaction, and you wish to maintain your right of refusal, you must inform the employer and the Local Health and Safety Committee or the health and safety representative (offices with fewer than 20 employees). The Committee will then designate two members (an employee representative and an employer representative) to conduct an investigation.
Following this process, if the employer concludes there is no danger, it must advise you in writing and, if you do not think it is safe, that is when you must inform the Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that you wish to continue to refuse.
For more information, see the “Right to Refuse” reference card sent to all locals on October 24, 2019.
Please contact your Local or regional office if you are under provincial regulations (private sector bargaining unit represented by CUPW).
Taking our health and safety seriously at work can make a difference between being seriously injured, which could have a long-term impact, or lead to death, and being able to spend precious time with the people you love and be able to truly enjoy the upcoming holidays.
Source: https://www.cupw.ca/en
Innovator of the Year: UPS' Flight Forward
December 9, 2019
UPS has been able to translate its years of experience as a cargo airline into a budding drone operation, the first to receive a "Standard Part 135" certification from the FAA.
Drone delivery is a field in its infancy with plenty of proponents and critics alike. But with the largest names in technology entering the space — most notably Amazon and Alphabet — it might come as a surprise that UPS is, in many ways, leading the way.
UPS has been able to transition its years of experience as a cargo airline into a budding drone operation by working closely with federal regulators on projects focused on healthcare and prescription delivery. Supply Chain Dive is recognizing UPS as the Innovator of the Year for this work, which has culminated in the receipt of a Standard Part 135 certification — the first ever granted.
Many of the pilot projects involving drone delivery began just last year when the Federal Aviation Administration announced the winners of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The "winners" were localities picked by the federal agency to participate in projects that would help determine the future of drone operations and regulations.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation was one of these winners and it began working with multiple partners, including UPS, to bring drone delivery to health care.
Ever since, UPS has been working with the WakeMed hospital system in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"They were really interested in really understanding how this new technology could improve patient healthcare outcomes, and how they could deliver better care today," Bala Ganesh, the vice president of the advanced technology group at UPS, told Supply Chain Dive in an interview.
Before it started working with UPS, WakeMed used couriers to carry blood samples from its hospital to its main lab. But UPS and WakeMed were able to cut down delivery time to between five and 10 minutes with a Matternet drone carrying the samples, Ganesh said.
"We quickly learned that there's a lot of use and value to this kind of model," he said.
The next step for UPS was figuring out a way to monetize this service. UPS had to get this step sanctioned by the FAA, but in March it was able to announce the first drone flight to transport a product under a contractual delivery agreement. From then on, UPS was making money on "numerous planned daily revenue flights at the WakeMed Raleigh campus," the company explained in a press release from the announcement.
"Once we did that we felt that we were on a good path to actually starting to move forward the path into commercialization and deployment," Ganesh said. "So to do that we chose to take the strategy of creating a separate entity that could be nimble and flexible."
UPS called the new entity called Flight Forward, which it announced in July, saying it would create drone systems for "revenue-generating deliveries." UPS has since completed more than 1,500 of these revenue-generating flights with WakeMed since March 2019.
Less than three months later, UPS was granted the Part 135 clearance it needed to begin expanding its operation. This clearance gave UPS the ability to not just make money off of its deliveries, but to fly the drones beyond the visual line of sight of the operator. UPS' Flight Forward was the first company to get the "Standard Part 135," which is the highest level of clearance and has "no limits on the size or scope of operations," according to the FAA website.
UPS is not the only company to apply for Part 135 clearance. Amazon and Alphabet's Wing Aviation have also applied. Wing Aviation's application was also approved, but there are multiple levels of Part 135 clearance and Wing received a lower clearance, the "single pilot certificate." The FAA has not yet made a decision on Amazon's application.
UPS' involvement in the FAA IPP and its history of operating a cargo airline helped it to secure this certification, according to Basil Yap, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program manager for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, who has worked with UPS as it piloted drone delivery in the state. "They went above and beyond and pulled in a lot of their UPS expertise from their airline," Yap said.
Since then, UPS has announced plans to expand its work on hospital campuses and is now working with Kaiser Permanente to explore use cases across its network of 39 hospitals. It is also looking into business-to-consumer use cases for drone delivery with CVS, where the two companies will explore delivering prescriptions and retail products to customer's homes.
"This is not a test or anymore," Ganesh said, "this is full-fledged deployment."
Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news
bpost and BD myShopi reach agreement on acquisition of CityDepot activities
December 9, 2019
bpost group and BD myShopi have reached agreement on the acquisition of CityDepot, effective 1 January 2020. CityDepot combines deliveries to businesses and traders on behalf of haulers and logistics companies. The acquisition takes BD myShopi’s specialised sustainable logistics services for residential and commercial centres to the next level. bpost group, meanwhile, continues its transformation, focusing on the sustainable delivery of parcels to consumers.
In recent years, CityDepot, a bpost subsidiary since 2015, has grown into a leading name in combined logistic deliveries to commercial centres. New technologies and evolving customer expectations are radically changing the context in which CityDepot operates.
To continue to grow in a fast-changing environment, bpost focuses today on delivering parcels to consumers. In city centres, bpost is investing heavily in electric vehicles to deliver parcels and letters. Parcels are increasingly delivered first time to the customer’s preferred location, which means there’s less and less need for a second delivery attempt.
For those reasons, bpost has decided to transfer the CityDepot activities to a new owner.
Raf Lambrix, CEO of BD myShopi explains how this fits in with the business strategy: “We see an increasing demand for specialised, sustainable logistics in residential and commercial centres. Key there is proximity, which has been in BD myShopi’s DNA for decades. The acquisition of CityDepot enables us to further improve and enlarge our expertise and solutions. As a result, we can combine even more deliveries and so limit the number of journeys.That meets the demand of all stakeholders for sustainable logistics. Conversely,
CityDepot customers gain access to our impressive network of depots and our knowledge of local delivery challenges and opportunities. At CityDepot, we have everything we need to fulfil our role of specialised logistics provider."
Kathleen Van Beveren, CEO parcels & logistics Europe & Asia for bpost says, “Thanks to CityDepot we have gained a great deal of experience of sustainable city deliveries in recent years, which we will build upon to pursue our growth as a major partner for sustainable B2C e-commerce logistics. By putting a strong focus on our current and future B2C activities, we can continue to fulfil customer expectations and provide a high-quality sustainable service. I would like to thank the management and staff of CityDepot for their efforts over the past few years and wish them every success as part of BD myShopi.”
CityDepot employs 30 people, all of whom will remain in post after the acquisition by BD myShopi.
Source : https://corporate.bpost.be/media/press-releases/2019
POSTAL NEWS
No 100 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
FEDEX joins Collect+. December 11, 2019.
Postmasters win Horizon payout – but did Post Office chiefs get off lightly? December 11, 2019.
DPD UK records biggest ever Cyber Weekend.
December 9, 2019.
Parcel firm Doddle in talks with the US Postal Service as it looks to break into the US market. December 7, 2019.
An Post’s new €15m Global Parcel Hub opens in Dublin.
December 6, 2019.
FEDEX joins Collect+
December 11, 2019
FedEx Express (FedEx) has announced a collaboration with PayPoint. As a result of the new partnership, FedEx will also join Collect+, the UK’s largest independent store-based delivery and returns service.
FedEx and Collect+ have rolled the service out to more than 2,300 Collect+ stores across the UK. This brings the total number of convenience locations where recipients can collect their parcels, to almost 11,500 across Europe. The service aims to increase access for all recipients outside of regular delivery and office hours, by offering a range of flexible and convenient locations where packages can be collected.
“Collect+ is the perfect retailer to help us meet the growing need for a convenient, secure pickup option in a variety of UK locations,” said Jon Stockton, Vice President, Ground Operations UK, FedEx Express. “We understand customers may not always want packages delivered to their home or office, but they do want secure, alternate delivery options, and we’re on a mission to make that happen. We are proud to work with Collect+ to make our customers’ lives easier. Collect+ also offers environmental benefits through increased fuel efficiencies for our ground fleet from smarter routes.”
By bringing together a comprehensive proportion of Collect+ UK locations with the growing FedEx network, this new collaboration aims to give customers the advantage of a hassle-free shopping experience and the ability to collect their parcels at a time that suits them.
Nick Wiles, Executive Chairman of PayPoint said, “We’re delighted to be working with FedEx Express and the feedback from retailers and customers since launch has been excellent. This forms part of our collaboration announcement earlier this year and is another example of our drive to become the UK’s foremost provider of click and collect services.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/117821/news/parcel
Postmasters win Horizon payout – but did Post Office chiefs get off lightly?
December 11, 2019
CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said today the union was “pleased” compensation and an apology have been achieved by the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) on behalf of Postmasters in their long-running legal action against Post Office bosses over the Horizon scandal.
The BBC reported this afternoon that the financial settlement is ‘almost £58m’ and the Post Office’s new chief executive officer Nick Read said: ‘…we have fallen short and we apologise to those affected’ – both developments that have been warmly welcomed by the union, as we have been very sympathetic to the 557 complainants.
And, although Andy said he was “obviously pleased an outcome has been secured for the long-suffering former Postmasters,” he added: “Based upon the legal costs already incurred, the Post Office would be saving tens of millions of pounds by avoiding the court cases scheduled for next year as the costs associated with these would have amounted to somewhere in this region, if not higher.
“So while it’s great news that this large group of former Postmasters, who have been appallingly treated by their employer, have achieved compensation and an apology, I can’t help asking if the Post Office may have got off lightly here.
Andy continued: “It was absolutely outrageous what happened in this case, and the sheer anguish that this group of hard-working Postmasters were subjected to, as the Post Office made one ill-judged error after another and seemingly attempted to cover up the failings of Horizon by attacking the innocent.
“There should be a full judicial inquiry into this scandal and the full force of the law should be brought down on those board members and directors responsible,” he insisted.
The CWU fully supports the actions and objectives of the JFSA, which brought the case, and the union has highlighted the fact that the NFSP – which Justice Fraser described as not being independent of the Post Office and is the only organisation to have ‘official recognition’ by the Post Office for Postmasters – refused to support the action and effectively turned a blind eye to many hundreds of their former members who made legitimate complaints about the grossly unfair treatment by the Post Office.
“This union can and should be very proud of the role we play in supporting our Postmaster members, particularly Mark Baker our branch secretary,” Andy continued, adding that, “if the formal inquiry we’ve called for does go ahead, there also need to be serious questions asked about the NFSP and their far-too-cosy relationship with the company, which was at the very core of the problems faced by these Postmasters.”
Andy added “the union will be calling for Parliamentary scrutiny of what has transpired and led to this landmark settlement for so many unjustly penalised Postmasters. The new government needs to ensure those responsible for this travesty are held to account and we will also be campaigning in Westminster to ensure the Post Office has to recognise the CWU as the legitimate voice of Postmasters.”
Notwithstanding today’s development, the presiding judge, Justice Fraser we are told will still be handing down his judgement on the Second Trial next Monday.
Source: https://www.cwu.org/news
DPD UK records biggest ever Cyber Weekend
December 9, 2019
DPD UK has recorded its biggest ever Cyber Weekend, with parcel volumes up 13% on 2018.
The company experienced record volumes of parcels in its four automated sorting hubs each night in the week running up to Black Friday (November 29) and right through the weekend.
DPD UK had a record number of delivery vans on the road over the weekend having recruited a significant number of new permanent drivers during the year in preparation for Cyber Weekend, and the company’s growing fleet of electric vehicles made a significant contribution to the landmark effort.
Parcel volumes are expected to fall slightly now, before building to a second peak on December 16 following the last major weekend of online Christmas shopping.
Dwain McDonald, DPD UK’s CEO, said, “We have maintained our very high service standard, despite record volumes, and that is something everyone should be very proud of. We start planning for peak in January and we look at every single aspect of the whole process, but when it all comes together it is still a great achievement for everyone involved.”
Source: https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/e-commerce
Parcel firm Doddle in talks with the US Postal Service as it looks to break into the US market
December 7, 2019
Doddle is in talks with the US Postal Service and major retailers about deals that could help the UK parcel firm break America.
The company – owned and chaired by Travelex founder Sir Lloyd Dorfman – is in advanced discussions to pilot a parcels collection and returns service with USPS, which has more than 31,000 post offices in the US.
It follows a deal last month with Australia Post as part of the five-year-old firm’s expansion plans.
Doddle started out as a joint venture with Network Rail, but the plan to launch parcel collections and stores in train stations failed to take off. Network Rail sold out of the venture in 2015.
Doddle has since moved away from having physical stores and focused instead on licensing its software, such as with the Australian deal. Around 20 per cent of retail revenues in the UK are online, but the percentage is much lower abroad, where Dorfman sees a big opportunity.
He said: ‘If you believe in the long-term exponential growth of e-commerce, we’ve got a really critical part to play. The UK online retail market is quite advanced and developed so all the growing pains we’ve seen here are starting to manifest themselves in these markets that are behind us.
‘By and large everyone’s got some sort of collections solution, but the problem they’re all starting to wrestle with is in the returns sector – that is more complicated.’
Dorfman, worth an estimated £720million, said Doddle is also in talks about potential tie-ups with ‘very large’ American retailers.
Source : https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-7767781
An Post’s new €15m Global Parcel Hub opens in Dublin
December 6, 2019
An Post today unveiled the Dublin Parcel Hub (DPH), a €15m investment in automated parcel processing at Oak Road, Dublin 12. The new international hub is a gateway for incoming and outgoing national and international parcels and a key milestone in An Post’s transformation from an old world of letters to a new world of e-Commerce logistics. The business is making big moves to flourish as a sustainable, profitable business, successfully delivering in a digital world.
The new 50,000 sq. metre world-class logistics facility significantly increases An Post’s parcel processing capacity as the Company expands its global reach and digital capability to become the backbone of e-Commerce in Ireland. The new hub will be a vital gateway to international trade for leading Irish brands like Eason, Brown Thomas, Carrolls Irish Gifts, Blarney Woollen Mills, Arnotts and Carraig Donn.
The hub’s world-class Beumer Technology enables 13,000 parcels to be processed every hour and transforms the parcels operation from a manual set-up to a 90% automated process. The new Beumer system is self-learning and can recognise all Irish locations, allowing for optimal accuracy. Following processing, parcels are despatched directly from the Dublin Parcel Hub to local delivery units.
Since Friday last, the DPH has handled more than one million parcels generated by online shoppers over Black Friday and Cyber Monday through Irish and international etailers. This year An Post will handle 16 million parcels from the UK alone, 5 million from the US, Canada and Brazil, and over 1 million from Germany.
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said ‘’An Post is one of the staples of Irish life and it is great to see this investment to future-proof its business model. In today’s globalised economy, it is imperative for any country that wishes to stay ahead of the curve to invest in e-Commerce technologies, just as An Post is doing.
“The Dublin Parcel Hub will help to connect Irish businesses and consumers to the world. By transforming its business model, An Post will be supporting Ireland to harness the winds of international trade, which support one in every seven jobs in the EU.’’
David McRedmond, CEO, An Post said “We’re ambitious for An Post and for Ireland in the international e-Commerce world. This hub is a significant investment in Ireland’s economic infrastructure, providing Irish business and consumers with the world’s most advanced technology coupled with An Post’s expertise, connecting them to global markets and linking international business to every address in Ireland. With over 50% of Irish retail now online, the Dublin Parcel Hub sits right at the centre of a new world order of global trading and shopping for customers.
“The European Investment Bank recently approved a €40 million loan to support An Post’s transformation strategy and we will invest this, and additional funds from our own resources, to rebuild our entire network over the next five years to remain in step with the rapidly emerging global e-Commerce landscape.
An Post’s business and personal customers will benefit from faster, more accurate, energy-efficient services”, he concluded.
Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels said “An Post’s vision is to continue to drive growth and expertise as the eCommerce backbone of Ireland for shippers and shoppers. With parcel volumes growing at 40% per annum, An Post needed to make a step change into Parcel Automation. We believe that Ireland can become a world leader in e-Commerce and the DPH is an important milestone in this development.
“An Post local delivery staff know every household and business address in the country and theirs may be the only human interaction a customer has when purchasing a product online. We’re the market leader in the parcel sector in Ireland with more than 40% market share and we have the trade agreements in place to connect 280,000 Irish businesses to 200 countries worldwide through the global postal network.
“In 2018, An Post processed more than 30 million parcels – a 42% increase on the prior year as shoppers increasingly opted to buy goods online. All the signs indicate another large volume increase this year and into the future. Indeed, today (Friday) will be our single busiest single day ever in terms of parcels”, he added
An Post’s Dublin Parcel Hub was launched by Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director, An Post Mails & Parcels; David McRedmond, CEO, An Post and European Trade Commissioner, Phil Hogan.
Source : https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News