World Postal News
POSTAL NEWS
No 79-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
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1. bpost installs LEDs to reduce sorting center energy consumption.October 01, 2020.
2. Sendcloud aims to empower british e-commerce businesses.October 01, 2020.
3. Something extra. Informed Delivery tests new package feature. September 29, 2020.
4. Secure basic services by lifting the ban on loans and mortgages. August 27, 2020.5. NZ Post annual results - a return to profit with strong growth.September 25, 2020.
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1. bpost installs LEDs to reduce sorting center energy consumption
October 01, 2020
Belgian postal service bpost says it has reduced its CO2 emissions by 1,000 tons per year thanks to the installation of LED lighting at its sorting centers, supplied by Engie Solutions.
The company equipped four sorting centers with LED lamps, covering approximately 170,000m2 of sorting space, which it says netted bpost a saving of 51% on its electricity consumption directly related to lighting.
bpost had already previously installed solar panels at the sorting centers in Charleroi, Liège, Antwerp and Ghent, providing a total of 3.2MW of electricity. The switch to LED lighting should see the annual energy consumption for lighting the centers reduced from 5.6GWh to 2.8GWh per year.
Jean-Paul Van Avermaet, CEO of bpost group, said, “Well aware of the environmental impact of its activities, bpost group is constantly innovating to reduce its CO2 emissions. For many years, our company has been taking numerous initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint.
“The installation of thousands of LED lamps in the sorting centers of Antwerp, Ghent, Liège and Charleroi should also be seen in this context. As a result, the annual electricity consumption at these sites will be reduced by more than 50%. In this European Week for Sustainable Development, bpost group, which wants to be close to its citizens and shares their concern for the environment, remains determined to continue to play its pioneering role in this area.”
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/operations
2. Sendcloud aims to empower british e-commerce businesses
October 01, 2020
Sendcloud, an all-in-one shipping platform for e-commerce businesses, has today announced its launch into the UK market.
From today, Sendcloud’s all-in-one shipping platform will enable British online retailers to scale their business across Europe.
Online sales in the UK have skyrocketed lately, showing year-on-year growth of 51.6%, with further growth set to come in from demand outside the UK in the coming years.
According to Sendcloud’s recently commissioned e-commerce report, 53% of European shoppers regularly order from international online stores, yet many consumers are still being left frustrated at the time and expense of international delivery services.
Sendcloud’s all-in-one shipping platform reduces the complexity of international shipping by giving online retailers access to local carriers across Europe, turning cross-border shipping into a stress-free, sales accelerator.
The platform automates the challenges retailers face in the shipping and delivery process, reducing costs and improving delivery times while providing retailers with a full-service system that works from checkout to returns:
· Checkout – Offer customers the best carriers and delivery options at checkout.
· Shipping – Create a customised, scalable and flawless shipping workflow.
· Tracking – Brand the tracking experience and excite customers while they wait.
· Returns – Make returns hassle free and get a complete overview of incoming returns.
The launch of the platform in the UK will provide online retailers with the ability to integrate their e-commerce store with UK-based shipping carriers such as Royal Mail, DPD, UPS and Hermes, as well as both major and local European carriers.
Rob van den Heuvel, CEO and Co-founder at Sendcloud comments: “While bricks and mortar stores continue to recover from the pandemic, e-commerce is booming and as a result, the online customer experience is becoming more demanding.
“Handing over a parcel is no longer a simple business transaction but part of the overall customer experience, so creating a seamless experience is a win-win situation for both online retailers and consumers. Launching Sendcloud into the UK market provides a great opportunity for us to empower British e-commerce businesses and retailers with a simple, scalable shipping solution.”
Founded in the Netherlands in 2012, Sendcloud has quickly become one of the fastest growing scale-ups and leading e-commerce shipping solutions in Europe, currently helping over 15,000 online retailers to automate their shipping processes.
Entering the UK market is the next step in the company’s rapid growth plans, which has already seen it claim a position in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and the FT1000 for several years. In 2017, Sendcloud secured Series-A investment of €5 million, helping the business generate €33.6 million revenue in 2018 and an annual revenue growth rate of 112 percent.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/127288/news/e-commerce
3. Something extra. Informed Delivery tests new package feature
September 29, 2020
The Postal Service is testing a feature that aims to grow Informed Delivery by providing shippers with new marketing opportunities.
During the test, companies that ship products with USPS will be able to provide recipients who are Informed Delivery customers with digital content related to the package.
When the customer opens their Informed Delivery daily digest email or dashboard, they’ll see the package tracking number as usual. They’ll also be able to see an image and click on a link to access content related to the company’s brand or the contents of the package.
“For years, Informed Delivery has allowed mailers to add interactive content to the notices that subscribers receive. Now, through this test, shippers can use Informed Delivery to create innovative marketing campaigns around the packages they send,” said Bob Dixon, product technology innovation director at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC.
The new feature will allow businesses that send both letters and packages to create Informed Delivery marketing campaigns around all their outgoing products, Dixon said. Consumers will also benefit because of the enhanced digital experience offered by the package shipper.
One participant in the test is a national property and casualty insurance company that sends Bluetooth devices to customers to install in their vehicles for use with a mobile application.
In addition to package tracking information, the company’s customers who subscribe to Informed Delivery will receive an image and a link to an instructional video on how to activate and use the device.
The new package campaign feature comes in response to requests from business customers, Dixon said.
“After we added package tracking to Informed Delivery, there has been growing interest from mailers for the ability to run interactive campaigns connected to their packages and parcels,” he said.
If the test is successful, the package campaign feature will be rolled out nationally to all shippers.
Source : https://link.usps.com/2020/09/29
4. Secure basic services by lifting the ban on loans and mortgages
August 27, 2020
The corona pandemic has shown that Swiss Post and its nationwide basic service are central to the functioning of our society and economy. Growing pressure on margins and increasing complexity mean that profits are becoming smaller. For syndicom, there is no way around the lifting of the credit and mortgage ban for PostFinance. This step secures the supply of the population with postal and financial services as well as the jobs of postal workers.
Swiss Post offers its services throughout the country at the same prices. Profitable business areas are needed to secure this comprehensive basic supply despite falling margins. The existing low interest rate environment is reducing Postbank's profit. Financing the postal group’s basic service contract will become increasingly difficult without PostFinance paying significant dividends to the other group companies. Swiss Post's cohesion of public services is at risk. Swiss Post presented its “Post of Tomorrow” strategy in the spring. For syndicom, however, it is clear that the legislature is also responsible.
Lift ban
on loans PostFinance's negative interest income shows the need to lift the ban on loans and mortgages. To this end, the partial revision of the Postal Organization Act must be pushed ahead. David Roth, the responsible central secretary at syndicom, says: "The partial revision of the POG is the logical regulatory measure so that PostFinance can continue to contribute its part to the group result and guarantee the universal service mandate assigned to it." Syndicom expects a capital commitment from the federal government for the necessary procurement of PostFinance's own funds. Partial privatization would spread the dividend distribution and also jeopardize the financing of the basic service.
Clear mandate for basic services
The secure and rapid transmission of parcels, letters, data, an extensive logistics network, secure and affordable access to financial services and the supply of all sections of the population and regions with these services are essential for the development of the economy and social cohesion.
David Roth again: "The basic service contract was entrusted to Swiss Post, and PostFinance's profits secure this and thousands of postal employees' jobs in the long term." Syndicom therefore expects Federal Bern to implement the partial revision of the POG with the necessary urgency and care.
Source : https://syndicom.ch/aktuell/artikel
5. NZ Post annual results – a return to profit with strong growth
September 25, 2020
Post has announced a net profit after tax of $6 million following a financial year of “two halves”, with a strong operational performance in the first part of the 2019/2020 financial year, before the COVID-19 response and resulting lockdowns materially affected revenue streams.
“The return to profit in a year of enormous challenges reflects very positively on NZ Post’s amazing 6,500 people who were proudly ‘essential workers’,” says NZ Post Board Chairman Rodger Finlay.
“To them, I extend the Board’s thanks.”
“As New Zealand’s largest online shopping and mail delivery partner, we were initially hit hard by the Alert Level 4 Lockdown across all our service lines, and we are now well positioned to move forward with confidence,” says NZ Post Chief Executive David Walsh.
“Once restrictions eased as the country moved to Alert Level 3, domestic parcel volumes increased dramatically. However, this came with extra cost, as we had to bring on more people and vans, physical distancing and extra processing sites.”
The 2019/2020 financial results include:
· Strong operating cashflow of $65 million, up from $12 million in 2018/19
· A net profit after tax of $6 million compared to a loss of $121 million in 2018/19
· $17 million in operating profit, compared to an operating loss of $55 million in 2018/19
· Over 80 million parcels delivered (an increase of 1 million overall, Domestic parcels up 5 million, International down 4 million, due to COVID-19 response)
· 72 million fewer letters sent this financial year compared to 2018/19
· Share of Kiwi Group Holdings net profit fell to $18 million from $39 million in 2018/19
“COVID-19 showed the absolute best of our people; every day our front line was out in communities delivering essential items to New Zealand. It is our people who got us through the massive challenges of unprecedented online demand after Level 4 was lifted. Not only did they help keep New Zealanders connected, but their hard work has also helped support and grow New Zealand businesses, some of which had to quickly start selling online for the first time.”
During the first COVID-19 response, in the Level 4 Lockdown the number of letters sent dropped by up to 50%, international services declined due to global disruptions to supply chains, and NZ Post retail outlets were closed. Due to the disruptions to revenue streams, NZ Post applied for and received a COVID-19 wage subsidy of $29.7 million. “We’re really proud that we were able to get through these lockdowns with our workforce intact.
“The COVID-19 response has also helped to bring into clear focus where we need to concentrate our efforts in the future. There was a huge surge in the volume of domestic parcels sent when restrictions on what New Zealanders could buy online lifted at the beginning of Alert Level 3. During the first two weeks of Alert Level 3, we received 3.5 million parcels to deliver – which is approximately 200 parcels per minute, a level of volumes we had been planning to receive in 2023.
“This volume tested our network like never before, and is another example of why we need to invest for the future. Since then we have launched a ten-year, $170 million infrastructure investment plan to make sure we meet our customers’ expectations and help them grow for the future, as online shopping increases.”
The investment programme begins with construction of a new ‘super depot’ for parcels, in Grenada, Wellington, an upgrade to the Southern Operations Centre in Christchurch in 2022 and will also include a new processing centre in Wiri, Auckland, due to open in 2023.
This year the Government also confirmed its support for NZ Post in Budget 2020 , including:
· Mail contract for services: $130 million over three years (commencing 1 July 2020) to support the continued delivery of mail services, and allow time to develop the future of mail; and
· An equity injection from the Company’s Shareholder of up to $150 million to recapitalise and strengthen reserves, which gave NZ Post the confidence to invest in infrastructure to meet the demand of online shopping.
“We’re extremely proud of the essential job we have done connecting people in these uncertain times. While we have some work to do on the future of mail, our role in the upcoming General Election delivering EasyVote packs and supporting vulnerable people with a postal voting option continues to show the importance of our mail service,” says David Walsh.
“We’ve spent time considering what went well during our COVID-19 response and of course, where we could have done better. We’ve learnt good lessons about how to do things differently for our customers and people, which we are applying, and will be built on as we turn towards what is traditionally the busiest time of the year for us, Christmas.”
Other highlights include:
· Total recordable injuries dropped by 13%
· We reduced our total carbon emissions by 4,626 tCO2e (4% reduction on last year). This is equivalent to having 2,126 cars off the road.
· A record-breaking 2019 Christmas, and an award-winning Christmas advertising campaign - Ho Ho Hush Hush
· We launched a scheme to encourage our contracted delivery partners to get into electric vehicles
· Our people provided 632 hours of volunteering support - which is over 15 working weeks of support
· Last year our Customer Care team responded to 3.2 million customer questions and concerns
Source : https://www.nzpost.co.nz/about-us/media-centre/media-release
POSTAL NEWS
No 80-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
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1. Australia Post announces 4000 jobs in record hiring blitz. October 01, 2020.
2. Delivering Community Power: A New Chapter to Win Expanded Services. October 01, 2020.
3. Deliveroo to hire 15,000 new riders this year as new partnerships “soar”. September 28, 2020.
4. Celebrating 75th Post and Telecommunication Day, Pos Indonesia Launches QiX Service. September 28, 2020.
5. Parcel delivery in Estonia: Peak and Beyond. September 25, 2020.
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1. Australia Post announces 4000 jobs in record hiring blitz
October 01, 2020
Ahead of what is expected to be its biggest Christmas ever, Australia Post is recruiting over 4000 people across the country to help deliver record parcel volumes – the biggest hiring spree in the organisation’s 210-year history.
Nearly 2900 Christmas casuals will be hired across transport and deliveries across the country, with a further 300 fixed term full-time and part-time customer contact centre opportunities in Brisbane and regional areas of South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland.
In addition to the Christmas casuals, Australia Post is also recruiting around 900 roles in other areas of the business, including across the Post Office network, to help service customers better.
Executive General Manager People & Culture Sue Davies said this year’s Christmas casuals will bring a welcome boost to a workforce that has been working incredibly hard all year.
“A lot has been expected of our people this year and I’m so proud of the way our team has adapted and dealt with the challenges they’ve faced to keep delivering for Australia across our entire network,” Ms Davies said.
“In managing all the necessary COVID-safe requirements, including a reduced workforce in our Melbourne facilities during the recent Stage 4 restrictions, our people have gone over and above to provide critical services for businesses and their customers and delivered for over 8.1 million households who have shopped online between March and August alone.
“This is a record-breaking recruitment drive for what we expect to be a Christmas unlike any we’ve had before in Australia Post’s history. In a year that has been incredibly challenging and impacted people in many ways, we are delighted to be inviting people to join us this Christmas as we deliver across the country.”
Last year, Australia Post received more than 23,000 applications for Christmas casual positions. Earlier this year, more than 50,000 applications were made for the 1,000 casuals hired in response to the impacts of the COVID19 pandemic. Australia Post is encouraging people to apply across the range of positions, particularly for the customer contact centres and transport.
Source : https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/article
2. Delivering Community Power: A New Chapter to Win Expanded Services
October 01, 2020
The challenge of our generation will be getting through the pandemic and putting a halt to the climate crisis. As we prepare for a meaningful and Just Recovery for people and for the planet, we must seize the moment to impart CUPW’s ideas for expanding services, and reducing Canada Post’s carbon footprint. The content of the recent speech from the Throne is significant and CUPW will take full advantage of this moment to make our vision take hold broadly.
Under the umbrella of Delivering Community Power, CUPW is excited to announce that we are launching a new chapter called “Fighting to Win Expanded Services”. This new initiative will be robust and include important actions to promote Delivering Community Power and ensure it is on everyone’s lips in the weeks and months ahead.
CUPW has been fortunate in having a lot of help from our members, activists, allies and the public in ensuring our campaign gained ground. We have some solid advocates who promote our vision whenever they can. For instance, David Suzuki has spoken highly of our vision, and continues to want to partner with CUPW in fighting to make it a reality. We have all have worked hard to spread the vision, and we have had some success.
There has never been a more auspicious and urgent time to double down on our efforts.
Just when the Federal Government commits to a massive investment in the manufacture of e-vehicles, helping seniors remain safely in their homes for longer, investing in retrofits of homes and buildings, and creating new jobs, in line with Delivering Community Power, we must insist that Canada Post take up our appeal to bolster and expand services, create community hubs and introduce postal banking.
Our President was eloquent in her blog when she said: “The planet is burning.” (https://www.cupw.ca/en/campaign/resources/taking-action-mitigate-climate-crisis).
Indeed, we have no choice but to act now to halt the crisis of our lifetime. Much needs to be accomplished in a narrow window of time.
Stay tuned to find out how we will roll-out this new chapter and go big on Delivering Community Power to win expanded services, and a greener Post. There will be webinars in which to take part, all sorts of actions in which to become involved, and even a symposium bringing in all the key players, to help make this a reality.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en
3. Deliveroo to hire 15,000 new riders this year as new partnerships “soar”
September 28, 2020
Deliveroo is set to hire 15,000 new riders over the next three months as new partnerships with retailers and restaurants “soar”.
The rapid delivery giant, which is now partly owned by Amazon, will have doubled the number of drivers it employs from 25,000 to 50,000 in 2020, and is currently onboarding a record 2000 riders per week.
According to Deliveroo its latest recruitment frenzy comes after it signed up with 16 new on-demand grocery partners this year, including Aldi, Morrisons, Waitrose and Co-op, while adding 11,500 new UK restaurants to its roster.
Since the start of the pandemic, Deliveroo has already hired and additional 15,000 riders, marking a 286 per cent year-on-year increase.
To “show appreciation” to its riders Deliveroo is introducing 800 free online training courses for all riders and their families during the pandemic, alongside 51 fully funded junior-degree level scholarships for eligible riders and their families.
“Riders are heroes and we are so proud of the vital role that they are carrying out in their local communities during the pandemic,” Deliveroo’s chief executive Will Shu said.
“It is fantastic that we can now recruit even more riders and will create a record 15,000 new opportunities by the end of the year. With a record number of riders and restaurant partners on the platform, we can now reach even more amazing customers across the UK, delivering the food that people need and want.”
Source : https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2020/09/28
4. Celebrating 75th Post and Telecommunication Day, Pos Indonesia Launches QiX Service
September 28, 2020
Bandung, September 28, 2020 - September 27, which is celebrated annually as Post and Telecommunication Service by the ranks of Post and Telecommunication departs from the taking over of the Telegraph Post and Telephone Service (PTT) from the Japanese government by Indonesian sons and daughters who joined in the Youth Post Telegraph and Telephone (YPTT /AMPTT) on September 27, 1945.
Commemoration of the 75th Post and Telecommunication Day in 2020 carries the theme "Digital Transformation Towards Advanced Indonesia". On this year's anniversary the Postel community commemorates an unusual situation, because Indonesia is being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, the Post and Telecommunication Day Commemoration Ceremony was conducted in a virtual manner led by the Minister of Communication and Information, Jhonny G. Plate and attended by the entire Postel community.
On this occasion, an employee of Pos Indonesia namely Hartanto Nurtyasworo as Vice President of Law, received a Satyalencana Wira Karya award from the President of the Republic of Indonesia for services in providing his devotion so that he can be a role model for others.
In line with the 75th Post and Telecommunication Day commemoration theme and as a form of innovation in digitizing its various services, Pos Indonesia has again launched a new delivery service product that prioritizes speed and digital technology, namely Quick International Xpress (QiX).
QiX,
which is a service for sending goods abroad with superior accuracy and speed,
Next Day Service to Hong Kong and Time Certain Delivery 2 to 6 days to several
countries, even in the near future there will be Same Day Service to Singapore
and several other countries.
"With the QiX Service, it is hoped that it can help business actors, both
corporate and MSMEs in Indonesia, in accelerating the transaction and
distribution processes, so that the economy in Indonesia itself can be helped
along with the increase in export activities." explained VP of Product Management
& Marketing of Pos Indonesia Tata Sugiarta.
Source : https://www.posindonesia.co.id/en/news-detail/375
5. Parcel delivery in Estonia: Peak and Beyond
September 25, 2020
The big news this week out of Estonia has been that Estonian postal operator Omniva and its CEO are parting company. But there have been a couple of other interesting announcements in Estonia about parcel delivery and, of course, parcel lockers.
Seven-day delivery starts… now!
From now until the end of the year, Omniva will be delivering parcels seven days a week in Estonia.
Omniva will also increase the amount of same-day deliveries for the Christmas season.
There are more parcel lockers on the way too, with additional lockers set to be installed at 24 of the most popular locations before the end of the year.
Pop-up parcel points and extra capacity
Where parcel lockers reach capacity, Omniva will set up mobile parcel points for parcel distribution.
"The past few years have shown that despite constant expansions, the most popular parcel lockers prove to be still too small during peak volumes." - Kristi Unt, Head of Operations at Omniva
The pop-up delivery points allow Omniva to deliver up to 1500 extra parcels a day.
Omniva delivered more than 1.5 million packages to Estonian customers in December 2019. The most popular day for receiving parcels was December 18, when almost 90,000 people received parcels from Omniva.
“Omniva’s more towards more capacity and customer centric features can only be applauded. They are in a fight for supremacy with DPD and this may be the secret sauce that allows them to keep pole position in Estonia.” - Marek Różycki, Last Mile Experts
More DPD lockers in Estonia
DPD has started adding new parcel lockers to its Estonian network. Currently, DPD Estonia has about 127 Pickup points, of which 114 are Pickup stations (parcel lockers) and the rest are parcel shops.
The expansion programme will see the number of parcel lockers increase to 207.
According to the latest e-shopper barometer study commissioned by DPDgroup, Estonian e-shoppers use mostly parcel lockers (80% of respondents) compared to other services.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog