POSTAL NEWS
No 37-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
|
1. USPS: Megan Brennan’s successor announced. May 07, 2020.
2. DHL adds American flights due to COVID-19. May 06, 2020.3. Australia Post scrambles to handle parcels boom.May 05, 2020.
4.
Cash On Delivery makes
consumer-to-consumer e-commerce more secureMay 04, 2020.
5. Attention danger! In the mail, productivity comes before health!May 04, 2020. |
1. USPS: Megan Brennan’s successor announced
May 07, 2020
Louis DeJoy has been appointed as the 75th Postmaster General
of the United States and Chief Executive Officer of the USPS. He is expected to
begin serving in his new role effective June 15th.
DeJoy is an
accomplished business executive with more than 35 years of experience. As
Chairman and CEO of New Breed Logistics, DeJoy spent decades in collaboration
with the U.S. Postal Service, Boeing, Verizon, Disney, United Technologies and
other public and private companies to provide supply chain logistics, programme
management and transportation support.
“Louis DeJoy
understands the critical public service role of the United States Postal
Service, and the urgent need to strengthen it for future generations,” said
Robert M. (Mike) Duncan, chair of the Board of Governors. “The Board
appreciated Louis’ depth of knowledge on the important issues facing the Postal
Service and his desire to work with all of our stakeholders on preserving and
protecting this essential institution.”
DeJoy becomes the
fifth Postmaster General to join the institution from the private sector since
the Postal Service became an independent establishment within the Executive
Branch in 1971.
Mr. DeJoy said:
“Having worked closely with the Postal Service for many years, I have a great
appreciation for this institution and the dedicated workers who faithfully
execute its mission. I look forward to working with the supporters of the
Postal Service in Congress and the Administration to ensure the Postal Service
remains an integral part of the United States government. Postal workers are
the heart and soul of this institution, and I will be honored to work alongside
them and their unions. It will be an incredible honor to serve as Postmaster
General, and I commit myself to upholding the Postal Service’s cherished role
in our nation.”
As Chairman and CEO
of New Breed Logistics, Inc., he transformed a small, family owned transportation
company with 10 employees into a nationwide provider of highly engineered,
technology-driven, contract logistics solutions employing more than 9,000
people. New Breed Logistics was a contractor to the U.S. Postal Service for
more than 25 years, supplying the Postal Service with logistics support for
multiple processing facilities. The company received Quality Supplier Awards
from the Postal Service in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
In 2014, New Breed
merged with XPO Logistics, with DeJoy serving as CEO of XPO
Logistics’ supply chain business in the Americas before retiring in December
2015 as CEO and joining the XPO Logistics board of directors, where he served
until 2018.
DeJoy is a member of
the Board of Trustees at Elon University in North Carolina and the Fund for
American Studies in Washington, DC. He received his Bachelor of Business
Administration from Stetson University. He currently resides in Greensboro,
North Carolina with his wife, Dr. AldonaWos.
DeJoy’s appointment
comes upon the retirement of Megan Brennan, the nation’s 74th Postmaster
General, who announced her intent to step down in October 2019. The Board of
Governors then began an extensive nationwide search, employing a national
executive search firm to conduct the search with additional advisory services
from Chelsea Partners. In the ensuing months, the Governors reviewed the
records of more than two hundred candidates for the position before narrowing
the list to more than fifty candidates to undergo substantial vetting.
Subsequently, the
Governors interviewed more than a dozen candidates in first round interviews,
and invited seven candidates for follow-up interviews. A narrow list of
finalists then underwent a final vetting process before the Governors made
their decision.
2. DHL adds American flights due to COVID-19
May 06, 2020
DHL Express has seen imports from Asia to the Americas
increase substantially as it helps battle COVID-19.
Asian imports, coming primarily from China, are up 70%
year-on-year, with DHL Express moving more than 168,000 shipments of masks,
gloves, respirators, and disinfectant products into the Americas in just one
week.
Air capacity has been reduced with airlines canceling
flights, so DHL has increased its services, with additional flights and
charters meeting demand for PPE shipments.
The Americas hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Airport welcomed an extra flight to Canada to transport 45,000 shipments of
masks and other items in April. Another flight from London was added and a
Cincinnati-Los Angeles-Sydney-Singapore route was added using a Boeing 777
Freighter, bringing the total to seven flights a week.
DHL Express sent 10,000 shipments to the Americas via Miami,
Florida, with 180,000 test kits going to Central America in March.
Miami has also benefitted from connections to Brussels,
Belgium, offering 225 tons of capacity per week.
DHL Express is working with governments in Central America
to transport equipment including 60 valves for digital respirators in Guatemala
and test kits in Honduras.
In South America, the first 5,000 test kits arrived in
Quito, Ecuador, two weeks ago followed by another 50,000 last week.
DHL Express donated 10,000 N95 protective masks to the
Northwell Health network of hospital and healthcare facilities across New York
state.
The masks had been flown in from abroad via the DHL Express
Gateway facility at New York’s John F Kennedy airport.
Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Americas, said, “We’re open
for business and our operations are being mobilized around the world to deal
with this global crisis. We have been largely focused on bringing the
much-needed supplies to protect and support frontline employees from all
industries, particularly the medical professionals and first responders who
continue fighting to keep us safe and essential businesses running.”
3. Australia Post scrambles to handle parcels boom
May 05, 2020
Australia
Post is in the midst of an unprecedented boom in parcel delivery, with 90 per
cent year-over-year growth and regular days of over two million parcels a day.
This
is the level of activity normally enjoyed at Christmas, underlining the boost
to business as the growth in parcel numbers lifts revenue by some 65 per cent.
Most
chief executives are working out how to make do in a flat market.
But
Australia Post’s Christine Holgate, like her counterparts running the big
supermarkets, is being run off her feet.
Australia
Post has added 750 per people this year with 500 going into parcels and 200
into the call centre.
Pre-pandemic,
Australia Post employed 35,000 people directly and another 45,000 contractors.
It used to run nine freight
planes but this has increased to 17 to keep up with demand, which is also
helping to keep afloat Qantas and trucking operators like Linfox.
Not only is the number of parcels
increasing, they are getting bigger, with wine volumes increasing dramatically,
as shown by one centre in Sydney last weekend handling 136,000 cases of wine.
Letter volumes are,
unfortunately, falling almost as fast, with volumes now at 50 per cent of
levels a decade ago, with the number of posties the same. Which explains why
they are now working more on delivering parcels, and why Holgate recently won approval to wind back letter deliveries to
every second day to help divert staff.
In the month of March, Australia
Post delivered 3.3 million more parcels than it did in March two years ago.
The statistics come as the NAB
online sales index showed a 21.8 per cent increase in March on year-ago levels.
The increase in online traffic
has helped to keep some retail business operating in the middle of the
shutdown. In April one million more people shopped online than a year ago and
212,000 shopped on line for the first time.
In
an interview, Holgate said the pre-crisis online share of retail sales in
Australia was around 11 per cent, half that in the UK and around 25 per cent of
Asia.
But
the dramatic change caused by the crisis would push Australia’s share up to UK
levels, she said.
That,
combined with the push by retailers for payments by card and not cash, is
helping to fast-forward the move to a cashless society.
In
the six months to December, Australia Post’s parcels division posted a 13 per
cent increase in revenues to $2.7 billion, with profits up 12 per cent to $193
million.
Letter
revenue fell nine per cent to $1.1 billion, with a loss of $87 million.
Based
on the virus’s impact, parcels will report a handy boost, which should also
increase the dividend paid to the federal government.
Former
parcels boss Bob Black has returned to the UK and will not return but his job
is effectively being filled by three people, who will take control of their
respective divisions.
Rod
Barnes will run the parcel delivery operations, John Cox the group-wide IT and
Gary Starr the international sales and operations.
The
latter is doing it tough right now with international down some 75 per cent on
inbound services.
4. Cash On Delivery makes consumer-to-consumer e-commerce more secure
May 04, 2020
According to a questionnaire conducted by Posti,
Finns are shopping more online as a result of the coronavirus emergency. This
has also caused an increase in the number of used items being sold and
purchased online. If you’re worried about trading with a stranger, using COD
(Cash on Delivery) is one way to make the process more secure.
According to Timo
Korander, Head of Services, Digital Commerce at Posti, people are
going through their belongings as a result of spending more time at home and
passing on unwanted items that are still in usable condition.
“The volume of
consumer-to-consumer parcels sent through Posti has doubled over the past
couple of weeks. Using Cash on Delivery improves the security of the process,
particularly when trading valuable items,” Korander says.
Susanna Lehtonen, a 25-year-old from Tampere,
is an avid recycler who purchases many of her items used. “I’ve used Tori.fi
and second-hand groups on Facebook to buy and sell old furniture, such as an
old couch, dresser, dining table and chairs. I’ve also sold some bags, a
wallet, jackets and shoes.”
According to Lehtonen, peer
to peer trading offers a lot of benefits. “I’ve been able to buy valuable items
at a slightly lower price. They’ve been lightly used, but in good condition.
I’ve also found items that are no longer available new. Selling has been an
easy way to declutter things I no longer want while passing them on to someone
who needs them at an inexpensive price.”
Lehtonen has also been
scammed once. “I was buying two unused sets of sheets online and didn’t think
to ask for additional pictures. The seller seemed reliable, but after I paid
and asked for a tracking code, they would no longer reply to me.
With Cash on Delivery, the
seller can be sure that the buyer pays for the item before receiving it, while
the buyer doesn’t have to pay the seller in advance. Posti’s Cash on Delivery
for parcels costs EUR 5.50 in addition to the transportation costs.
How
to use Cash on Delivery – In
some deliveries, the recipients receive a message containing a payment link
1.
Pack
the parcel and select the size that matches its dimension from the list of
options. The maximum weight of the parcel is 32 kg.
2. Select COD (Cash on Delivery)
as an additional service.
3. Add the necessary payment
information.
4. Add the name and phone number
of the recipient and choose the delivery location.
5. Pay for the item and save the
Helposti code.
6. Write the Helposti code and
the following information on the parcel: the names, addresses and mobile phone
numbers of the sender and recipient. Drop the parcel off at any parcel locker
or leave it at a Posti service desk within 14 days of purchasing the delivery
service.
7. The parcel is handed over to
the recipient once they pay the COD amount. If the parcel is shipped to the
locker, the recipient will receive a link via SMS to pay the COD amount. The
authenticity of the message can always be verified with the item ID in item
tracking.
5. Attention danger! In the mail, productivity comes before health!
The
new organization of Mail distribution presented by La Poste is not a simple
temporary adjustment to meet the requirements of the health crisis. It is a real reorganization
at the national level which, not only is part of an objective of productivity
gains, but does not respect the governmental recommendations linked to
de-containment.
We
have reached zero level in terms of social dialogue. Neither negotiation,
nor consultation, nor listening and La Poste allows itself to believe in
co-construction with the trade union organizations: Inflated the staff of the direction
of the mail, but where there is embarrassment, there is no pleasure!
FO
Com has tried to argue to meet both the need for a gradual resumption of
activity and the implementation of mandatory health and safety
measures. Our interlocutors with deafness did not approach the substance
of the problems and on the form they showed a rare contempt. Finance would
have taken first place before the protection of postal workers?
After
May 11, de-containment does not mean returning to normal. Our main demand remains
and will remain the health and safety of postal workers. FO Com therefore
slams the door on the parody in progress and leaves La Poste to its monologue!
Source
:http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
POSTAL NEWS
No 38-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
1. On the Appointment of Louis DeJoy as the 75th Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service. May 07, 2020.
2.
“BpostGroup is not immune to the current global
crisis”.
May 05, 2020.
3.
Singapore’s logistics startup
Ninja Van raises $279M.
4. U.K.’s Royal Mail Available ‘On The Cheap’ As Czech Billionaire Takes A Chunk Of 500-Year-Old Company.May 05, 2020.
5. PostNL : Solid Q1 2020 performance and improved free
cash flow.May 04, 2020.
|
1. On the Appointment of Louis DeJoy as the 75th Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service
May 07, 2020
Statement from Mark Dimondstein, President of the American
Postal Workers Union,On the Appointment of Louis DeJoy as the 75th Postmaster
General of the United States Postal Service
Fifty years ago, postal workers waged a heroic nationwide
strike to win better pay, benefits and the right to collective bargaining. This
strike also recreated the United States Postal Service as an independent
agency, designed to be free from the political patronage and cronyism that had
plagued the old Post Office Department.
The APWU is deeply concerned with the appointment process
to make Mr. Louis DeJoy, a multi-million-dollar major donor to President Trump,
the next Postmaster General and whether the Administration has returned to the
days of political interference and patronage.
Since gaining its independence in 1970, the Postal
Service’s commitment to quality universal service to all the people of this
country, at uniform and reasonable rates, has made the United States Postal
Service the world’s most affordable and reliable postal service and the
country’s most trusted and highest rated government agency.
Mr. DeJoy has a choice as he assumes the reins of our
national treasure, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, which has overwhelming
popular support equally among Republicans, Democrats and Independents from the
most populated urban centers to the smallest rural towns.
He can choose to be a Postmaster General who implements
the destructive plans of this White House: raising postal rates, cutting
services, undermining stable union and family-sustaining jobs and selling the
public Postal Service to corporations for their private profit.
And if that is his choice, Mr. DeJoy will be met with
stiff resistance from postal workers and the people of this country.
Or Mr. DeJoy can prove true to his stated commitment to
the public Postal Service, its employees and our mission binding the country
together through universal service to all. If so, he will be a welcome addition
to the postal family and our proud tradition of public service.
In this extraordinary time of the pandemic crisis,
reliable, affordable and universal postal services are needed more than ever.
The Postal Board of Governors made a unanimous request to Congress for
immediate and direct financial assistance to the Postal Service. We hope that
Mr. DeJoy will join in this essential request for emergency assistance to
replace revenue lost due to the economic impact of the pandemic and to ensure
continued public postal services.
When outgoing Postmaster General Megan Brennan announced
her retirement, the APWU joined with other national organizations in
petitioning the Postal Board of Governors to select a replacement “who is fully
committed to universal service and the public ownership of the Postal Service.”
The people deserve nothing less.
Through many Postmasters General and Administrations, the
objectives of the American Postal Workers Union and proud postal workers have
remained steadfast, as they do today: decent jobs, safe working conditions, job
security, social justice, and an enhanced and vibrant public Postal Service for
generations to come.
Source : https://www.apwu.org/news
2. “BpostGroup is not immune to the current global crisis”
May 05, 2020
Announcing its first quarter 2020 results, bpost says it is not in a position “to accurately and reliably estimate the full quantitative impact on full year 2020 results” as a result of the pandemic, and that the Board will propose to the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to limit the dividend on 2019 results to the interim amount paid in December last year.
First quarter 2020 highlights
Group operating income at EUR 934.6 million,
+3.1% compared with the same period last year and driven by Parcels BeNe and
e-commerce logistics growth in both Parcels & Logistics
Europe & Asia and
North America.
Group
reported EBIT at EUR 71.0 million. Adjusted EBIT at EUR 75.6 million (margin of
8.1%).
Mail & Retail
Underlying mail volume
decline at -9.9% driven by cancelled advertising campaigns due to COVID-19.
Parcels & Logistics
Europe & Asia
· Total
operating income at EUR 213.5 million (+8.5%) mainly driven by Parcels BeNe
(+19.8%). Significant negative impact in Cross-border business of COVID-19.
· Organic
Parcels BeNe volumes at +20.5%, higher than +17.9% volume growth observed
year-to-date February 2020, and driven by increased online sales since the
March 18, 2020 lockdown.
· Reported
EBIT at EUR 16.2 million Adjusted EBIT at EUR 16.9 million (7.9% margin), up
EUR 4.5 million (+31%) operationally excluding 1Q19 VAT recovery,
year-over-year negative evolution of terminal dues settlements and COVID-19.
PaLo Eurasia COVID-19 impact estimated at EUR -1.8 million.
Jean-Paul
Van Avermaet, CEO of bpost Group: commented: “We are experiencing an
unprecedented global crisis. Facing these exceptional circumstances, bpost
Group is more than ever conscious of the social role it plays by providing a
vital link between people and preventing the isolation of the most vulnerable.
The considerable efforts made by our employees to guarantee the continuity of
bpost Group’s services are not made at the expense of their and our customers’
health and safety.
This
is of critical importance and our number one priority. We have implemented many
measures on the field to protect our employees and our customers.”
“In
a very short time, thanks to the unbridled efforts of all postmen and women, we
have succeeded in structurally accommodating and processing the large influx of
parcels within our current infrastructure in an agile and flexible manner. This
proves once again that the Belgian economy can count on bpost more than ever as
an essential link between companies and customers to support the change in
online consumer behaviour.”
“As
expected, bpost Group is not immune to the current global crisis. The Belgian
Federal government has imposed a lockdown on Belgian citizens since mid-March
2020, and this has unavoidably impacted our first quarter results. Our key
priorities remain to guarantee the safety of our employees, the continuity of
operations and the sound financial situation of the company. We continue to
closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 virus on our operations and
financials. Given the uncertainties and ongoing developments, we are not in a
position to date to accurately and reliably estimate the full quantitative
impact on full year 2020 results and will communicate as soon as this
assessment can be made.”
François
Cornelis, Chairman of the Board of Directors, continues: “Meanwhile, tough
but well-considered decisions had to be made to strengthen the balance sheet
and safeguard cash reserves of the Group for the long-term. Therefore, the
Board will propose to the ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to limit the
dividend on 2019 results to the interim amount paid in December last year. In
the present exceptional circumstances, prudence is warranted given the
uncertain length and severity of the COVID-19 crisis.”
Jean-Paul
Van Avermaet, CEO of bpost Group: “Also capital expenditures will be
limited to urgent and strategic needs only. Based on our continuous assessment
of the situation, we will take any further actions deemed necessary.”
“Besides
COVID-19, our first quarter results are marked by growing EBIT contributions
from our Parcels & E-commerce logistics businesses both in Europe and the
US. This confirms that the business transformation we embarked on is the right
track towards a viable future. Since our first quarter results were hampered by
significant EBIT churn from our domestic and international mail activities, we
need to further accelerate the development of our growth activities. Meanwhile,
we want to remain an efficient mail operator in Belgium, and for that purpose,
the successful nation-wide introduction of our alternating distribution model
mid-March has been a major step forward.”
3. Singapore’s logistics startup Ninja Van raises $279M
Ninja
Van, a Singapore-based logistics
startup, has
secured an additional $279 million in fresh funding as it works to scale its
operations to keep up with the surge in e-commerce deliveries in six Southeast
Asian countries.
Europe’s
GeoPost, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital
Group, Monk’s
Hill Ventures, Carmenta, Golden Gate Ventures Growth Fund, Intouch Holding,
Grab, and two sovereign wealth funds put money in the six-year old startup’s
Series D financing round.
The
startup, which has raised about $400 million to date, did not disclose its
valuation — but an analysis of an early tranche of this round coupled with
today’s announcement suggests that Ninja Van is now valued at about $750
million.
Ninja Van claims it delivers more than a million packages
across Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
It works with several major e-commerce firms including Shopee, Alibaba’s
Lazada, Indonesia’s Tokopedia.
In a
statement, Ninja Van said it planned to use the fresh capital to make further
inroads into the business-to-business sector, while also growing its other
existing services.
Source
: https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/04
4. U.K.’s Royal Mail Available ‘On The Cheap’ As Czech Billionaire Takes A Chunk Of 500-Year-Old Company
May 05, 2020
Billionaire Daniel
Křetínský of the Czech Republic has purchased a 5.3% stake in the
U.K.’s national postal service and courier company Royal Mail. Regulatory
filings on Monday confirm that Křetínský’sVesa Equity Investment, an investing
entity, has taken a $105 million (£85 million) position in the Royal Mail,
which went public in October 2013, to much public anger.
Křetínský’s move inches open the door for a
takeover attempt with, according to one FTSE commentator, Royal Mail’s
“worsening financial performance” making it more vulnerable to buyout since the
onset of the pandemic in March.
Křetínský has an estimated net worth of
$3.4 billion, according to Forbes. His principal asset is
Energeticky A Prumyslovy Holding (EPH), the biggest energy group in Central
Europe. He also owns Sparta Prague football club alongside stakes in French
newspaper Le Monde and German retail giant Metro AG.
5. PostNL : Solid Q1 2020 performance and improved free cash flow
May 04, 2020
Financial results Q1 2020
|
In
€ million
|
Q1
2019
|
Q1
2020
|
|
Revenue
|
684
|
701
|
|
Normalised EBIT
|
30
|
15
|
|
Free cash flow
|
(8)
|
5
|
Highlights Q1 2020
·
Ensuring safe and healthy environment for our
people and clients remains key priority
· Committed
to FY 2020 outlook for normalised EBIT of between €110 million and €130
million; uncertainties regarding duration and severity of Covid-19 pandemic may
impact ability to achieve this result
· Strong
volume development at Parcels since mid-March, supported by positive price/mix
effect
·
Sandd integration ahead of plan in delivering
anticipated benefits and synergies
·
More greetings cards contributing to a
favourable price/mix development
·
Additional mail volume decline due to lower
direct mail activity since mid-March
· Measures
to protect our people and clients and increased staff absence due to Covid-19
impacted operating costs
·
Disciplined working capital management
contributed to improved free cash flow
CEO statement
HernaVerhagen, CEO
of PostNL, said: “In an unprecedented first quarter, PostNL was able to achieve
a solid performance resulting in improved free cash flow. The integration of
the postal networks of PostNL and Sandd, completed on 1 February, is ahead of
plan in delivering the anticipated benefits and synergies and was already
accretive to normalised EBIT in Q1 2020.
“Above all, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our
people, partners, clients and
consumers in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic is and will remain our key
priority.
We are applying all social distancing guidelines and health
regulations to protect our people and
consumers as much as possible and have implemented additional measures in our
operations and facilities. We are proud of our people, who are fully focused on
the ongoing delivery of mail, parcels and other shipments such as medical goods
and food, allowing people to stay at home. We are actively monitoring
developments and have had a comprehensive business continuity plan in place
since early March.
“Our financial position is strong and, building on our solid
Q1 performance, we are committed to
achieving our FY 2020 outlook for normalised EBIT of between €110 million and
€130 million. Going forward, we see both challenges and opportunities, as
e-commerce has picked up and consumer mail is becoming more popular. However,
visibility is limited and the uncertainties about the duration and severity of
the pandemic may impact PostNL’s ability to achieve the projected result.”