POSTAL NEWS
No 63 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
British Post Office makes it easier for customers to access key services. August 8, 2019.
Australia Post to use NBN as part of network infrastructure upgrade. August 7, 2019.
USPS patent envisions sorting robots aboard mail trucks. August 6, 2019.
Swiss Post acquires direct mail business. August 6, 2019.
Investing is above all a quality public service! August 6, 2019.
FEDEX announces major investment to its Memphis Hub. August 5, 2019.
British Post Office makes it easier for customers to access key services
August 8, 2019
British Post Office has joined the government’s digital marketplace, GCloud 11, with a suite of identity services on offer to all government departments and agencies.
Being part of the framework streamlines the entire procurement process for any government department seeking to work with Post Office.
Martin Edwards, Managing Director of Identity Services at Post Office, commented: “We are delighted to be able to offer our services through GCloud 11. We are uniquely placed to serve customers who may be digital natives, while also supporting those who prefer to engage with our services face to face.
“We look forward to working with our government partners in the identity space. We share many common goals, including tackling issues such as digital and financial exclusion. By helping customers to prove who they are in an easy and inclusive manner, we believe we will remove barriers that impede access to key services such as Universal Credit, and passport applications,”
There are three Post Office Identity Services available on the framework. These are:
Digital Identity – enabling millions of users to prove who they are and to share verified data and documents straight from their device
In-branch verification – providing support for specific customers who require face to face identity verification
Document certification – certifies copies of original documents with additional digital image capture available, if required
These services offer government partners the flexibility of ‘bricks and clicks’. Digital services support those citizens who are confident to navigate the online world. And a network of 11500 outlets continues to bridge the gap for those who require face to face services and support. 93% of the UK population lives within 1 mile of a Post Office.
With a website that attracts millions of visitors each year and 11500 branches, Post Office is conveniently accessible to all. The Identity Services team already works with a range of government partners, including DVLA, Her Majesty’s Passport Office and the Cabinet Office.
Digital Identity focuses on helping users to create a reusable identity that can be shared across all sectors and use cases, from government and financial services, health and welfare, travel and age restricted retail. Once a user has created their digital identity they can use it time and time again without the need for further verification.
Document Certification provides up to three copies of an original document, certified to state that they are a true likeness to the original: Includes all common forms of ID: passports, driving licences, utility bills and bank statements.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110353/news
Australia Post to use NBN as part of network infrastructure upgrade
August 7, 2019
Australia Post has awarded managed service provider Comscentre with a five-year contract to help the organisation upgrade its telecommunication network at over 4,000 sites, including all post offices, mail and parcel facilities, as well as corporate offices across the country.
Under the contract, Comscentre will roll out Cisco Meraki SD-WAN infrastructure to give Australia Post sites nationally access to greater network connectivity to the NBN.
According to the incumbent postal service, access to greater bandwidth would mean the delivery of more digital services, faster parcel processing, improved transaction performance of Bank@Post, faster passport applications, while also making Wi-Fi standard in all post offices.
In addition, Comscentre will work with Engage to transform Australia Post's contact centres by consolidating platforms and building capabilities such as machine learning for intelligent customer interaction.
Australia Post CIO John Cox said the telecommunication transformation builds on Australia Post's growth strategy that involves re-writing its retail point of sale, introducing telematics in vehicles and facilities, and partnering with Google for data analytics.
"This is the largest and most significant transformation of its type and demonstrates how Australia Post is leaning into the future to complete our ambitious agenda," he said.
The announcement comes after Australia Post went to market seeking a partner that could deliver a network that was flexible and robust.
Australia Post added as part of the network transformation, Telstra would continue to look after all communication, collaboration, and mobility needs including video and audio conferencing.
Last month, Australia Post digital identification service was accredited as being a "trusted identity service provider" by the federal government under its Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF).
This is despite the government-owned entity being labelled by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) as not effectively managing cyber risks.
An audit report by the ANAO indicated there were weaknesses in the postal service's implementation of its risk management framework.
Source : https://www.zdnet.com/article
USPS patent envisions sorting robots aboard mail trucks
August 6, 2019
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted USPS a patent for a sorting robot intended to work inside a delivery vehicle's "freight bay" en-route to deliveries.
The robot would be capable of "grasping items and moving them between the item storage bins," grouping items to be delivered to the same address and shrink wrapping the items together.
The language in the patent suggests the robot would also be able to pass items, or groups of items, through a window from the freight bay into the cab of a delivery vehicle so that the driver may deliver them. The patent stipulates one or more robotic arms could be used in a single vehicle.
Dive Insight:
The robot described and depicted in the patent is not terribly complicated, consisting of an arm with some dexterity — the type of apparatus common in manufacturing scenarios. But it could replace some of the work generally performed by humans in a U.S. postal building.
Most mail and parcels come to a local post office presorted by zip code but must be further grouped by route and address from there. Performing the final phase of this sorting en-route could cut down on delivery time and labor required to deliver a package somewhat.
USPS did not respond by press time to inquiries regarding the possibility of the timeline of implementing this technology, and just because an entity is granted a patent does not mean a technology will ever see the light of day. But labor has been a source of financial strain for the postal carrier, so technological solutions may have taken on a new hue lately.
"Current methods of item delivery are expensive, at least in part due to personnel costs," reads the patent. "Methods and systems to reduce the human operator's workload along a delivery route are needed to reduce the cost associated with item delivery."
Fiscal year 2018 was the first year in five years USPS cut jobs (10,000 of them to be precise) instead of creating new ones, according to Government Executive. Plus, new proposals for employment terms show the service dropping benefits in the future in an effort to cut costs through the payroll.
Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news
Swiss Post acquires direct mail business
August 6, 2019
Swiss Post has announced that it has acquired Basel-based direct mail company Distriba to enhance its promotional mailing processes. Following the acquisition, the post intends to better position itself in the unaddressed direct mail sector and exploit synergies between itself and Distriba, including adapting current processes.
Distriba will be fully integrated with Swiss Post subsidiary Direct Mail Company (DMC). The two companies will work to grow the advertising mail market, which according to Swiss Post, has been in decline for years.
DMC has taken over the management of the six permanent employees at Distriba, as well as around 150 delivery staff under the previous employment conditions. The delivery routes of DMC will now be adjusted, processes optimized and synergies exploited.
A consultation process will be undertaken from August 5-23 to look at conditions of employment and delivery adjustments, including reducing the number of deliveries undertaken.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news
Investing is above all a quality public service!
August 6, 2019
Following the publication of the results of the first half of 2019 and the savings envisaged for 2020 (300 million euros) in order to maintain a high investment, the announcements of the CEO of La Poste are worrying. Indeed, these savings would be made, inter alia, to the detriment of employment and, consequently, working conditions of postal workers.
And yet, already too many postal workers work in deplorable conditions and many institutions are no longer able to provide a quality public service. Less jobs would accentuate this bad social climate ...
For FO, investment should not become the enemy of employment! Investing is giving confidence in the future for every postman. Investing is just thinking to avoid any budget drift. And investing is also and above all ensuring a postal presence throughout the country. It is giving La Poste the means to ensure its public service missions in the long term!
Source: http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
FedEx announces major investment to its Memphis Hub
August 5, 2019
FedEx has announced it will be investing an additional $450 million into its Memphis hub, exceeding $1.5 billion for the total amount it said it would invest over the next six years.
The money will be used to construct a new sorting facility, state-of-the-art systems and a bulk truckload building.
FedEx President and COO Raj Subramaniam said: “Our additional investment will accelerate this modernisation project, ensuring that we continue to provide outstanding service to our customers around the world and the best workplace for the thousands of FedEx team members who make our Memphis World Hub operations possible every day and night.”
“FedEx continues to be both a global leader and a Tennessee icon,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “In a fast-paced market, we are proud of this company for continuing to invest with an eye on the future and supporting more than 30,000 Memphis area employees.”
The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110218/news
POSTAL NEWS
No 64 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Japan Post ends Saturday delivery for standard mail.
August 7, 2019.
Amazon expands autonomous delivery to southern California. August 7, 2019.
Deutsche Post: mail model. August 6, 2019.
A phone call or your life? – Choose LIFE and let it ring – Road Safety Campaign message! August 6, 2019.
Quantum Capital Partners to acquire Postcon business of PostNL. August 5, 2019.
Japan Post ends Saturday delivery for standard mail
August 7, 2019
A government panel has decided to end Saturday delivery for standard mail to deal with a labour shortage at Japan Post Co and a drop in demand due to increased use of the internet, reports Japan Today.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications accepted the proposal from the panel and will seek a law amendment in the autumn.
Delivery on Saturday could be terminated possibly next year and it will be available only on weekdays.
The panel also proposed that delivery for standard mail the day after posting be ended.
Japan Post, a unit of Japan Post Holdings Co, has been calling for a review to trim standard mail service hours to five days a week from the current six days to address the workforce shortage.
The government holds a more than 50 % stake in Japan Post Holdings.
The unit estimates the changes will lift its profit from the postal service business by 62.5 billion yen through reducing labour costs, which are on the rise due to the staffing shortfall.
Saturday delivery for parcels is to be maintained, along with that for express and registered mail. The postal service unit is considering a 10 % cut in charges for express mail in return for discontinuing Saturday mail service.
The panel also proposed extending the standard delivery time limit of three days to four days to maintain stable services.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110234/news
Amazon expands autonomous delivery to southern California
August 7, 2019
Amazon has begun using its Scout robot to offer autonomous delivery to customers in southern California.
A small number of the cooler-sized robots will begin delivering from today (7 August) in Irvine, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, in daylight hours from Monday to Friday.
They will follow pre-set delivery routes while accompanied by an Amazon employee. They travel at a walking pace, with the ability to avoid obstacles in their path.
Amazon developed Scout at its R&D lab in Seattle, including both the hardware and the software that operates it.
Customers in the area order as they normally would via the site or app and can choose from the same delivery options including same-day, one-day and two-day shipping for Prime members.
In January Amazon introduced six Amazon Scout robots in Snohomish County in the state of Washington. At the initial phase of the trial they will be accompanied by an Amazon employee.
“We’re still in field test mode and our expansion to the Irvine area is just another in the many steps forward for this new delivery system,” Sean Scott, VP of Amazon Scout, wrote in a blog. “The future is right around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Source : https://edelivery.net/2019/08
Deutsche Post: mail model
August 6, 2019
“Great German conglomerate” need not be a contradiction in terms. Strong performance justifies an unfashionable structure. Deutsche Post DHL started as a domestic postal monopoly. Since the late 1990s, it has become a diversified global logistics company through acquisitions. It delivers letters in Monchengladbach. It also whizzes goods bought online around the world.
Like US rivals UPS and FedEx, its shares have tracked world economic growth. But they jumped 4 per cent on Tuesday after second-quarter results showed global trade tensions had failed to damp profits.
Two decades ago, Deutsche Post stole a lead on European rivals — unlike the UK’s Royal Mail — by expanding internationally. Back then, the internet was expected to kill mail services. Deutsche Post spotted that e-commerce created an opportunity in parcel deliveries. Express service provider DHL was acquired in stages from 1998.
Shares in UK tiddler Royal Mail have generated negative returns of 13 per cent since its 2013 listing. Deutsche Post has produced a positive return of 48 per cent over the same period. The latter trades at about 14 times forward earnings, no more than the average multiple over the past five years.
UPS is rated at 15 times. UPS and FedEx benefit from their large domestic market. But so does Deutsche Post. Traditional German post and parcel services drove a stronger-than-expected second quarter performance, buoyed by stamp price rises. That enabled Deutsche Post to edge higher its guidance for full-year operating profits to at least €4bn — a quarter above last year — compared with €3.9bn previously.
Geographical spread, as well as cost control, will help in fickle markets. Sluggish Europe faces a downturn. Its shoppers still want online goods delivered quickly. Deutsche Post’s core express delivery business grew fastest in Europe in the second quarter. Higher margin e-commerce businesses, such as logistics centres, account for a quarter of operating profits, higher than at international rivals, reckons Barclays. Deutsche Post just keeps delivering.
Source : https://www.ft.com
A phone call or your life? – Choose LIFE and let it ring – Road Safety Campaign message!
August 6, 2019
“No phone call is more important than your life, or the lives of other road users,” insists CWU health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce as the union and Royal Mail prepare for the company’s August Road Safety Campaign.
With a fleet of 49,000 vehicles on the road, this is the biggest operating fleet in Europe and during the company’s road safety campaigns, Royal Mail joins forces with the union, with area safety reps and unit managers focusing on a particular aspect of road safety.
This initiative is about drumming home the message that using mobile phones while driving is dangerous, illegal and a risk to your job.
Dangerous:
Latest statistics from the Department of Transport indicate that drivers talking on the phone are four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury, even if using hands-free devices.
Distracted drivers have 35 per cent slower reaction times and poorer lane control.
Drivers reading and sending text messages are 23 times more likely to crash than an attentive driver.
Over the past year, there have been 83 cases where drivers were involved in a fatal accident related to using their mobile or being distracted while driving.
A further 459 drivers were involved in a serious road traffic crash related to mobile phone use and distractions while driving.
Against the law:
It’s an offence to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle under current UK law. Under the law, ‘driving’ includes being stationary if the engine is running, including in traffic queues and at traffic lights.
This offence carries a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points, a fine which can rise to £2,500 if you are driving a heavy goods vehicle.
Drivers can be prosecuted for using their hand-held phone for any telecommunication purpose, not just making or receiving calls.
Even if a driver is using a hands-free mobile phone device, they may still be prosecuted if the police consider the driver is being distracted and that it has affected their standard of driving.
A risk to your job:
Under Royal Mail’s own driving rules, all mobile phone use while driving including hands-free is strictly forbidden.
Royal Mail Group policy prohibits the use of mobile phones, PDAs or any other device including hands free that may cause distraction whilst driving on behalf of Royal Mail Group.
This rule applies across the whole Royal Mail Group and therefore includes Parcelforce, RMSS, RMP&FS, RME and Fleet.
Dave Joyce says: “If you’re driving and your phone rings, then ignore it and let it ring. If your text alert sounds, ignore it. No phone call or text message is more important than your life, your safety, or the lives and the safety of other road users.
“No phone call or text message is worth breaking the law and risking the possible loss of your licence, or a big fine.
“And no phone call or text message is worth risking disciplinary action at work.”
Next week, campaign posters will be going up at Royal Mail workplaces all over the UK featuring this message and the subject will also be featured in WTLL sessions.
“If your phone rings, or a text alert sounds, ignore it – you can pull over when you’re able to do so safely, park safely, turn off your engine and then check your calls and messages,” Dave advises.
“But while you’re driving, just let that phone ring, make the choice to ignore it, choose your life, choose your safety, choose your job.”
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
Quantum Capital Partners to acquire Postcon business of PostNL
August 5, 2019
Munich/The Hague, 5 August 2019 - Quantum Capital Partners and PostNL have signed an agreement on the sale of the activities of Postcon, the number-two mail provider in Germany and a subsidiary of PostNL. The transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to close before the end of 2019.
Steffen Görig, CEO and founder of Quantum Capital Partners comments: “Postcon is the leading alternative mail provider in Germany in a challenging market environment. We look forward to continuing the growth path in the nationwide business, to further developing the last-mile business and to enhancing operational and administrative efficiencies. We are keen to support the team on the road to success and are confident that we can realise Postcon’s full growth potential.”
Herna Verhagen, CEO of PostNL, says: “This transaction will allow Postcon to further develop its activities and strengthen its position in the German postal market. The sale of Postcon marks another step in our strategy of focusing on our core markets in the Netherlands and Belgium, and supporting the transformation of PostNL into an e-commerce logistics service provider.”
Postcon processes over 1 billion letters a year and has a market share of about 10% in Germany. Together with its partners, its reach includes every household in the country. Postcon has modern sorting centres all across Germany, as well as a company-owned delivery structure in the Rhineland and Ruhr areas. The company has around 5,300 direct and indirect employees.
About Quantum Capital Partners
Quantum Capital Partners GmbH (QCP) is a fast-growing international financial investor with offices in Munich, Madrid and Milan. The Quantum Group acquires companies with potential for operational improvement, growth and development. As an active and responsible owner, Quantum Group works closely with local management to ensure that its subsidiaries implement a continuous development plan and growth strategy. Since its inception in 2008, the Quantum Group has acquired a variety of businesses from world-leading companies such as Robert Bosch, Stora Enso, Dürr, Airbus, Nestlé, Mahle, Tenneco and Norsk Hydro. With a total of 25 completed acquisitions since 2014, the Quantum Group is one of the most active investors in its sector.
Additional information
This press release contains inside information within the meaning of article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
Forward-looking statements
Some statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements”. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are outside of PostNL’s control and impossible to predict, and that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, analyses and projections about the industries in which PostNL operates and management's beliefs and assumptions about possible future events. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only valid as of the date of this press release and are neither predictions nor guarantees of possible future events or circumstances. PostNL does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities law.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/press-releases/2019
No 63 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
British Post Office makes it easier for customers to access key services. August 8, 2019.
Australia Post to use NBN as part of network infrastructure upgrade. August 7, 2019.
USPS patent envisions sorting robots aboard mail trucks. August 6, 2019.
Swiss Post acquires direct mail business. August 6, 2019.
Investing is above all a quality public service! August 6, 2019.
FEDEX announces major investment to its Memphis Hub. August 5, 2019.
British Post Office makes it easier for customers to access key services
August 8, 2019
British Post Office has joined the government’s digital marketplace, GCloud 11, with a suite of identity services on offer to all government departments and agencies.
Being part of the framework streamlines the entire procurement process for any government department seeking to work with Post Office.
Martin Edwards, Managing Director of Identity Services at Post Office, commented: “We are delighted to be able to offer our services through GCloud 11. We are uniquely placed to serve customers who may be digital natives, while also supporting those who prefer to engage with our services face to face.
“We look forward to working with our government partners in the identity space. We share many common goals, including tackling issues such as digital and financial exclusion. By helping customers to prove who they are in an easy and inclusive manner, we believe we will remove barriers that impede access to key services such as Universal Credit, and passport applications,”
There are three Post Office Identity Services available on the framework. These are:
Digital Identity – enabling millions of users to prove who they are and to share verified data and documents straight from their device
In-branch verification – providing support for specific customers who require face to face identity verification
Document certification – certifies copies of original documents with additional digital image capture available, if required
These services offer government partners the flexibility of ‘bricks and clicks’. Digital services support those citizens who are confident to navigate the online world. And a network of 11500 outlets continues to bridge the gap for those who require face to face services and support. 93% of the UK population lives within 1 mile of a Post Office.
With a website that attracts millions of visitors each year and 11500 branches, Post Office is conveniently accessible to all. The Identity Services team already works with a range of government partners, including DVLA, Her Majesty’s Passport Office and the Cabinet Office.
Digital Identity focuses on helping users to create a reusable identity that can be shared across all sectors and use cases, from government and financial services, health and welfare, travel and age restricted retail. Once a user has created their digital identity they can use it time and time again without the need for further verification.
Document Certification provides up to three copies of an original document, certified to state that they are a true likeness to the original: Includes all common forms of ID: passports, driving licences, utility bills and bank statements.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110353/news
Australia Post to use NBN as part of network infrastructure upgrade
August 7, 2019
Australia Post has awarded managed service provider Comscentre with a five-year contract to help the organisation upgrade its telecommunication network at over 4,000 sites, including all post offices, mail and parcel facilities, as well as corporate offices across the country.
Under the contract, Comscentre will roll out Cisco Meraki SD-WAN infrastructure to give Australia Post sites nationally access to greater network connectivity to the NBN.
According to the incumbent postal service, access to greater bandwidth would mean the delivery of more digital services, faster parcel processing, improved transaction performance of Bank@Post, faster passport applications, while also making Wi-Fi standard in all post offices.
In addition, Comscentre will work with Engage to transform Australia Post's contact centres by consolidating platforms and building capabilities such as machine learning for intelligent customer interaction.
Australia Post CIO John Cox said the telecommunication transformation builds on Australia Post's growth strategy that involves re-writing its retail point of sale, introducing telematics in vehicles and facilities, and partnering with Google for data analytics.
"This is the largest and most significant transformation of its type and demonstrates how Australia Post is leaning into the future to complete our ambitious agenda," he said.
The announcement comes after Australia Post went to market seeking a partner that could deliver a network that was flexible and robust.
Australia Post added as part of the network transformation, Telstra would continue to look after all communication, collaboration, and mobility needs including video and audio conferencing.
Last month, Australia Post digital identification service was accredited as being a "trusted identity service provider" by the federal government under its Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF).
This is despite the government-owned entity being labelled by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) as not effectively managing cyber risks.
An audit report by the ANAO indicated there were weaknesses in the postal service's implementation of its risk management framework.
Source : https://www.zdnet.com/article
USPS patent envisions sorting robots aboard mail trucks
August 6, 2019
Dive Brief:
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted USPS a patent for a sorting robot intended to work inside a delivery vehicle's "freight bay" en-route to deliveries.
The robot would be capable of "grasping items and moving them between the item storage bins," grouping items to be delivered to the same address and shrink wrapping the items together.
The language in the patent suggests the robot would also be able to pass items, or groups of items, through a window from the freight bay into the cab of a delivery vehicle so that the driver may deliver them. The patent stipulates one or more robotic arms could be used in a single vehicle.
Dive Insight:
The robot described and depicted in the patent is not terribly complicated, consisting of an arm with some dexterity — the type of apparatus common in manufacturing scenarios. But it could replace some of the work generally performed by humans in a U.S. postal building.
Most mail and parcels come to a local post office presorted by zip code but must be further grouped by route and address from there. Performing the final phase of this sorting en-route could cut down on delivery time and labor required to deliver a package somewhat.
USPS did not respond by press time to inquiries regarding the possibility of the timeline of implementing this technology, and just because an entity is granted a patent does not mean a technology will ever see the light of day. But labor has been a source of financial strain for the postal carrier, so technological solutions may have taken on a new hue lately.
"Current methods of item delivery are expensive, at least in part due to personnel costs," reads the patent. "Methods and systems to reduce the human operator's workload along a delivery route are needed to reduce the cost associated with item delivery."
Fiscal year 2018 was the first year in five years USPS cut jobs (10,000 of them to be precise) instead of creating new ones, according to Government Executive. Plus, new proposals for employment terms show the service dropping benefits in the future in an effort to cut costs through the payroll.
Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news
Swiss Post acquires direct mail business
August 6, 2019
Swiss Post has announced that it has acquired Basel-based direct mail company Distriba to enhance its promotional mailing processes. Following the acquisition, the post intends to better position itself in the unaddressed direct mail sector and exploit synergies between itself and Distriba, including adapting current processes.
Distriba will be fully integrated with Swiss Post subsidiary Direct Mail Company (DMC). The two companies will work to grow the advertising mail market, which according to Swiss Post, has been in decline for years.
DMC has taken over the management of the six permanent employees at Distriba, as well as around 150 delivery staff under the previous employment conditions. The delivery routes of DMC will now be adjusted, processes optimized and synergies exploited.
A consultation process will be undertaken from August 5-23 to look at conditions of employment and delivery adjustments, including reducing the number of deliveries undertaken.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news
Investing is above all a quality public service!
August 6, 2019
Following the publication of the results of the first half of 2019 and the savings envisaged for 2020 (300 million euros) in order to maintain a high investment, the announcements of the CEO of La Poste are worrying. Indeed, these savings would be made, inter alia, to the detriment of employment and, consequently, working conditions of postal workers.
And yet, already too many postal workers work in deplorable conditions and many institutions are no longer able to provide a quality public service. Less jobs would accentuate this bad social climate ...
For FO, investment should not become the enemy of employment! Investing is giving confidence in the future for every postman. Investing is just thinking to avoid any budget drift. And investing is also and above all ensuring a postal presence throughout the country. It is giving La Poste the means to ensure its public service missions in the long term!
Source: http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
FedEx announces major investment to its Memphis Hub
August 5, 2019
FedEx has announced it will be investing an additional $450 million into its Memphis hub, exceeding $1.5 billion for the total amount it said it would invest over the next six years.
The money will be used to construct a new sorting facility, state-of-the-art systems and a bulk truckload building.
FedEx President and COO Raj Subramaniam said: “Our additional investment will accelerate this modernisation project, ensuring that we continue to provide outstanding service to our customers around the world and the best workplace for the thousands of FedEx team members who make our Memphis World Hub operations possible every day and night.”
“FedEx continues to be both a global leader and a Tennessee icon,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “In a fast-paced market, we are proud of this company for continuing to invest with an eye on the future and supporting more than 30,000 Memphis area employees.”
The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110218/news
POSTAL NEWS
No 64 -2019
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
Japan Post ends Saturday delivery for standard mail.
August 7, 2019.
Amazon expands autonomous delivery to southern California. August 7, 2019.
Deutsche Post: mail model. August 6, 2019.
A phone call or your life? – Choose LIFE and let it ring – Road Safety Campaign message! August 6, 2019.
Quantum Capital Partners to acquire Postcon business of PostNL. August 5, 2019.
Japan Post ends Saturday delivery for standard mail
August 7, 2019
A government panel has decided to end Saturday delivery for standard mail to deal with a labour shortage at Japan Post Co and a drop in demand due to increased use of the internet, reports Japan Today.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications accepted the proposal from the panel and will seek a law amendment in the autumn.
Delivery on Saturday could be terminated possibly next year and it will be available only on weekdays.
The panel also proposed that delivery for standard mail the day after posting be ended.
Japan Post, a unit of Japan Post Holdings Co, has been calling for a review to trim standard mail service hours to five days a week from the current six days to address the workforce shortage.
The government holds a more than 50 % stake in Japan Post Holdings.
The unit estimates the changes will lift its profit from the postal service business by 62.5 billion yen through reducing labour costs, which are on the rise due to the staffing shortfall.
Saturday delivery for parcels is to be maintained, along with that for express and registered mail. The postal service unit is considering a 10 % cut in charges for express mail in return for discontinuing Saturday mail service.
The panel also proposed extending the standard delivery time limit of three days to four days to maintain stable services.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/110234/news
Amazon expands autonomous delivery to southern California
August 7, 2019
Amazon has begun using its Scout robot to offer autonomous delivery to customers in southern California.
A small number of the cooler-sized robots will begin delivering from today (7 August) in Irvine, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, in daylight hours from Monday to Friday.
They will follow pre-set delivery routes while accompanied by an Amazon employee. They travel at a walking pace, with the ability to avoid obstacles in their path.
Amazon developed Scout at its R&D lab in Seattle, including both the hardware and the software that operates it.
Customers in the area order as they normally would via the site or app and can choose from the same delivery options including same-day, one-day and two-day shipping for Prime members.
In January Amazon introduced six Amazon Scout robots in Snohomish County in the state of Washington. At the initial phase of the trial they will be accompanied by an Amazon employee.
“We’re still in field test mode and our expansion to the Irvine area is just another in the many steps forward for this new delivery system,” Sean Scott, VP of Amazon Scout, wrote in a blog. “The future is right around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Source : https://edelivery.net/2019/08
Deutsche Post: mail model
August 6, 2019
“Great German conglomerate” need not be a contradiction in terms. Strong performance justifies an unfashionable structure. Deutsche Post DHL started as a domestic postal monopoly. Since the late 1990s, it has become a diversified global logistics company through acquisitions. It delivers letters in Monchengladbach. It also whizzes goods bought online around the world.
Like US rivals UPS and FedEx, its shares have tracked world economic growth. But they jumped 4 per cent on Tuesday after second-quarter results showed global trade tensions had failed to damp profits.
Two decades ago, Deutsche Post stole a lead on European rivals — unlike the UK’s Royal Mail — by expanding internationally. Back then, the internet was expected to kill mail services. Deutsche Post spotted that e-commerce created an opportunity in parcel deliveries. Express service provider DHL was acquired in stages from 1998.
Shares in UK tiddler Royal Mail have generated negative returns of 13 per cent since its 2013 listing. Deutsche Post has produced a positive return of 48 per cent over the same period. The latter trades at about 14 times forward earnings, no more than the average multiple over the past five years.
UPS is rated at 15 times. UPS and FedEx benefit from their large domestic market. But so does Deutsche Post. Traditional German post and parcel services drove a stronger-than-expected second quarter performance, buoyed by stamp price rises. That enabled Deutsche Post to edge higher its guidance for full-year operating profits to at least €4bn — a quarter above last year — compared with €3.9bn previously.
Geographical spread, as well as cost control, will help in fickle markets. Sluggish Europe faces a downturn. Its shoppers still want online goods delivered quickly. Deutsche Post’s core express delivery business grew fastest in Europe in the second quarter. Higher margin e-commerce businesses, such as logistics centres, account for a quarter of operating profits, higher than at international rivals, reckons Barclays. Deutsche Post just keeps delivering.
Source : https://www.ft.com
A phone call or your life? – Choose LIFE and let it ring – Road Safety Campaign message!
August 6, 2019
“No phone call is more important than your life, or the lives of other road users,” insists CWU health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce as the union and Royal Mail prepare for the company’s August Road Safety Campaign.
With a fleet of 49,000 vehicles on the road, this is the biggest operating fleet in Europe and during the company’s road safety campaigns, Royal Mail joins forces with the union, with area safety reps and unit managers focusing on a particular aspect of road safety.
This initiative is about drumming home the message that using mobile phones while driving is dangerous, illegal and a risk to your job.
Dangerous:
Latest statistics from the Department of Transport indicate that drivers talking on the phone are four times more likely to be in a crash that causes injury, even if using hands-free devices.
Distracted drivers have 35 per cent slower reaction times and poorer lane control.
Drivers reading and sending text messages are 23 times more likely to crash than an attentive driver.
Over the past year, there have been 83 cases where drivers were involved in a fatal accident related to using their mobile or being distracted while driving.
A further 459 drivers were involved in a serious road traffic crash related to mobile phone use and distractions while driving.
Against the law:
It’s an offence to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving a motor vehicle under current UK law. Under the law, ‘driving’ includes being stationary if the engine is running, including in traffic queues and at traffic lights.
This offence carries a fine of up to £1,000 and six penalty points, a fine which can rise to £2,500 if you are driving a heavy goods vehicle.
Drivers can be prosecuted for using their hand-held phone for any telecommunication purpose, not just making or receiving calls.
Even if a driver is using a hands-free mobile phone device, they may still be prosecuted if the police consider the driver is being distracted and that it has affected their standard of driving.
A risk to your job:
Under Royal Mail’s own driving rules, all mobile phone use while driving including hands-free is strictly forbidden.
Royal Mail Group policy prohibits the use of mobile phones, PDAs or any other device including hands free that may cause distraction whilst driving on behalf of Royal Mail Group.
This rule applies across the whole Royal Mail Group and therefore includes Parcelforce, RMSS, RMP&FS, RME and Fleet.
Dave Joyce says: “If you’re driving and your phone rings, then ignore it and let it ring. If your text alert sounds, ignore it. No phone call or text message is more important than your life, your safety, or the lives and the safety of other road users.
“No phone call or text message is worth breaking the law and risking the possible loss of your licence, or a big fine.
“And no phone call or text message is worth risking disciplinary action at work.”
Next week, campaign posters will be going up at Royal Mail workplaces all over the UK featuring this message and the subject will also be featured in WTLL sessions.
“If your phone rings, or a text alert sounds, ignore it – you can pull over when you’re able to do so safely, park safely, turn off your engine and then check your calls and messages,” Dave advises.
“But while you’re driving, just let that phone ring, make the choice to ignore it, choose your life, choose your safety, choose your job.”
Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
Quantum Capital Partners to acquire Postcon business of PostNL
August 5, 2019
Munich/The Hague, 5 August 2019 - Quantum Capital Partners and PostNL have signed an agreement on the sale of the activities of Postcon, the number-two mail provider in Germany and a subsidiary of PostNL. The transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to close before the end of 2019.
Steffen Görig, CEO and founder of Quantum Capital Partners comments: “Postcon is the leading alternative mail provider in Germany in a challenging market environment. We look forward to continuing the growth path in the nationwide business, to further developing the last-mile business and to enhancing operational and administrative efficiencies. We are keen to support the team on the road to success and are confident that we can realise Postcon’s full growth potential.”
Herna Verhagen, CEO of PostNL, says: “This transaction will allow Postcon to further develop its activities and strengthen its position in the German postal market. The sale of Postcon marks another step in our strategy of focusing on our core markets in the Netherlands and Belgium, and supporting the transformation of PostNL into an e-commerce logistics service provider.”
Postcon processes over 1 billion letters a year and has a market share of about 10% in Germany. Together with its partners, its reach includes every household in the country. Postcon has modern sorting centres all across Germany, as well as a company-owned delivery structure in the Rhineland and Ruhr areas. The company has around 5,300 direct and indirect employees.
About Quantum Capital Partners
Quantum Capital Partners GmbH (QCP) is a fast-growing international financial investor with offices in Munich, Madrid and Milan. The Quantum Group acquires companies with potential for operational improvement, growth and development. As an active and responsible owner, Quantum Group works closely with local management to ensure that its subsidiaries implement a continuous development plan and growth strategy. Since its inception in 2008, the Quantum Group has acquired a variety of businesses from world-leading companies such as Robert Bosch, Stora Enso, Dürr, Airbus, Nestlé, Mahle, Tenneco and Norsk Hydro. With a total of 25 completed acquisitions since 2014, the Quantum Group is one of the most active investors in its sector.
Additional information
This press release contains inside information within the meaning of article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
Forward-looking statements
Some statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements”. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are outside of PostNL’s control and impossible to predict, and that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, analyses and projections about the industries in which PostNL operates and management's beliefs and assumptions about possible future events. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only valid as of the date of this press release and are neither predictions nor guarantees of possible future events or circumstances. PostNL does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities law.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/press-releases/2019