POSTAL NEWS
No 61-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
|
1. USPS: $10 billion in borrowing will delay the liquidity crisis. July 30, 2020.
2. Post’s authorised holiday SHAME. July 30, 2020.
3. Omniva (Estonian state postal company) achieved a record six-month result during the corona crisis. July 29, 2020.
4. Zalando and Poste Italiane. July 28, 2020.
5. Dhl expands ftz presence with new texas site.July 24, 2020. |
1. USPS: $10 billion in borrowing will delay the liquidity crisis
July 30, 2020
United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has reached an agreement in principle with the United States
Department of the Treasury on the terms and conditions associated with $10 billion lending authority provided in the CARES Act.
The USPS Board of Governors unanimously approved the agreement in principle this week and expects that the parties will formally memorialize the agreement through loan documents that will be jointly developed over the coming weeks.
DeJoy expressed his appreciation to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for working with him to reach mutually acceptable terms and conditions. DeJoy said: “Access to an additional $10 billion in borrowing authority will delay the approaching liquidity crisis.” DeJoy added: “the Postal Service, however, remains on an unsustainable path and we will continue to focus on improving operational efficiency and pursuing other reforms in order to put the Postal Service on a trajectory for long-term financial stability.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/124607/news/post
2. Post’s authorised holiday SHAME
Members would be well aware by now of Australia Post’s unilateral change to the Authorised Holiday. Hiding behind the Principal Determination, made under the authority of the Australian Postal Corporation Act, they tore away what has traditionally been your only opportunity to spend a little additional time with friends and loved ones following the busiest time of year.
And they weren’t happy slapping you in the face just once. They’ve done it again.
Australia Post have announced that this year’s Authorised Holiday will fall on Wednesday 19 August. Members who previously elected to receive the Authorised Holiday as an additional annual leave day (in addition to 17.5% leave loading for the day) will automatically have this year’s additional day credited on 5 August.
The contempt for employees, shown by this executive group, knows no bounds.
A Wednesday – right in the middle of the week. It was only last year when they committed to at least providing the day on a Monday or Friday. This ultimate hypocritical insult came just a day after sending heartfelt email messages to employees stressing that you are entitled to ‘respect’ from the public. How about a little bit of respect from the management group?
This unfair change comes as members continue to work through the worst health crisis our globe has seen in 100 years where you are not only putting yourselves and your families at risk, but continue to be subjected to ongoing abuse from the public due to the reduction in services this executive group is responsible for.
It is clear that this executive group, who all enjoy as much time off as they like with their loved ones over Christmas, have little respect for the employees who have gone above and beyond to keep our communities connected, and the company profitable, during the emerging health crisis.
Whilst distributing glossy SIBs ‘thanking’ employees, the actions that follow are a slap in the face to essential workers putting in the hard yards yard during the pandemic. Their words would be much more believable if they were followed up by actions that demonstrated their gratitude. Ensuring the Authorised Holiday remained to at least fall on a Monday or a Friday would be a start.
Union position
Our position has not changed – wedo not believe the change to the Authorised Holiday is fair, or warranted.
We believe the traditional timing of the holiday provides, what is for many, the only opportunity for additional time with loved ones at an important time of the year where leave blackouts usually exist for operational employees.
And although they continue to claim that 23,000 employees prefer for the Authorised Holiday to occur this way, 78% of members who completed our EBA10 survey said otherwise. That’s why during the next round of bargaining, one of our key member claims will be the restoration of our traditional Authorised Holiday.
Members should prepare to dig in for the fight on this one, when EBA10 bargaining recommences next year.
Source :http://www.cepu.org/2020/07/30
3. Omniva (Estonian state postal company) achieved a record six-month result during the corona crisis
July 29, 2020
The first six months of 2020 were the most successful of the past five years for Omniva – e-commerce gained momentum and clients’ preference for parcel machines increased the operating revenue and significantly impacted profitability. Compared with the same period in 2016, group’s operating revenue has increased by more than half (+52%) and profit has doubled (+119%).
The operating revenue of the Omniva group over six months was 63.8 million euros in total (61.0 million euros in the same period in 2019, showing an increase of 4.6%).
Operating revenue growth is especially noteworthy: in 6 months, the group earned 1709 thousand euros of operating revenue (2019: loss of 8 thousand euros).
According to chairman of Omniva management board AnsiArumeel, the first half of 2020 was extraordinarily influenced by the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 throughout the world, but the impact of the planned long-term activities and cost cuts in the first quarter of 2020 also have a role in the results.
“The company’s long-term strategy is working,” Arumeel noted, “and the investments made in recent years have been justified. The parcel machine network covering the Baltic states, rapidly growing Latvian and Lithuanian business units, a new logistics information system and new logistics centres have ensured the company’s capability both in the face of soaring volumes during the state of emergency and in the longer perspective.”
Thanks to the quickly applied measures, the operation of the postal and parcel service was ensured during the state of emergency. “Amending work organisation to protect clients and employees and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment formed the basis for sustainable service provision and coping with the sudden increase in volumes,” Arumeel said.
Parcel business: surging national parcel volumes compensated for stalled international shipments
Transportation disruptions due to COVID-19 and other restrictions caused the volume of international parcels to fall compared with the same period last year, but this was compensated by the explosive growth of national e-commerce throughout the Baltic states. The volumes of incoming international parcels began to recover towards the end of the second quarter.
The state of emergency also changed the service using habits of clients: due to the closure of post offices located in shopping centres, the shipment numbers in the postal network decreased, but at the same time, the use of parcel machines as the outdoor contactless option increased.
The six-month turnover of the Baltic parcel business accounted for a record 49% of the group’s turnover in the first half of 2020 (37% in the same period in 2019). The Latvian and Lithuanian subsidiaries grew at a particularly rapid rate; their six-month turnover formed 21% of the group’s turnover (12% in the same period in 2019).
“Expanding to Latvia and Lithuania has been the right decision,” Arumeel said, “it has also brought the parcel business several major international clients, the latest being Asos and About You, who view the Baltic states as a single market.”
To handle the rapidly increasing volumes in the Baltics, the company launched a new sorting centre in Latvia in June, which will be officially opened at the end of July.
Postal business: provision of services in state of emergency and restoration of direct mail volumes
The state of emergency also impacted the postal business services. “One top priority,” Arumeel highlighted, “was ensuring in collaboration with the National Social Insurance Board and the Unemployment Insurance Fund that pensions and benefits are delivered safely to clients, the majority of whom are in the risk group.”
Direct mail income reduced the most due to the state of emergency (merchants who were unable to make campaigns did not order direct mail either), but following the end of the state of emergency, the direct mail volumes are recovering.
“Universal postal service volumes are in decline,” Arumeel said, “but the service continues to be important for the people of Estonia and it is the duty of Eesti Post to ensure the availability of this service across Estonia. The company faces the challenge of finding the best model in cooperation with the state to provide a modern postal service that meets the needs of the clients.”
From 31 May 2020, the universal postal service prices changed and two services with different delivery speeds became available for sending national letters (letter and express letter). Since the international fees also depend on the national prices, the price change makes it possible to request a fairer fee from other postal companies for shipments arriving to Estonia from 2021 and thus reduce the loss of the service.
International business was impacted by the slow in international trade due to the corona pandemic and the infrequency of flight connections. We also continued restructuring the business with the aim of increasing the profitability of the business domain.
In information business, the first six months were more stable compared with other business domains. Use of the service remained stable, but with companies moving their operations to home offices, increased interest in switching to e-invoicing was visible. The number of Invoice Centre users increased by nearly 7% compared with the first quarter.
The group operating costs were 62.1 million euros in the first six months of 2020 (61 million euros in the same period in 2019).
“Although the state of emergency brought about significant unplanned costs,” Arumeel said, “such as the establishment of temporary parcel issuing points instead of the post offices located in the closed shopping centres and with the provision of personal protective equipment to employees, the efficiency measures and savings plans implemented in the company before the corona crisis had a positive impact.
Investments declined by almost half compared with the same period last year. Following the active investment cycle of 2016-2019 (establishing the logistics centre, the new logistics information system, the rapid growth of the parcel machine network), the company has restored the normal volume of investments. The largest investments were made in IT development, parcel machines and advertisement assembly machines.
AS Eesti Post, which uses the Omniva brand, is a state-owned company that belongs under the domain of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication. The company provides postal business, parcel business, information business and international business services. In addition to parent company AS Eesti Post, the group includes AS Maksekeskus, OÜ Omniva, Lithuanian subsidiary UAB Omniva LT, Latvian subsidiary SIA Omniva and related company OÜ Post11.
Source :https://www.omniva.ee/
4. Zalando and Poste Italiane
July 28, 2020
Poste Italiane and online fashion retailer Zalando have extended their partnership to allow customers shopping at zalando.it to collect their purchases from post offices and the Punto Poste network.
The Punto Poste network consists of 350 parcel lockers, over 7,300 tobacconists, and 200 affiliated stores across the peninsula.
Already, Zalando customers could return their purchases via this network. This latest announcement means Poste Italiane’s full retail network - including 12,000 post offices - now behaves as a PUDO network for Zalando.
While Poste Italiane’s parcel locker network is modest, its network of almost 20,000 PUDO points is impressive and virtually impossible to beat.
Out-of-home delivery via this extensive PUDO network will result in carbon emissions savings for Zalando. The online fashion giant announced recently that it will reduce its operational carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2025.
"We want to offer more flexibility for our customers to open the fashion wardrobe of Europe, Zalando, in the comfort of their home: decide what to get, when and where they want it, and when to pay for it.” - Riccardo Vola, Director Southern Europe and Gift Cards at Zalando
Italy is an important market for Zalando. Earlier this year it set up a new fulfilment centre near Verona to serve Italy and southern Europe.
The expanded deal with Zalando is an indicator of Poste Italiane’s broader strategy to grow its e-commerce parcels business. It is making its delivery offering more customer-centric, which has helped secure significant deals with Amazon.
"We are pleased to consolidate and expand our positive collaboration with Zalando. It is an important partnership that leverages Poste Italiane's strategy, which is aimed at improving services dedicated to online purchases through synergies with major players in Europe.” - Matteo Del Fante, CEO of Poste Italiane
According to Parcel Perform’s recent E-Commerce Delivery Report in Europe and the United Kingdom, the average Net Promoter Score (NPS) for the e-commerce post-purchase experience in Europe ranges from 49 to 74. Italy languishes in the bottom half with 58. In fact, Italy and Spain share the honour of having the most 1-3 star ratings. Most consumer complaints related to inaccurate transit time and missing or incorrect estimated delivery time/date notifications from carriers.
So it seems that there are winners all round: Zalando, Poste Italiane, and the customer.
“This is a good move by Zalando and Poste Italiane, giving Zalando’s Italian customers more delivery and return options. This should improve customer experience and will be a great opportunity for the Post to show what its network can do, provided the access points operate at good levels.” - Marek Różycki, managing partner, Last Mile Experts
Source :http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog
5. DHL expands FTZ presence with new Texas site
July 24, 2020
DHL Global Forwarding has expanded its foreign trade zone (FTZ) presence in the US with a new site at the El Paso, Texas, airport.
FTZs are secure areas under US customs and border protection supervision that are generally considered outside of the US for customs purposes. FTZs are used for loading, unloading, handling, storing goods and for reshipping them by land, sea or air. Users benefit from FTZs as they reduce, defer or mitigate the impact of tariffs and taxes.
The latest addition joins seven other locations, including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles.
“Now more than ever, our ultimate goal is to invest in and support our customers with comprehensive services, strategically located facilities and our broad FTZ footprint across the US,” said David Goldberg, chief executive, DHL Global Forwarding, US.
“This newest location will further help customers minimise their duty exposure in an ever-changing customs landscape and support their future business growth objectives.”
DHL said its FTZ expansion is part of its response to customer needs to build “comprehensive end-to-end solutions in a number of industry sectors which include life sciences and healthcare, chemicals and energy, technology, consumer retail, engineering and manufacturing, public sector and automotive”
The added FTZ presence throughout the country is also geared toward supporting customers in mitigating the effects of fluctuating trade scenarios, DHL added.
Source : https://www.aircargonews.net/business/supply-chains
POSTAL NEWS
No 62-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
1. Australia Post looks at delivering seven days a week as online demand breaks records. July 29, 2020.2. UPS Promotes Laura Lane To Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer. July 28, 2020.
3. Emirates Post Group: postal services need to adapt to digital disruption. July 27, 2020.
4. NZ Post announces incentive for eco-friendly courier drivers.July 27, 2020.
5. APWU members make almost 30,000 calls to Congress.July 26, 2020.
|
1. Australia Post looks at delivering seven days a week as online demand breaks records
July 29, 2020
Seven-day delivery could become commonplace in the next few years, according to a senior Australia Post executive, as a COVID-induced online shopping boom means consumers become accustomed to receiving parcels on the weekend.
Gary Starr, Australia Post's executive general manager for business, government and international, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald weekend deliveries would likely become a reality in years to come as the postal service looks to ways to keep up with heightened e-commerce demand.
"In terms of consumer trends, [seven-day delivery] is something I think over time will become a reality," he said. "As we see growth in online shopping in the years to come, I believe it will become something we do more often, if not full time."
Posties and contractors have been delivering packages on Saturdays and Sundays since mid-April after Australia's enthusiasm for online shopping during lockdown drove volumes to Christmas-like levels.
Since demand has subsided, Mr Starr said weekend deliveries now only happen when parcel volume has been exceptionally high, which has been the case in Victoria since the state implemented its second lockdown.
Last week was Victoria's biggest-ever week for online shopping in history, with purchases up 161 per cent when compared to the same week last year. Figures were also elevated in Sydney (up 73 per cent), Perth (up 51 per cent) and Brisbane (up 65 per cent).
Across the country, volumes are up 90 per cent, meaning the week was "very close" to the biggest-ever nationally, Mr Starr said.
Categories such as food and liquor, health and beauty, and home and gardening goods have been some of the most popular, with purchases doubling over the first three weeks of July.
Melburnians were quick to switch their shopping online once stay-at-home orders were re-introduced, with the 36 early lockdown "hotspot" suburbs doubling their purchases almost overnight. Those suburbs have continued to trend above the Victorian average.
"People got a taste for it in April, and now they are much more comfortable buying online," Mr Starr said. "It's quite amazing."
Online shopping as a percentage of total retail spend was sitting around 11 per cent prior to COVID-19. Mr Starr now expects that number to be "well upwards" of 15 per cent following the pandemic.
"The number of frequent online shoppers has accelerated rapidly over the last 16 weeks," he said. "So we expect this will be a new normal."
Australia Post has also set up 16 pop-up parcel sorting facilities across the country to help deal with the heightened demand, along with chartering a number of additional planes with Qantas to facilitate the huge influx of parcels. If volumes continue to be elevated, Mr Starr expects some of the pop-up sites to be converted into permanent sites to help fulfil demand.
But despite a bumper year for parcels, the executive says the government-owned company's full-year numbers are likely to be "modest" as the postal service weathers a continual decline in letter volumes, which led Australia Post to begin delivering letters every second day in metropolitan areas.
Increased costs will also be incurred for bringing the 16 pop-up sites online, as well as the hiring of additional aircraft and the implementation of social distancing measures in its facilities.
"There's no question that we've seen significant growth and volumes in the parcel business, but at the same time we've seen an acceleration and in the decline of mail," he said. "So it's been a bit of a two-speed year."
Source : https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies
2. UPS Promotes Laura Lane To Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer
July 28, 2020
· Lane Joins the UPS Executive Leadership Team, Reporting to Chief Executive Officer Carol Tomé
· UPS creates new strategic executive role to align external affairs including public policy and government affairs, communications, and community relations
UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced Laura Lane has been promoted to Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer. Lane will join UPS’s Executive Leadership Team and report directly to CEO Carol Tomé. She will oversee Public Policy and Government Affairs, Public Relations, Employee Communications, and the UPS Foundation.
“Laura is a strategic leader who knows how to seize opportunities, tackle challenges and rally employees to achieve goals,” said UPS CEO, Carol Tomé. “Especially in today’s complex and evolving environment, Laura’s integrity, intelligence, political instincts and positive energy make her a natural choice to take on this new global role working with me to manage UPS’s reputation and external relations.”
Laura began her UPS career as president, Global Public Affairs in 2011. In this role, she was responsible for worldwide government affairs activities.
In a short time, she has strengthened UPS growth and competitiveness, including successfully advocating for comprehensive tax reform; enhancing network efficiencies through infrastructure investments; securing alternative fuel credits in support of sustainability; working to modernize trade agreements and customs processes; leveling the playing field with postal networks; facilitating UPS Flight Forward certification; and advocating for laws that promote equity and justice in the workplace.
Prior to joining UPS, Laura served in both the public and private sectors. She was managing director and head of International Government Affairs at Citigroup and vice president for Global Public Policy with Time Warner.
In her government career, Laura served as a trade negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the negotiation of China’s entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the WTO Financial Services Agreement and the WTO Basic Telecommunications Agreement. She also served as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service from 1990-1997, including serving as consular/economic officer in Bogota, Colombia and then at the American Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. In Rwanda, she led evacuation efforts during the outbreak of civil war and returned as political advisor to U.S. forces providing humanitarian relief in the post-conflict environment. In a recent TED Talk, Laura describes that first-hand account and the importance of advocating for positive change.
Laura currently serves as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA). She is also a member of the Board of UNHCR USA and previously served as a U.S. government appointed delegate for the APEC Business Advisory Council. Laura is a member of the board of several U.S. business associations and non-profits, including serving on the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.
Laura graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and history. As a Truman Scholar, she also graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University with a Master of Science degree in foreign service in international economics and business diplomacy.
Source : https://www.pressroom.ups.com/pressroom
3. Emirates Post Group: postal services need to adapt to digital disruption
July 27, 2020
Emirates Post has launched a new product to help UAE businesses to become more “digitally discoverable”.
In partnership with Local Knowledge, a dedicated local listings management company, the new service will provide an easy and accessible solution to business owners who seek to claim and update their business on Google Maps as well as other important digital platforms.
Smart Places optimises business listings with up-to-date operating hours, as well as contact information, exact location, category of business, photos and other important information that ensures the business will be accurately found on Google Maps, OK Google, Apple Maps, Siri Voice Search, TomTom Maps, HERE Maps, Foursquare, Facebook, what3words and other important digital platforms in both Arabic and English.
Commenting on the launch, H.E. Abdulla Mohammad Alashram, Group CEO of Emirates Post Group Company said: “Postal services need to adapt to digital disruption and, at Emirates Post, we are committed to improving our existing services and developing new and unique products and solutions to cater to the changing needs of our customers.
The introduction of Smart Places is yet another addition to the portfolio of non-postal services we provide to improve our customers’ experiences. With 74% of internet users look for business locations or contact information online on a daily basis1, we are delighted to enter into a partnership with Local Knowledge and excited to be the first postal group in the world to introduce a digital location management service.
This is just one of many services we offer to facilitate business needs and we are confident that it will help to ensure the growth and prosperity of UAE based businesses in today’s mobile digital economy.”
Trevor Nadeau, Founder and Managing Director of Local Knowledge added: “It is hugely important and beneficial for businesses to be digitally discoverable and, at Local Knowledge, we pride ourselves on understanding the local business listing landscape in the Middle East. We are proud to partner with Emirates Post on the delivery of this new service, which will have numerous benefits for both businesses and consumers.”
Source : https://postandparcel.info/124467/news/e-commerce
4. NZ Post announces incentive for eco-friendly courier drivers
July 27, 2020
NZ Post has announced a revolutionary commitment to partially fund electric vehicles for our delivery contractors, to help meet our goal of being carbon neutral from 2030.
“After COVID-19, climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and NZ Post is committed to making enduring and long-lasting change,” says NZ Post Chief Executive, and Climate Change Coalition Steering Group member, David Walsh.
NZ Post has ambitious carbon reduction plans, with a dedication to be carbon neutral from 2030. A key part of reducing carbon emissions from our delivery network is moving to safe, sustainable electric vehicles. To achieve this, NZ Post has established a new fund to help delivery contractors buy their own electric vehicles.
“NZ Post already has the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the country, the Paxsters, but most of our delivery drivers are contractors – which means they own their own vehicles and businesses. For many, while an electric vehicle costs far less to run, the initial purchasing cost can be a barrier. Because of this, we’re making up to half a million dollars available each year to help our drivers invest in eco-friendly vans.”
Alongside the fund itself, NZ Post will be installing charging stations in our depots that drivers will have access to – and we are supporting drivers to make informed decisions by commissioning independent Total Cost of Ownership research and advice.
“We’re keen to financially support as many of our delivery contractors to get into electric vehicles as we can. We know that there is not an electric vehicle suitable for every type of delivery operation at the moment, which is why this incentive scheme will be in place until at least 25% of our contracted drivers are in electric vehicles. We are targeting to reach this goal by 2025. This allows our contractors to take advantage of the bigger range of electric vans that will be coming into New Zealand over the next few years.
“NZ Post is absolutely committed to a sustainable future for New Zealand and we’re proud to be making innovative change that will have long term benefits for our environment.”
NZ Post recently announced the start of a $170 million 10 year growth programme, that will double processing capacity from 95 million parcels annually to 190 million parcels. As online shopping looks set to continue to grow in a post Covid world, the number of parcels delivered by our delivery contractors will also continue to increase and our commitment to be carbon neutral from 2030 will be essential.
Source : https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/media-centre/media-release
5. APWU members make almost 30,000 calls to Congress
July 26, 2020
On Thursday, July 23, APWU members and our allies made an incredible 28,156 calls to the senate. That’s a phone call every three seconds! Together with calls made direct to Congress, not through the APWU Legislative Hotline, the total was likely closer to 30,000.
This is exactly the kind of pressure we need. Congress holds the key to solving the Postal Service’s financial problems during this Coronavirus crisis. We need to work together to make sure the Senate approves at least $25 billion in aid to keep the USPS running.
We are starting to see this crisis hitting our day-to-day work. The Postmaster General is using it as an excuse to slow the mail. The new PMG policies include reducing hours in retail units including Saturday closings, delaying mail, slowing down service, further removal of mail processing equipment, arbitrarily reducing work hours and eliminating overtime.
With an already understaffed operation, reducing hours and overtime can only lead to severely delayed mail and packages.
There will be more for us to do in the coming days. Here are some thing we can do right now.
· If you haven’t called both senators already, make the call. Ask your co-workers to do the same at 844-402-1001.
· Find out whether your local has a Collective Action Team and get involved. Talk to your stewards and officers about organizing events or actions to save the Postal Service.
· When you suspect the mail is being delayed, report back to your stewards and local officers to help build a picture of how the service is being affected across the country.
We made sure the people we elect heard our voices clearly. Let’s keep that pressure up.
Source : https://apwu.org/news