POSTAL
NEWS No 65-2021
Formulated
by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. DHL rolls out Saloodo! in Argentina as entry to South
American
market. August 20, 2021. 2. USPS
reports steady service performance improvements. August 19, 2021. 3. NZ Post update on services during Alert Level 4. August 18, 2021. 4. Golden anniversary plaudits for Royal Mail veteran.
August
17, 2021. 5. Posti's climate targets are in
line with the latest climate
science -
all transport emission-free by 2030. August 16,
2021. 1. DHL rolls out Saloodo! in Argentina as entry to South
American
market August
20, 2021 Digital road freight platform Saloodo!, operated by DHL Global
Forwarding and
Freight,
which provides air, sea and road freight services, has launched its digital
logistics
platform for shippers and transport providers in Argentina.
“We are
proud of how quickly we are able to expand our digital platform. The successful
implementation
of Saloodo! in Europe, the Middle East and Africa allows us to offer the
service
now also in South America. This helps to improve the connectedness and
efficiency
of the road freight system in this region,” said Antje Huber, CEO of Saloodo!.
“According to our Global Connectedness Index, South America is one of the least
connected
continents in the world but has made great progress in recent years. In a
country
where
road and, above all, rail infrastructure is deficient, solutions of this type
boost
round-trip
logistics, with the Saloodo! platform being an ideal place to link supply and
demand.”
According to the company, Argentina provides the foundation for entry into the
Latin
American
market. “An efficient land freight network is essential for local and
international
trade and
gives an additional boost to economic growth and local and regional
connectivity,
as it is the key channel of trade within a geographically very large country.
Our goal
is to get rid of traditional, time-consuming and offline logistics processes –
Saloodo!
optimizes the whole shipping process on just one single platform,” explained
Eduardo
Rodrigues, general manager of DHL Global Forwarding Argentina. The Saloodo!
platform works by recommending a transport price based on current market
data and
makes all transportation documents accessible online. With its logistics
expertise
in
combination with the flexibility and digital skills of a startup, DHL says
Saloodo! will
give
weight to the digitalization efforts of the logistics sector in Argentina.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/logistics
2. USPS reports steady service performance improvements August 19, 2021 The U.S. Postal
Service reported data for fourth-quarter service delivery
performance
through the first two weeks of August that showed ongoing
improvements
from the third quarter ended June 30 across all First-Class,
Marketing
and Periodical mail categories.
Fourth-quarter
service performance for July 1 through August 12 included:
• First-Class Mail: Delivered 88.8 percent of First-Class Mail on time
against the USPS
service
standard, an improvement of 1.3 percentage points from the third quarter.
• Marketing Mail: Delivered 92.6 percent of Marketing Mail on time against
the USPS
service
standard, an improvement of 1.6 percentage points from the third quarter.
• Periodicals: Delivered 82.4 percent of Periodicals on time against the
USPS service
standard,
an improvement of 3.1 percentage points from the third quarter.
The
Postal Service’s recent service delivery improvements have been, in part, the
result of
a
strategic shift to more ground deliveries, decreasing the agency’s reliance on
the limited
cargo
capacities of third-party air carriers, and improved network efficiencies.
Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for financial
sustainability and
service
excellence, seeks to meet or exceed its goal of 95 percent on-time service
performance
for all mail and shipping product delivery based on standards as all elements
of the
plan are implemented. The Postal Service is preparing for the higher delivery
demands of the 2021 holiday peak
season
through increased hiring of delivery and plant personnel, the leasing of
millions of
additional
square feet of sortation facilities, and the installation of new processing
equipment
to accommodate higher volumes and customers’ evolving mail and package
delivery
needs. Since April, the Postal Service has installed 46 of 112 new package
sorting
machines,
reflecting the Delivering for America plan’s $40 billion of infrastructure
investments
over ten years. This past week, machine installations occurred in Cincinnati
(OH), Shreveport (LA),
Spokane
(WA), and Toledo (OH). Other recent installations occurred in Anchorage (AK),
Eagan
(MN), Philadelphia (PA), Traverse City (MI), Huntsville (AL), Houston (TX),
Mid-
Carolina
(NC), Memphis (TN), Denver (CO), Seattle (WA), St. Louis (MO), and
Teterboro
(NJ). Installations are continuing across the country as the Postal Service
plans to have new
equipment
running at 112 facilities by the 2021 peak holiday season. Additionally, the
Postal
Service is making a concerted effort nationwide to hire new employees ahead of
the
2021 peak
holiday season. Service performance is defined by the Postal Service from the
acceptance of a mail piece
into our
system through delivery, measured against published service standards. The
Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and
relies on
the sale
of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. Source :
https://postandparcel.info/140095/news/e-commerce
4
3. NZ Post update on services during Alert Level 4 August 18, 2021 NZ Post and its
people will again proudly step into the role of essential service
provider
for New Zealanders as the country moves into Alert Level 4.
“We are
committed to keeping our people, and New Zealanders, safe. From today, our
delivery
people will be reintroducing ‘contactless’ delivery and keeping a two metre
distance
from all members of the public. This applies to all of New Zealand,” says NZ
Post
Chief Customer Officer Bryan Dobson. “While you may be excited to receive your
item from us, we ask everyone to please
strictly
respect the two metre rule for our people, and to not approach Couriers and
Posties
as they
deliver your items. “Our teams will be wearing masks when in public places, and
we are ramping up hygiene
practices,
including washing of hands, physical distancing in our processing sites, and
other
safety measures.” “If you’ve got a query, please visit our website where
commonly asked questions are
being
updated regularly with answers and information. Our call centre is in the
process of
setting
up Alert Level 4 arrangements and we expect there may be some disruption today
as they
make this change, so please check the website in the first instance for
information
on your
query. “At this stage it is too early to tell what the impact of this Alert
Level change might be on
the
quantity of items we receive to deliver, but we are currently working with our
online
senders
to forecast what we might see in the coming days and weeks. “It is possible
that a sustained increase in the number of parcels coming in over a short
period
may lead to some delays, however we promise customers we will provide regular
updates
if this is the case. “We want to reassure customers that we are applying what
we learnt last time we were in
Lockdown
to help keep deliveries flowing smoothly, while prioritising the safety of our
people
and all New Zealanders,” says Bryan Dobson. Source :
https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/media-centre/media-release
4. Golden anniversary plaudits for Royal Mail veteran August 17, 2021 Colleagues and
friends have congratulated distribution driver Pete Millard, who has
reached
the milestone of 50 years’ service with the company.
5 Pete,
who works at Home Counties North Mail Centre in Hemel Hempstead, started work
as a Post
Office telegram boy way back in 1971. “I came into the job straight after I
finished school,” he tells CWU News, adding: “There
were
about eight of us who all started at the same time and we worked out of St
Albans
where I
lived.” Pete later transferred to postal deliveries and continued at St Albans
until the unit was
merged
into the HCN site in 2011. “I’ve worked on the small van fleet, worked early
shifts, lates and nights and I currently
drive a
7.5 tonner,” he continues. “I’ve always enjoyed the job, especially the people
I’ve worked with – and in my opinion,
I think
it’s better now than it was back then and our union’s as strong as ever.” CWU
area distribution rep Kelli Joyce says: “I’ve had the privilege to know and
work
with Pete
for the last 10 years at HCN. He’s an all-round good lad. Always on hand to
help new
recruits – to show them the way. “And he’s solid CWU union man, always very
supportive of every dispute we’ve had and
a loyal,
valued member.” And HCN late shift distribution rep Waleed Butt echoed Kelli’s comments,
adding:
“Congratulations
to Pete. He’s a great guy and we all hope he carries on for a lot longer.” Pete
says that he has no plans to retire yet, insisting: “I still enjoy the job and
the people I
work with
– and I’m carrying on.” Congratulations to Pete from CWU News too – and best of
luck for the future! Source : https://www.cwu.org/news
5. Posti's climate targets are in line with the latest climate
science -
all transport emission-free by 2030 August 16, 2021 Posti Group has set ambitious,
science-based climate targets that include value chain
emissions
in addition to its own emissions. The Science Based Targets initiative has
now
approved Posti's goals. The approval means that the targets are based on
scientific research and will help
Posti
contribute to the Paris Climate Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to
1.5 °
degrees.
Posti is
now one of ten Finnish companies whose targets are in line with SBTi's most
ambitious
1.5° emission reduction level, and which are committed to the Business
Ambition
for 1.5° initiative. According to the approved targets, Posti will reduce its
absolute total emissions (scope 1,
2 &
3) by 50% from the 2020 level by 2030. The target includes Posti’s previous
target
to push
its own emissions to zero and as a new target to have 100% fossil-free road
transportations,
also including the value chain, by 2030. Thus, Posti will have zero
emissions
in 2030 in terms of all its own emissions and all transportation. "The
latest climate study shows that emissions need to be reduced faster than
previously
thought,
and the coming decade is critical to success. As a large company, we
must
carry our responsibilities and want to show the direction in our industry. Reducing
emissions
requires long-term and dedicated work, which we have been doing at Posti for a
long
time. Our current targets which have now been approved in line with the latest
climate
science are very ambitious and we continue to reduce our emissions to zero with
an
extremely tight schedule," says Noomi Jägerhorn, Posti's Director of
Sustainability.
Posti's
emission reduction targets
• By 2030, Posti will reduce its total emissions (scope 1, 2 & 3) by
50% from the 2020
level
• This includes pushing all own emissions (scope 1 &
2) to zero and having fossil-free
road
transport (excluding sea and air transport), including subcontracting
• In the long
run, Posti has been committed, through the Climate Pledge, to be net-zero
by 2040
Science Based Targets (SBT) is a collaboration between the Carbon Disclosure
Project
(CDP),
the UN Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World
Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF). Science based climate targets are based on scientific
calculation
methods to ensure that the targets of companies are in line with the goals of
the
Paris
Agreement. Science Based Targets provides investors and other stakeholders with
a useful tool for
monitoring
the comparable emission targets of companies.
1. Bees on the roof August
20, 2021 Earlier this year, bee hives were installed on the roof of Swiss
Post’s Zurich-Mülligen
mail
centre. There are now eight apiaries in situ, with a beekeeper keeping an eye
on
them.
Each of
the eight bee colonies is able to produce around 8 kg of spring honey and 5 kg
of
summer
honey.
The honey
harvest depends on the food available in the area as well as the weather. This
year the
weather conditions weren’t in the bees’ favour, and the honey will be left for
the
bees. So,
should other postal operators follow Swiss Post’s lead? The answer is...
perhaps. Royal Mail might need to be cautious about setting up beehives around
London, as recent
growth in
urban beekeeping means there is insufficient nectar and pollen to support
current
beehive numbers in UK cities. Other postal operators might simply want to
consult with local experts to evaluate how
beehives
on postal rooftops might impact on local pollinator biodiversity.
Should postal operators instead look at greening their postal
rooftops? If there’s room after all those solar panels are installed of course.
Or should we just forget about the bees and focus on the birds? That’s what La
Poste has
done,
keeping chickens on the roof of a postal facility in Paris. There are plenty of
options for postal operators to consider. Raspberries, perhaps? Flowers
for
the bees, and berries for the workers. Well, whatever berries the birds don’t
eat... Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog2. Royal Mail embarks on
emission-cutting tyre trial for electric
vans August
19, 2021 The six to nine-month trial will see innovative tyres fitted to
selected electric vans to
test
their emission-reducing and efficiency-enhancing capabilities.
This
week, Royal Mail will embark on a six to nine-month trial of new tyres on a
number
of
electric vehicles (EVs). The tyres are specially designed to help reduce
particulate
matter
emissions and improve the range, efficiency and longevity of vehicles.
The trial
is a joint venture between Royal Mail, Transport for London (TfL) and ENSO, as
part of
the London FreightLab innovation challenge. This challenge aims to tackle
pollution,
congestion and road danger in London. The tyres, from manufacturer ENSO, claim
to produce fewer microparticles in comparison
to normal
tyres, and increase vehicle range. Tests carried out by ENSO have also shown
that its
tyres can increase EV range by up to 11%, compared to standard tyres. Fifteen
electric vans at the West London Delivery Office, near Wembley, will be fitted
with the
new tyres during the trial.
Throughout
the six to nine-month period, the tyres will be monitored and weighed every
six weeks
to measure their wear rate and to estimate reduction in particulate matter
emissions.
The checks will also ensure that the tyres fitted are wearing properly and that
there are
no health, safety or vehicle wear and tear issues. If the trial is successful,
its results may inform future purchasing decisions across Royal
Mail’s
fleet.
About The
Tyres
To
further enhance the benefits of switching to electric vehicles, innovations in
tyre design
could
help reduce particulate matter emissions from tyre wear and tear. EVs are
generally
3 heavier
than internal combustion vehicles and, according to some reports, this extra
weight
increases
wear and tear, thus contributing to particle pollution. ENSO’s range-extending
and pollution-reducing tyres recently broke a world hypermiling
record,
achieving the longest distance ever driven by a Renault Zoe on a single charge
(475
miles); outperforming an identical vehicle fitted with OEM tyres (which itself
covered
424 miles, an increase in range of over 50 miles). This trial may help Royal
Mail explore additional ways to reduce its operational footprint.
A
Responsible Company
This
initiative forms part of Royal Mail’s ongoing commitment to reduce emissions
associated
with its operations. With the UK's largest "Feet on the Street"
network of 85,000 postmen and women across
the UK,
Royal Mail already has the lowest reported CO2e emissions per parcel amongst
major UK
delivery companies. The new tyre trial, alongside various recently announced
low or zero emission
initiatives[3],
are designed to help the Company inform its long-term environmental
strategy,
and to meet its goals of delivering a cleaner future.
James
Baker, Chief Engineer and Fleet Director at Royal Mail said: “As a Company,
we are
committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental
impact.
The trial and potential wide scale introduction of more efficient and
environmentally
friendly tyres enables us to help achieve this, while allowing us to
continue
to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and responsibly.”
Gunnlaugur
Erlendsson, founder and CEO at ENSO said: “ENSO’s innovative EV
tyres are
designed to be EV-range-extending and PM-pollution-reducing, and through
TfL’s
FreightLab trial with Royal Mail, we aim to demonstrate their contribution
towards
reducing
air pollution in London.”
4 “ENSO’s
mission is to disrupt the £200billion global tyre industry and deliver the most
efficient,
durable and sustainable tyres for EVs. By developing better EV tyres, we can
reduce
pollution and carbon emissions in line with the UK, and indeed global
commitments,
to reach Net-Zero.” “Ultra-low energy consumption per mile means that our EV
tyres not only save cost and
electricity
but also improve vehicle operations while extending EV-range, moving the tyre
industry
truly into the electric age.”
Rikesh
Shah, TfL's Head of Commercial Innovation, said: 'We're really excited that
our
London FreightLab Innovation Challenge has helped to produce this partnership
between
Royal Mail and ENSO, which is helping us to explore how to make tyres more
sustainable,
durable and efficient.” “London FreightLab is a completely new way of looking
at freight for TfL and it is
fantastic
to see innovative products such as EV-tyres in action on the capital's streets,
helping
to extend the life of tyres on electric vehicles, which are a vital part of
reducing air
pollution
in London.” Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases/royal-mail
3. Backpay and COLA update August 18, 2021
Most
eligible city letter carriers will receive retroactive pay pursuant to the
2019-2023
National
Agreement on their August 20 paychecks. Backpay for some former city carrier
assistants
that were converted to career status between November 23, 2019 and April 9,
2021 must
be calculated manually, resulting in a delay in payment. This issue was
discovered
during a recent quality check of the process. We are discussing the issue with
representatives
from USPS Headquarters. As soon as additional information is available, it
will be
posted here on the NALC website. Backpay is calculated for all paid hours
between November 23, 2019 (the date of the first
general
wage increase in the Agreement) and April 9, 2021 (the day before new pay rates
were
implemented as explained here). The following pay increases will be included in
the
retroactive
pay from the effective date indicated for each: For career city carriers:
• 1.1% General Wage Increase effective November 23, 2019
• $166 Cost of Living Adjustment effective February 29, 2020
• $188 Cost of Living Adjustment effective August 29, 2020
• 1.1% General Wage Increase effective November 21, 2020
• $416 Cost of Living Adjustment effective February 27, 2021
5 *Cost
of living increases referenced above are paid proportionally to city carriers
in Table
2 in
accordance with Article 9.3.E of the National Agreement. For City Carrier
Assistants:
• 1.1% General Wage Increase and additional 1.0% increase effective
November 23,
2019
• 1.1% General Wage Increase and additional 1.0% increase effective
November 21,
2020
*City carrier assistants receive the additional 1.0% increases referenced above
in lieu of
cost of
living adjustments pursuant to Article 9.7 of the National Agreement. Retired
and separated employees that worked during the backpay period will be paid by
check
mailed to their last work location. Retroactive pay adjustments for now retired
letter
carriers
may result in adjustments to annuities. The Office of Personnel Management will
make any
necessary annuity adjustments.
Fourth
COLA is $1,934
The
fourth regular Cost of Living Adjustment under the 2019-2023 National Agreement
will be
$1,934 annually for letter carriers in Table 1 and at Step O of Table 2. Cost
of
living
increases are paid proportionally to city carriers in Table 2 in accordance
with
Article
9.3.E of the National Agreement. This adjustment will be effective August 28
and
reflected
in paychecks dated September 17. City carrier assistants will receive
additional 1.0% increases effective November 20, 2021
and
November 19, 2022 in lieu of cost of living adjustments pursuant to Article 9.7
of the
National
Agreement. Source : https://www.nalc.org/news/nalc-updates
4. SingPost pledges to switch entire delivery fleet to electric by
2026 August 17, 2021 Singapore Post
(SingPost) has begun trialling fully electric three-wheeler scooters
and vans
with a view to replacing its entire delivery fleet by 2026.
SingPost
intends to progressively replace all 700 motorcycles and three-wheeler
scooters,
as well
as 140 vans, to electric motor equivalents as their leases expire over the next
five
years.
This would make SingPost the first postal service in the Asia-Pacific region to
commit to a
100%
electric delivery fleet.
6 Tan
Kiat How, minister of state for the Ministry of Communications and Information
and
Ministry
of National Development, said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the
shift
toward e-commerce, and the postal sector would need to evolve its business
model
and
service offerings to cope with the surge in parcel volumes. In this regard, I
welcome
SingPost’s
electric vehicles trial and its ambition toward a fully electric delivery
fleet, in
support
of Singapore Green Plan 2030. This shows SingPost’s commitment to
environmental
sustainability, and as well as its continued investment to better meet the
evolving
postal needs of our people and businesses.” SingPost has begun pilots for the
RAP IONA three-wheeler as an option to replace the
company’s
existing motorcycles. They will be wrapped in a distinctive green livery, a
marked
departure from the deep blue hue of SingPost’s other vehicles. The scooters
emit
roughly
75% less greenhouse gases compared with their internal combustion engine
equivalents.
Each vehicle boasts a 120km driving range per full charge with a 50kg carrying
load and
maximum
cargo volume of 500 liters. SingPost also recently announced that Vincent Phang
Heng Wee will be appointed as
group CEO
and as executive, non-independent director of the SingPost board, with effect
from
September 1, 2021. Phang takes over from Paul Coutts, who leaves the company at
the end
of August. Welcoming the pilot, Phang said, “As Singapore’s leading last-mile
and postal service
provider,
our delivery vehicles traverse the length and breadth of the nation every day.
There is
tremendous potential for us to do better for the planet. By converting our
delivery
fleet to
a fully electric one, we will be delivering a greener Singapore for everyone.”
Source :
https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/vehicles-fleet
5. FedEx launches its Delivery Manager in Vietnam August 17, 2021 FedEx Express has
announced the launch of its Delivery Manager system in Vietnam
to
support the country’s e-commerce boom. FedEx Delivery Manager is said to allow
e-merchants to provide their customers with
customisable
FedEx Express deliveries, as well as enabling small and medium sized
businesses
to reschedule the delivery time and change the location of deliveries at no
extra
cost.
“The pandemic is accelerating e-commerce in Vietnam as more people move to
online
purchases.
We are excited to launch FedEx Delivery Manager to help e-commerce
businesses
manage this boom in e-commerce shipments. It can provide end-consumers with
more control and flexibility on their delivery options,
playing
an important role in customer satisfaction and overall online shopping
experience,”
said Hardy Diec, Managing Director Operations, FedEx Express Indochina.
“With
this solution, we hope e-commerce retailers and SMEs will experience increased
loyalty
and cost savings through reduced instances of returns. At the same time, it
allows
us to
improve efficiency by increasing successful first-time deliveries.” FedEx
Delivery Manager is offered free of charge and recipients expecting inbound
deliveries
to their residence will receive a FedEx notification via email, according to
the
company.
Recipients can choose to change the delivery instructions via FedEx.com and
can
access it on a smartphone. The Delivery Manager offers four options:
• Deliver to another address
• Deliver to my address on a future date
• Deliver to a pickup point
• Deliver as planned FedEx stated that the Delivery Manager is now
available in 29 markets across Asia
Pacific,
Middle East and Africa. According to the Google, Temasek and Bain & Company
2020 SEA
report, Vietnam will be the second-largest e-commerce market in Southeast
Asia
after Indonesia, with an expected growth rate of 16%.