POSTAL NEWS
No 27-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. UPS commits to reducing the emissions profile of its air and ground operations. April 9, 2021. 2. Poste Italiane and Pharmap partner to offer home delivery of pharmaceuticals. April 7, 2021.
3. USPS to complete rollout of new touch-screen mobile delivery devices (MDDs). April 6, 2021. 4. When La Poste is suddenly able to grant a bonus! April 6, 2021.
5. Postal Services Act amended to facilitate roll-out of 1,000 parcel locker stations. April 5, 2021.
1. UPS commits to reducing the emissions profile of its air and ground operations
April 9, 2021 UPS, together with its UPS Flight Forward subsidiary, plans to purchase electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Beta Technologies (BETA) to augment its air service for select small and mid-size markets. These aircraft will take off and land on-property at UPS facilities in a whisper-quiet fashion, reducing time-in-transit, vehicle emissions, and operating cost.
The BETA aircraft’s 1,400-pound cargo capacity is ideally suited to more quickly and sustainably transport time-sensitive deliveries that would otherwise fly on small fixed-wing aircraft.
UPS’s use of the aircraft will benefit healthcare providers, thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, and other companies in smaller communities. With a 250-mile range and cruising speed of up to 170 miles per hour, UPS will be able to plan a series of short routes, or one long route, on a single charge to meet customers’ needs.
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“This is all about innovation with a focus on returns for our business, our customers, and the environment,” said UPS Chief Information and Engineering Officer Juan Perez. “These new aircraft will create operational efficiencies in our business, open possibilities for new services, and serve as a foundation for future solutions to reduce the emissions profile of our air and ground operation.”
The aviation industry is focusing on small aircraft, which UPS uses to serve many small and medium-sized communities, to develop groundbreaking, sustainable electric-powered aircraft. BETA’s aircraft has four fixed vertical lift propellers and one pusher propeller for forward flight. It can charge in an hour or less, and produces zero operational emissions.
“We’re combining simple, elegant design and advanced technology to create a reliable aircraft with zero operational emissions that will revolutionize how cargo moves,” said BETA founder and CEO Kyle Clark. “By utilizing vertical takeoffs and landings, we can turn relatively small spaces at existing UPS facilities into a micro air feeder network without the noise or operating emissions of traditional aircraft.”
UPS has also reserved BETA’s recharging station for a seamless and fully integrated electric aviation system. The BETA charging station helps ensure safe and rapid charging of the aircraft in under one hour, and facilitates a quick turn for the loading and unloading of cargo. The charging station also offers the aircraft’s batteries a second life cycle.
After the batteries’ first life cycle in the aircraft concludes, they can be fitted to the charging stations to recharge the aircraft’s onboard batteries as well as UPS’s fleet of electric ground vehicles. UPS currently operates more than 12,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, and announced a commitment to purchase up to 10,000 Arrival electric vehicles.
BETA’s aircraft are designed to someday operate autonomously as technologies and regulations are established. UPS Flight Forward received the first U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 135 Standard air carrier certification to operate a drone airline, and is operating daily revenue-generating flights with drones. The FAA certification also enables UPS Flight Forward to fly payloads of up to 7,500 lbs. either with an operator or autonomously.
The first ten BETA aircraft are scheduled to begin arriving in 2024, with an option to purchase up to 150 of the aircraft.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/136884/news
2. Poste Italiane and Pharmap partner to offer home delivery of pharmaceuticals
April 7, 2021
Poste Italiane and digital pharmacy platform Pharmap have partnered to offer a home delivery service for pharmaceuticals.
The service is available in 42 cities, including Rome, Milan, Genoa, Bologna, and Turin. The postie goes to the pharmacy to collect the order and then deliver same-day. Customers pay online via credit card, or pay cash on delivery. Urgh.
In 22 major cities, delivery is made within 60 minutes of orders being placed on the Pharmap website or app.
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Time slot delivery is also available in larger cities. Delivery slots are restricted by pharmacy opening hours, typically between 10:30am and 1:30pm, or from 4:30pm to 7:30pm.
In smaller towns, deliveries are next-day, with about 100 more locations being added in the coming weeks.
Click-and-collect is also available.
Time slot delivery costs €2.99, while super-fast delivery costs €5.99. Click-and-collect is free.
Expansion plans
In the coming months the service will be expanded to the whole country, including about 5000 pharmacies and 25 million clients.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
3. USPS to complete rollout of new touch-screen mobile delivery devices (MDDs)
April 6, 2021
The Postal Service is rolling out thousands of new touch-screen mobile delivery devices (MDDs) to letter carriers across the nation.
Approximately 15,000 Post Offices will receive 200,000 new devices during the rollout, which began in late March and will continue through September. By then, every letter carrier will have one of the new scanners.
This marks the final phase of the MDD (model Zebra TC-77) rollout that began last year when more than 75,000 of the handhelds were deployed to 3,000 Post Offices.
“They work just like the older MDDs, so not a lot of training is required. The big change is the hardware. I describe them as smartphones on steroids,” said Charles McLellan, delivery and mobile technology engineering manager.
While slightly smaller and less bulky than the current model, which debuted in 2014, the new ruggedized MDDs feature larger touch-screen displays; Wi-Fi; faster processors; improved battery life; more memory; better GPS capabilities; and 4G cellular connectivity.
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The original MDDs relied upon old-style cellular service, which is being discontinued as AT&T, Verizon and other providers move away from the 3G network.
“It’s important for us to upgrade to 4G to provide real-time status updates on delivery notifications for our customers,” McLellan said.
Similarly, carriers who use the Co-Pilot GPS application will have a better experience using turn-by-turn directions when making deliveries on Sundays.
“They also have voice capability, so we’re planning 911 [emergency assistance] capability before the end of this year,” McLellan said.
John Blair, a Vienna, VA, letter carrier who has been using the new MDDs for the past 10 months, praised them.
“It’s smaller. It’s lighter. It was a seamless transition because it is extremely user-friendly,” said Blair, who’s particularly a fan of the device’s “package look-ahead” feature.
“It shows all of the packages that have been received at the Post Office, loaded on the vehicles and delivered. It also shows packages not loaded, which means the package arrived at the Post Office. It’s a great tool for when a customer asks, ‘Where’s my package?’”
As the new MDDs roll out, the current devices will be repurposed for Post Offices, where clerks and retail associates can use them for back-office functions and retail transactions.
Source : https://www.postaltimes.com/postalnews
4. When La Poste is suddenly able to grant a bonus!
April 6, 2021
"The results do not allow it", "we are too indebted" ... here are the answers obtained by FO during its numerous requests for premium payments, whether for profit-sharing or to recognize the investment of each postman since the start of the health crisis.
Today, La Poste holds a new discourse. She suddenly has the means to pay 25 € per day (during the week of social benefits) to the agents of the Parents Network of children under 16 who, according to the texts could benefit from the partial activity but who will find a means of custody. These agents would be the account managers, the SF client managers, the letter carriers and the Commercial Space Managers. But could also claim: an Operations Manager or a banking advisor who would help in the commercial space.
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In short, for FO these situations will be unmanageable. But beyond that, La Poste shows total unfairness between the agents. It is a single bonus granted to all staff that our union organization requested during the CNSST on April 2.
Faced with the fear of the dissatisfaction of elected officials if it was impossible to ensure the payment of social benefits to customers during the week of April 6, La Poste was able to find the money. On the other hand, to reward teams for their involvement and dedication, there is no budget.
Today, La Poste has realized that it has gone too far and fears that the postal workers will no longer be there. Despite a social barometer with which she is satisfied, she prefers to ensure her back by promising the payment of this bonus. But tomorrow, when the payment of services is finished, again there will be no more money for the financial recognition of all postal workers.
During the allocation of the bonus of € 300 which generated the difficulties that we know, FO had already warned that the dissatisfaction of the postal workers risked calling into question any future mobilizations. We are there and La Poste is reiterating, even amplifying its errors.
As we repeat, it is essential that this bonus be paid to all postal workers.
Source : http://www.focom-laposte.fr/
5. Postal Services Act amended to facilitate roll-out of 1,000 parcel locker stations
April 5, 2021
SINGAPORE is a step closer to the rollout of 1,000 parcel locker stations islandwide to support e-commerce delivery, after amendments to the Postal Services Act (PSA) were passed in Parliament on Monday.
The PSA was updated to allow the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), as the appointed postal authority, to establish, install, operate and maintain the locker network, which will comprise 1,000 locker stations by end-2021.
The stations will be located at areas such as HDB estates, public transport nodes, and community centres and clubs managed by the People's Association.
The PSA amendments also provide IMDA with enforcement powers to ensure the safe use and operation of the network.
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Last July, IMDA announced that its subsidiary Pick Network will deploy, own and operate the locker network, which will place locker stations within a five-minute walk of HDB blocks.
"This will ensure the neutrality of the network, and also allow it to be freely accessible to the industry and all consumers," Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann said in Parliament on Monday.
In March this year, Ms Sim told Parliament that the trials for the nationwide parcel locker network have received "overwhelmingly positive" feedback from close to 10,000 residents.
As BT reported then, IMDA's effort had raised some concerns among industry players about whether demand for the lockers can hit adequate scale, given that consumers are used to doorstep delivery.
In IMDA's press release on Monday, a spokesperson for Qoo10 said: "While we are cautiously optimistic, we believe that online shoppers will eventually warm up to the additional convenience of having them."
Fellow industry players J&T Express, Ninja Van and parcel locker operator Parcel Santa similarly expressed support for the parcel network.
Separately, the PSA was also amended to allow delivery service providers and online merchants to deliver small packets and other non-letters into letterboxes via SingPost, the public postal licensee. Other postal licensees may also tap this infrastructure. This will "further facilitate competition in last-mile delivery services", IMDA said.
Robin Goh, chief brand and communications officer at SingPost, said that the PSA amendments are "very timely", given the growth in e-commerce volumes following Covid-19.
"As Singapore's national postal service provider, SingPost looks forward to working with IMDA and the industry to bring an unprecedented level of convenience and accessibility to residents, and further Singapore's Smart Nation cause," he said.
Source : https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economyPOSTAL NEWS
No 28-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. La Poste to launch parcel lockers for private homes. April 9, 2021. 2. Posten Norge adds electric truck to fleet. April 8, 2021.
3. My Post 24 terminals strike a chord with the Swiss public. April 8, 2021.
4. Seko Logistics and Peli BioThermal partner for pharma operations in Ireland. April 7, 2021.
5. Neil Ryan named as Assistant to National Officers and National CAD Representative. April 6, 2021.
1. La Poste to launch parcel lockers for private homes
April 9, 2021
Pickup, La Poste’s parcel shop network, is adding to its delivery solutions by offering to install connected parcel boxes in private houses and apartment buildings. These boxes will supplement conventional letterboxes and, La Poste says, will enable private individuals to receive their parcels 24/7, regardless of the delivery operator.
Pilot sites are already in operation, with a full launch planned before the summer. The parcel boxes will be offered to residents who live in private houses and new or old apartment buildings, in urban, suburban and rural areas.
The post says that numerous avenues are being explored to make the parcel boxes compatible with every home environment and to enable them to be used to offer additional services (beyond picking up parcels), notably the services provided by Groupe La Poste.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/lockers-pudo
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2. Posten Norge adds electric truck to fleet
April 8, 2021
Posten Norge (Norway Post) recently received its second electric 18-pallet truck.
The first truck was from MAN, and the latest was provided by Scania.
The new truck will be used in different parts of the country. When winter comes, the goal is to test the truck in very cold conditions. Which should be a struggle in Norway.
The Scania has a larger battery and thus a longer range than the one from MAN, but has a slightly lower permissible total weight than the MAN truck.
Norway Post and Bring already have over 1000 electric vehicles, four of which are trucks. Recently, a container truck was purchased for liquefied biogas, and the group already has one that runs on compressed gas.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
3. My Post 24 terminals strike a chord with the Swiss public
April 8, 2021
We're all used to finding a collection note in our letter box. In most cases, it means we were out when the mail carrier called, and we’ll now have to go the post office to collect the tea, face cream or new clothes we recently ordered. But what if our plans for the day clash with branch opening hours? Swiss Post can offer plenty of alternatives for collecting parcels, including My Post 24 terminals. This option saw a huge take-up during the pandemic in 2020.
With My Post 24 terminals, you can send or receive parcels yourself whenever you want. When Swiss Post launched the terminals back at the end of 2013, no-one really knew how well they would go down with customers.
At first, the country had only a handful of terminals, which were used relatively infrequently. It soon became clear, however, that they met the needs of customers. People’s habits are changing. More and more customers now prefer to enjoy Swiss Post’s services around the clock. In recent years, Swiss Post has gradually increased the number of terminals from 94 in 2018 to 183 at the start of 2021.
And, at the same time, this service has been embraced. January 2018 saw around 25,000 transactions at the terminals – i.e. parcels and letters sent or received – and in December 2020, this figure had increased to 220,000.
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2020: more parcel returns for the first time
My Post 24 terminals have struck a chord with the Swiss public. In 2020, when the pandemic started, the terminals saw unprecedented popularity. At first glance, that seems paradoxical. After all, during lockdown, more people stayed at home during the day, which meant someone was always there to take delivery of parcels. Many people ordered clothes and other goods online during this restrictive period. But anything that didn’t fit or wasn’t what customers were looking for was conveniently returned, increasingly with the My Post 24 terminals. For the first time ever, Swiss Post customers sent more parcels than they received via these terminals. Many people have found My Post 24 to be a valuable alternative to their local Swiss Post branch particularly during these extraordinary times and the ongoing parcel boom. Altogether, customers posted more than 930,000 parcel returns via My Post 24 in 2020, which is more than twice as many as the previous year.
Swiss Post aims to considerably expand its network of terminals
Online retail is continuing to grow, and, with it, the number of parcels. With this in mind, Swiss Post is looking to more than double the number of My Post 24 terminals in the coming years.
Manfred Winiger, Infrastructure Manager at Swiss Post, is responsible for procuring the terminals. He’s been satisfied with developments so far: “Customer feedback just keeps getting better each year.
We’re on the right track.” However, he says: “We need to set up our terminals where our customers are.” Swiss Post frequently has to relocate its terminals, as there’s not enough demand at some of the locations. Winiger adds: “The terminals are modular systems. We can tailor them to requirements and make them bigger or smaller, depending on the space available.”
What many people don’t know is that even though Swiss Post has reduced the number of its self-operated branches, the total of all Swiss Post access points has risen since 2016 from 4,200 to around 4,700 today. The growing number of terminals will ensure that this figure continues to rise in the coming years. Besides the Swiss Post branches and My Post 24, the company’s other access points include branches with partners, locations with a home delivery service, as well as the additional service points in shops, known to customers as PickPost.
A win-win situation
And what does Swiss Post consider to be the ideal location for a terminal? Of course anywhere people live, work or simply pass by: such as at train stations or in shopping centers. When it comes to choosing a location, Swiss Post branches are increasingly being considered. The reason for this is simple: often these branches are located in the city and customers are very familiar with where they are.
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For several years now, if no-one’s at home when the mail carrier calls, parcels have been delivered directly to the nearest terminal instead of being returned to the branch for collection. Customers are then able to open the terminal by simply scanning the QR code on the collection note. This creates a win-win situation for Swiss Post and its customers. Swiss Post lightens the workload for its branches, which then frees up employee capacity for customers with more complex concerns. At the same time, customers are able to collect their parcels at a time that suits them because most of the terminals are accessible 24 hours a day. By the end of 2020, more than 850,000 households in Switzerland had used this service.
Source : https://post-medien.ch/en
4. Seko Logistics and Peli BioThermal partner for pharma operations in Ireland
April 7, 2021
Seko Logistics has broadened its pharma capabilities in Ireland by opening a new 30,000 sq ft facility in Dublin and extending its partnership with temperature-controlled container manufacturer Peli BioThermal.
The companies said the partnership will give Seko’s customers in Ireland “quick and easy access” to Peli BioThermal’s temperature-controlled solutions, which offer storage between 2 and 8°C and 15-25°C depending on the container type.
Seko added that the partnership “leverages” its international freight forwarding network, as well as enabling Peli BioThermal to enhance its pharma service in Ireland by utilising Seko’s network and facilities at the Dublin hub.
The deal will also see Seko servicing refurbishing, repairing and conditioning shippers from Peli BioThermal’s Crēdo rental programme to help pharma goods to arrive at their destination “intact and effective, protected from exterior environments”.
A spokesperson for Seko Logistics explained: “Under the newly extended partnership, Seko now provides international movements of Crēdo Cargo units by air, sea and road transportation, offering Import, export and in-house Customs Brokerage services. Seko has also opened a new Crēdo Cube refurbishment operation within the facility with a GDP-certified team of staff.”
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Michael Daly, managing director at Seko Logistics in Ireland, commented: “One of our reasons for moving to a bigger facility in Dublin was to show Peli BioThermal that we are a long-term partner ready to support their growth over the next 3-5 years. We want to help them grow more and, in doing so, show Ireland’s pharma industry the benefits we can offer by centralising their requirements with us. By combining Peli BioThermal with Seko’s international freight forwarding network and customs services, we can simplify pharma supply chains and make them more efficient.”
Adam Tetz, director of worldwide marketing at Peli BioThermal, added: “Seko’s new facility has made it easier and more cost efficient to set up these other services and sets a precedent for future network stations. We see massive growth potential in Ireland and the availability of these additional services broadens our scope.”
According to IDA Ireland, an autonomous statutory agency operating under the aegis of the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the world’s top 10 bio pharmaceutical companies, and 14 of the world’s top 15 medical technology companies, all have operations in Ireland.
In addition, 75 pharma companies in Ireland contribute to the €39bn generated annually from exports connected to the pharma, bio and chemistry sectors.
Source : https://www.aircargonews.net/freight-forwarder
5. Neil Ryan named as Assistant to National Officers and National CAD Representative
April 6, 2021
Effective Saturday, July 3, 2021, Neil Ryan will join the staff at the NPMHU’s National Office as a member of the Contract Administration Department (CAD) and Assistant to the National Officers. Brother Ryan is currently serving as the Treasurer of Local 301, in the New England region.
“I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Ryan,” said National President Paul Hogrogian. “Neil’s background and experience are a good fit for the position.” Brother Ryan will work closely with both the National President and the National Secretary-Treasurer, in addition to supporting the Contract Administration Department as a National Representative.
“It is a testament to Neil that, from the robust talent pool of dedicated Local Union officers and representatives from around the country, he was selected to serve in this position,” said President Hogrogian.
President Hogrogian continued, “This appointment comes at a critical time for the NPMHU as we begin preparations for the next round of collective bargaining and work to mitigate the impact of the Postmaster General’s recently released 10-Year Plan entitled Delivering for America. Neil’s addition to the National CAD will give us additional resources and insight as we face the challenges going forward.”
Brother Ryan began his career as a Mail Handler in 1990 at the Boston GMF. Since 1996, Brother Ryan has served Local 301 as a Shop Steward and Branch President at the Brockton P&DC, Massachusetts State Executive Board Member, and Treasurer. He has been elected as a Delegate to the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 NPMHU National Conventions, serving on the Legislative/Political and Constitution Committees. He has
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also served as a Delegate to the 2006, 2011 and 2016 LIUNA Conventions, and is a past Executive Board Member of the Greater Boston Labor Council.
Brother Ryan has attended and conducted numerous trainings at both the National and Local level, including his service as National Trainer for the 2015 and 2018 NPMHU Financial Management Seminar. He has been an arbitration advocate, and has extensive experience in Article 12, LMOU negotiations, MAP, OWCP, and RI 399.
Brother Ryan will be an excellent addition to the NPMHU National Team. Please join us in offering our congratulations to Neil.
Source : https://www.npmhu.org/media/news
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