POSTAL NEWS
No 15-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. CTT Portugal Post: taking our customer experience to the next level. February 26, 2021.
2. Posta Romana launches €49m investment program.
February 26, 2021.
3. App-based Delivery Workers of Toronto Unite to Fix the Gig Economy. February 25, 2021.
4. Posti to open Europe’s largest Parcel Locker in Helsinki. February 24, 2021.
5. DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks join forces to speed up transition to fossil free road transport on longer distances. February 23, 2021.
1. CTT Portugal Post: taking our customer experience to the next level
February 26, 2021 Sprinklr, a Customer Experience Management (CXM) platform for modern enterprises, has announced that CTT Portugal Post is using Sprinklr’s AI capabilities to deliver digital customer experiences while increasing team collaboration and productivity.
Founded in 1520 and holding the honor as the oldest Portuguese company still in operation, CTT has a long history of reinventing itself for the modern customer.
Looking for a strategic way to improve digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic, CTT turned to Sprinklr for support. CTT is leveraging Sprinklr Modern Sales & Engagement, Modern Research and Modern Care for the following use cases:
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• Improve Digital Customer Service: Sprinklr’s AI capabilities will help CTT route emails and calls to efficient modern channels and serve customers faster on the channel they prefer.
• Enable Consistent and Efficient Communication: With social engagement, listening, and customer care on one Sprinklr platform, CTT can communicate more efficiently with a complete customer view.
• Increase Employee Productivity: CTT’s digital, customer service, HR, and sales teams can collaborate on one Sprinklr platform – enabling teams to share insights and increase productivity.
“Our company has been continuously innovating over 500 years,” said Nuno Matos, Head of Digital, Transformation and Innovation at CTT Portugal Post. “From supporting our clients’ day-to-day needs and requests via modern channels to improving digital and mobile experiences, Sprinklr will help us take our customer experience to the next level. We’re excited to partner with Sprinklr to put digital experiences, collaboration, and advanced AI and at the center of our growth strategy.”
“With the pandemic accelerating the shift to digital services and impacting the delivery of mail – CTT is reimagining all of its operations,” said Luca Lazzaron, Chief Revenue Officer, Sprinklr. “Sprinklr is excited to help CTT thrive in our new normal. Now, customer-facing teams across the company can collaborate on one platform with built-in automation and AI to efficiently deliver the best experiences.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/134125/news/e-commerce
2. Posta Romana launches €49m investment program
February 26, 2021
Romanian postal operator Posta Romana has launched its largest investment program in 40 years in a bid to increase the quality of postal, parcels and related services in Romania. The Management Plan and the Multiannual Investment Plan will be implemented in 2020-2025.
The investment program is comprised of three parts. First, a €3.1m (US$3.7m) investment in an automated sorting line at the post’s sorting center in Cluj, which will increase the operability and efficiency of the center. The project is scheduled to begin in April 2021, with procurement documents currently being prepared.
A second large investment will be made at the sorting center in the northern part of Bucharest, to the tune of €19.4m (US$23.4m). This project, which will also begin in April 2021, will see the facility fitted with modern new workspaces equipped with high-performance technology solutions to increase productivity and the speed of processing postal items.
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The final investment of €26.6m (US$32.2m) will be made in the digital transformation of Posta Romana, covering three main areas: an integrated computer system to centralize operations (€14.7m/US$17.8m); a new management information system (ERP) that will replace the module applications currently used by Posta Romana for the economic, commercial, human resources, real estate, car fleet and operational flows (€8m/US$9.7m); and new IT hardware and software (€3.9m/US$4.7m). This digitization project will begin in March 2021.
Posta Romana is also developing five major policies for structural and sectoral reform, namely the Financial and Digital Inclusion Policy of the Romanian Population in Rural and Small-Urban Areas, the Digital Literacy Policy, the Decarbonization Policy (through the Green Post Program in accordance with the EU Green Deal), the Urban Mobility Policy and the Research and Innovation Policy. The last four are proposed to be financed through the European Commission Recovery and Resilience mechanism.
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news
3. App-based Delivery Workers of Toronto Unite to Fix the Gig Economy
February 25, 2021
TORONTO – The Gig Workers United campaign launched today with a bold scope and agenda for change. Delivery workers say the status quo is simply unsafe and unliveable for those whose jobs are controlled by apps. The workers have come together to call on employers and legislators to make fundamental changes.
“We have to stand up for ourselves – the streets don't look out for us, the apps don't look out for us, so we're looking out for each other and collectively calling out a bad business model,” says Narada Kiondo, one of the courier spokespersons. “The way it is just can't continue – if the gig economy is going to work for our society than it can't be based on squeezing delivery workers and restaurants for profit, and dodging our labour standards. And we're going to persist, and we'll win, because our bodies and our livelihoods are on the line.”
The roots of this struggle are in experiences including the successes of Justice for Foodora Couriers, which showed over the last two years that collective action in the gig economy is possible, that victories are there to be won, and that the organizing campaign itself makes a real difference in workers' lives. One year ago, the couriers won the legal right to join a union, and the vast majority voted yes.
Foodora, the employer that was the target of that struggle, is no longer operating in Canada, so the workers have broadened their scope in a new drive to organize delivery workers for all the apps. Working conditions, health issues and risks are common, and many couriers work for multiple apps. Now there is a common home for them to work collectively on their demands.
Jan Simpson, National President, spoke about how CUPW has welcomed the delivery workers into the organization: “The couriers have shown that traditional union organizing is possible in this space. But they've gone farther than that, with community-organizing tactics and collective mutual aid.
They've formed a worker-led organization that we're proud to support because their fresh energy and ideas are what it takes to improve working conditions and reject silicon valley's model of exploitation.”
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“Our demands are reasonable but our vision is big,” says Arash Manouchehrian,another courier. “We need liveable wages, and transparency on wages and scheduling. We need health and safety protections, we need bathroom access, warm-ups, breaks, all the things that most of our society expects as basics for all workers. We have rights, and it's up to us to assert those rights until we get the system fixed.”
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en
4. Posti to open Europe’s largest Parcel Locker in Helsinki
February 24, 2021
The largest Parcel Locker in Europe will open on Friday, March 12, in the Munkkivuori shopping center. The current, large parcel locker space will be turned into an OmaPosti kiosk and the number of lockers will be doubled. After the expansion, the Parcel Locker will have 1,002 lockers, which makes it the largest Parcel Locker in Europe and one of the largest in the world.
The currently largest Posti Parcel Locker is located in Tampere, Finland. The world’s largest Parcel Lockers are in Finland, China and Germany.
The Parcel Locker is the most popular way of receiving items in Finland: 87% of Finns received a parcel through a Parcel Locker at least once in 2020 (the corresponding figure in other countries is 40%, on average).
While eCommerce continues to grow strongly, also the number of Posti’s Parcel Lockers will be increased. Now there are 2,150 Parcel Lockers in Finland, while the goal for the near future is 4,000. Posti’s Parcel Locker network in Finland is already one of the largest ones in the world in relation to the population.
The Parcel Locker capacity and parcel routing are among our most important development areas this year. We constantly monitor the situation in different areas and customer feedback concerning parcel pickup and search actively for new customer-serving solutions. The expansion in Munkkivuori is a good example of this, says Arttu Hollmérus, SVP Parcel & eCommerce at Posti.
The new Parcel Locker in the Munkkivuori shopping center will open on Friday, March 12. The Parcel Locker is in a self-service area where customers can access it every day. The expansion work will start on Wednesday, March 10. A temporary pickup point will be in service in the location to minimize inconvenience for customers.
– We have received feedback especially concerning parcels redirected to Töölö. This situation should alleviate once the number of different sized lockers doubles. A terminal for taking care of the most ordinary letter-related matters will also be opened in the area on
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March 15. The terminal provides also a possibility to contact Posti’s customer service representative through a video chat, says Heiko Laubach, responsible for the development of Posti’s retail network.
Posti as a parcel supplier in Finland:
• Last year Posti delivered 64 million parcels
• 90% of parcels were delivered the following day
• One in five parcels in the capital region and Turku are delivered on the same day
• The record delivery volume in one day was more than 600,000 parcels in 2020
• A record-breaking 7.7 million parcels were delivered during the holiday season in 2020
• Last year, 1,5 new Parcel Lockers were opened every day
• Finland's first Parcel Lockers were introduced ten years ago
Source : https://www.posti.com/en/media/media-news/2021
5. DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks join forces to speed up transition to fossil free road transport on longer distances
February 23, 2021
The combined effort marks another important step towards climate neutral transport solutions.
Bonn, Stockholm - DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have partnered to speed up the introduction of heavy duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport in Europe.
The combined effort marks another important step towards climate neutral transport solutions. So far, the main use of electric trucks has been for shorter distances within cities and urban areas. Now DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on longer distance heavy transports. The cooperation includes exclusive, worldwide first pilot tests of a fully electric Volvo FH truck with gross combination weights up to 60 tons.
Starting in March, the truck will operate between two DHL Freight logistics terminals in Sweden, a distance of approximately 150 km one way. During the trial, Volvo and DHL will gain important experience and information regarding the setup and operation of an adequate charging infrastructure. The collected insights will help to optimize the right balance between operated distance, load weight and charging points in daily road freight operations. DHL is actively working, along with Volvo Trucks, on the reduction of their ecological footprint, with sustainability being an integral part of the company's strategy.
"Our aim is to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero. Important milestones have already been achieved in meeting this: compared to 2007, our Group's CO2 efficiency has
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improved by 35%. However, we need innovative technological solutions and strong partnerships along this journey. I'm confident that our strong cooperation with Volvo Trucks, one of the major truck brands in the world, will support us in achieving our ambitious environmental goals in the road freight sector," says Uwe Brinks, CEO at DHL Freight.
Volvo Trucks is driving the necessary shift towards fossil free transports by making the transition to electrification as seamless and efficient as possible. This is done by considering every aspect of the eco-system for electrification, including charging, route planning, vehicles, service and other support.
"The transport business is changing rapidly and to be sustainable is an increasingly important business advantage for many of our customers. We offer effective transport solutions that help make a fast transition to fossil-free fuels such as electricity. We have a longstanding relationship with DHL. Their broad and global expertise in logistics allows us to study the conditions to progress with this technology shift, adapting to customer needs and their type of transport operation," says Roger Alm, President at Volvo Trucks.
DHL Freight is actively driving various sustainability and fossil-free technology projects and has introduced a climate-friendly shipping program in Sweden. Customers using the program pay a fixed surcharge for every parcel or pallet shipped and the income generated from the surcharges is fully invested in clean technologies within the Swedish network.
"The logistics sector is facing a huge challenge, which also offers a great opportunity at the same time - the decarbonization of freight transportation. The collaboration with Volvo Trucks helps DHL Freight to play an even bigger role in the transition to sustainable alternatives and is another significant proof point for our long-term strategy towards climate-neutral transportation," explains Robert Zander, CEO of DHL Freight Sweden.
Already today, the Volvo FL Electric and Volvo FE Electric trucks for city distribution are in serial production. DHL Supply Chain recently put a new Volvo FL Electric into operation in London, thereby introducing the first purpose-built fully electric Volvo truck for city distribution in the UK.
At the end of last year, Volvo Trucks in North America started sales of the VNR Electric and this year will mark the sales start in Europe of the heavy-duty electric product range.
"Our commitment is that our entire truck sales range will be fossil-free by 2040 at the latest," concludes Roger Alm.
Project facts:
• The DHL-Volvo project will start in the first quarter of 2021, and is part of REEL, an initiative run by Sweden's innovation agency Vinnova to promote the transition to an electrified freight transport system.
• The route is between the cities Gothenburg and Jönköping in Sweden, which is a distance of 150 km one way.
• Charging will be done at DHL in Jönköping and the Volvo Truck Center in Gothenburg.
Source : https://www.dpdhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2021POSTAL NEWS
No 16-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. CEVA relocates Thailand head office to Bangkok. February 26, 2021.
2. Australia Post delivers strong parcel volumes and revenue growth while impact of COVID-19 continues. February 25, 2021.
3. Incentive bonus: no blank year for a black year! February 25, 2021.
4. In testimony before Congress, De Joy rips into air carrier performance. February 24, 2021.
5. Parcel volumes for lockers continue to grow. February 20, 2021.
1. CEVA relocates Thailand head office to Bangkok
February 26, 2021
CEVA Logistics has relocated its Thailand head office to Bangkok, as it continues to expand in Asia.
The announcement follows CEVA moving its Thailand airfreight team to a new office at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The company’s Thailand head office is now located in a 28-story building close to the city’s two airports and one of its major ports, providing connectivity its customers. The head office is also close to the Thai Customs office.
More than 250 employees will be based at the 12,000 sq ft of office space.
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Russell Pang, managing director Thailand and emerging markets at CEVA Logistics, commented: “This new headquarters will be a tremendous asset for the Thai team with its excellent public transport links and focus on a modern working environment where they can be even more productive. We will use the relocation to further grow our multimodal business in one of Asia’s leading gateways.”
Earlier this week, CEVA Logistics was awarded a contract to manage production supply for Airbus at the aircraft manufacturer’s assembly site in Hamburg, Germany.
The forwarder will be responsible for production supply for the A320 family structural assembly and the equipping of fuselage sections as well as the manufacturing and equipping of the A330 and A350.
Source : https://www.aircargonews.net/freight-forwarder
2. Australia Post delivers strong parcel volumes and revenue growth while impact of COVID-19 continues
February 25, 2021
Performance for the six months to 31 December 2020:
• Group revenue at $4.3 billion, up 15.5 per cent on last year
• Parcels and Services revenue: $3.4 billion, up 25.9 per cent
• Letters: $0.9 billion revenue, volumes down 13.6 per cent
Australia Post today announced group revenue for the first half of $4.3 billion, up 15.5 per cent year-on-year and Group profit before tax at $166.6 million, including letter losses of $74.2 million.
Capital investment during the period increased to $189.4 million, up $40.3 million on last year, with continued investment to improve the business and increase the capacity in the parcels network, including the new Sunshine West Facility which opened pre-Christmas.
Parcels and Services revenue was up almost $701 million, or 25.9 per cent, to $3,403 million, largely due to the strongest parcel volumes in the organisation’s history which continued to be delivered to communities across the country during COVID-19 restrictions.
StarTrack and the international business, Australia Post Global eCommerce Solutions, both delivered strong results, with a disciplined focus on cost, an increase in volumes, and growth in third-party logistics and cross-border eCommerce.
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Letter volumes were down 13.6 per cent with revenue down 11.0 per cent. The 10 cent per letter Basic Postage Rate increase in January 2020 has only partly compensated for the continued structural decline of letter volumes and increasing delivery points for this important community service, with losses for the half of $74.2 million.
Australia Post continued to generate savings from business efficiency programs implemented across the organisation including reducing head office support costs by $23 million.
Acting Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Rodney Boys said the result was a significant achievement given the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the necessary network changes required to continue to provide essential goods and services to customers.
“The ability of our people to adapt during this intensely challenging period has ensured many businesses across the country have been able to continue to operate and communities have been able to access our services – with Post Offices and delivery services continuing throughout COVID-19,” Mr Boys said.
“The regulatory changes to our delivery services have provided the flexibility to adapt our resources and people to where they are most needed and it has been a credit to our people they were able to respond to suit the rapidly changing consumer needs, with more than 2,000 of our posties moving to parcel delivery to help manage the significant growth in eCommerce, as large and small businesses serviced their customers online.
“Our retail network of more than 4,300 Post Offices continues to provide critical government and financial services, particularly in rural and remote Australia, where Bank@Post remains an invaluable service for communities.
“We had over 107 million customers visit our corporate and Licensed Post Offices across the country in the first half, with 23.7 million visits alone in December, supported by our hard-working Post Office team and Licensed Post Office partners committed to serving the community during this challenging time.
“Following the S&P ratings downgrade in November 2019, whilst still below the profit levels of several years ago, it is pleasing to see year-on-year improvement as we work hard to restore the financial position at the same time as continuing to invest to meet changing customer demands.”
It is expected eCommerce will be more subdued in the second half while letter losses will continue, contributing to an overall loss in the next six months.
Australia Post will release full year results in September and at this stage, expects to post a modest profit while being cognisant of the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19 and pressures facing customers.
Source : https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/article
3. Incentive bonus: no blank year for a black year!
February 25, 2021
The existence and payment of the profit-sharing bonus is only possible through a company agreement. This profit-sharing bonus paid each year since 2010 has therefore only been possible thanks to the signatory trade unions, including FO Com. This allowed each postman to collect over this period a total amount of 3,264.57 euros. With unions, which never commit their signature, it was Zero.
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The triggering of this bonus is subject to indicators including the operating result (REX). There is no incentive paid out when the feedback is greater than 700 million euros. For 2021, nothing will therefore be paid.
But what prevents La Poste from paying a premium outside the framework of the agreement? NOTHING . This would be all the more legitimate for recognizing the commitment and investment of the postal workers present during the crisis, during the Peak Period.
What prevents La Poste from being a socially responsible company? Nothing neither…
FO Com has just written to the President of La Poste [ Read the letter ] to request that the amount provisioned for the payment of the 2021 profit-sharing bonus, be redistributed in the form of an exceptional bonus to all the postal workers concerned.
Source : http://www.focom-laposte.fr
4. In testimony before Congress, DeJoy rips into air carrier performance
February 24, 2021
Postmaster general warns lawmakers against impending ‘death spiral’ while fending off calls to step down.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Wednesday defended parts of what will likely be included in a 10-year strategy to save the struggling agency, including a cost-cutting measure that would expand delivery times and move more first-class mail from planes to trucks.
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Testifying before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the U.S. Postal Service chief blamed air carriers for poor service during 2020, particularly during the end-of-year holidays.
“That [air] network over the last year has been performing at a 55% to 70% [on-time] rate, and that is a big reason for a lot of our failure, especially through the Christmas holiday,” DeJoy told Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. “We’ve had packages — which are not even included in that statistic — being held up at air facilities across the country. It is not reliable.”
Raskin pressured DeJoy on the logic of eliminating two- to three-day mail delivery and moving to a three- to five-day service window. “How will that improve the appeal and resiliency of the post office?”
“The appeal of the Postal Service will survive the minor changes” that will be included in the 10-year strategy, DeJoy responded. “In our strategy, if we in fact get the relief that we need in terms of [added delivery] time, we will put more mail on the ground.”
The purpose of the hearing was to review legislation introduced last week meant to rescue the Postal Service from what DeJoy at the hearing called a “death spiral.” The current draft includes a provision to repeal a requirement that the Postal Service pre-fund retiree health care as well as performance standard requirements.
“Absent substantial changes, our financial losses will continue to widen, and our ability to invest in the future of the organization will be severely curtailed,” DeJoy testified. “We are forecasted to lose $160 billion over the next 10 years, with a negative cash balance of the same size.”
Asked if he thought using third-party logistics companies to share the work of the agency could help financially, DeJoy said he wasn’t a fan.
“I think in many ways it has enabled people to run around the network, and is part of the reason we have a hollowed-out network,” he said. “We only deliver 35% of the packages to the American community right now, and I think we have an opportunity to grow that and serve the people, and having partnerships with commercial businesses [such as retailers] and being fully integrated with them … is a big opportunity for us.”
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., confronted DeJoy on plans to remain postmaster general, given calls by Democrats that President Joe Biden replace him and the rest of the Postal Service board. Political opposition to DeJoy intensified last year when service from the agency began to deteriorate shortly after he took the reins.
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“I’m not a political appointee; I was selected by a bipartisan board of governors. I appreciate if you get that straight,” DeJoy responded. “Get used to me. As far as my commitment to see our plan through, I’m here until I can see the tangibly produced results we intend to see. I believe the board is committed to that.”
Source : https://www.freightwaves.com/news
5. Parcel volumes for lockers continue to grow
February 20, 2021
Peak season 2020 was big all over the world. Lietuvos paštas (Lithuanian Post), has shared details on just how busy it was in its growing parcel locker network.
Compared to December last 2019, the postal operator’s LP EXPRESS parcel lockers handled 2.4 times more shipments. There has been sustained growth over the last three years, but last December saw the highest growth.
Parcel volumes during the pre-Christmas peak exceeded those of the spring quarantine . The number of Christmas shipments was 1.5 times higher than the record peak during spring quarantine.
While parcel volumes remain highest in cities, volumes in regional areas are growing the fastest.
Parcel lockers are handling a growing share of B2C shipments. In the capital city Vilnius, 34 per cent of parcels were delivered to lockers.
The most popular parcel size remains the smallest (XS) - accounted for 50 per cent of parcel volumes. Compared to 2019, the number of large parcels (M, L and XL) increased significantly.
Peak continued into January
Parcel volumes in January 2021 remained at December 2020 levels, according to Lietuvos paštas.
Currently, there are 270 LP EXPRESS parcel locker terminals across Lithuania, with over 39,000 locker doors. About 100 new terminals were installed in 2020, with existing terminals expanded. Lietuvos paštas plans to continue expansion of the parcel locker network during 2021.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
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