POSTAL NEWS
No 33-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
1. Posties bring Superman & friends to Nottingham.April 23, 2020.
2.
UPS Launches Smart
Warehouse Technology. April 23,
2020.
3.
PHLPostdelivers
supplies to frontline workers.
April 22, 2020.
4. France’s La Poste ups deliveries from three to four days a week. April 21, 2020.
5.
Posti Group is negotiating on possible layoffs in
certain business areas due to the coronavirus situation. April 21,
2020.
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1. Posties bring Superman & friends to Nottingham
April 23, 2020
Residents of Nottingham’s Phoenix Farm Estate will
receive their mail faster than a speeding bullet on Saturday,
when Superman lends a hand to his fellow superheroes from Carlton Delivery
Office.
And if people living along nearby Fraser Road hear the
strains of “Let it go, let it go,” that’ll be every girl’s favourite
princess, all the way from Arendelle, doing her bit to keep the people posted.
As well as Elsa and the ‘Man of Steel’, Spiderman is also
volunteering for a Saturday shift, along with several other well-known
characters, on what will be a fun day for the city.
Organiser of all the Saturday silliness is Simon Stevenson,
CWU rep at Carlton DO, who usually delivers to Phoenix Farm himself.
“There are around 30 duties from the Carlton office and
quite a few of them are being done by ‘celebrity’ characters on Saturday –
there are going to be a lot of surprises!” he says, and then goes on to explain
the serious side to the day of fun.
“We’re raising money for the Nottingham Hospitals Charity and
we’re doing it all in the name of our area delivery rep Ian Pointer, who’s been
fighting for his life at Queen’s Medical Centre after being diagnosed with the
Covd-19 virus,” says Simon.
“Ian’s been through absolute hell these past few weeks. Thank
God he’s been gradually starting to recover, but just a couple of weeks ago
everyone feared the worst.”
Simon highlights the “first-class care and kindness” that Ian
has been receiving from staff at the hospital and that colleagues at Carlton,
Ian’s ‘home’ office, wanted to do something in his name and to support their
NHS.
“As
well as raising what we can for this extremely good cause, we’re also going to
have our own whip-round to give a nice treat to Ian and his partner Paula when
he’s well enough.”
Nottingham
& District Amal Branch secretary Rob Alcock says that the Saturday
fund-raiser is “a lovely idea and a really nice way of helping a good cause,
showing our deep affection for Ian and also, hopefully, cheering up the
community as well.
“It’s
so typical of our members to be so warm-hearted.
“We’re
all hugely relieved that Ian has started to recover and we all wish him the
very, very best. It’ll be so great when we can see him again.”
Source
:https://www.cwu.org/news
2. UPS Launches Smart Warehouse Technology
April 23, 2020
UPS (NYSE:UPS) Supply Chain
Solutions today announced warehouse network technology designed to make
distribution centers smarter and more efficient. The new Warehouse Execution
System (WES) will enable faster order intake and fulfillment to ensure that
customers, especially those with fluctuating order patterns, receive their
products on time.
UPS and supply chain
solutions provider Softeon created the WES which allows UPS to define specific
customer requirements to ensure highest priority orders are worked first
without manual intervention, resulting in more than 50% productivity gains for
some customers.
“WES enables UPS to better
leverage our global warehouse network and integrated technology to help our
customers reduce capital, improve service and speed to end customers,” said
Philippe Gilbert, president of Supply Chain Solutions. “We also can create more
custom and turnkey outsourced fulfillment services to meet our customers’
unique supply chain needs.”
To meet the growing and
ever-changing demands, supply chain operators are leveraging more sophisticated
and complex warehouse technologies that can handle higher volumes with greater
fluctuations. The WES’s real-time monitoring of capacity, fulfillment
requirements, backlogs, and labor status allows UPS to identify and resolve
potential disruptions before they arise. With companies experiencing labor
scarcity and ecommerce-driven pressure for faster fulfillment, UPS is making
outsourced fulfillment a competitive advantage for customers.
The WES implementation is
part of UPS’s ongoing efforts to modernize warehouse operations by leveraging
autonomous capabilities. UPS is deploying Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) in
several of its facilities and piloting AMR from Locus Robotics, which receive
instruction from the WES to pick up and transport goods for order consolidation
and pack out by UPS employees. The system dynamically dispatches order
fulfillment activity and continuously balances inventory flow which allows UPS
engineers and operators to efficiently synchronize the use of labor and
equipment.
Other investments in
warehouse technology include autonomous guided vehicles, automated sorting
systems, and other automation technologies. UPS also plans to launch a new
visibility and reporting platform that will enable customers to monitor and
track end-to-end supply chain activity and performance, from transportation to
warehouse inventory to order volume all in one platform.
“Our investments in
technology support operational improvements that enable UPS to improve service
for our customers,” said Gilbert. “The WES, AMRs, and other technologies allow
us to create more customized solutions that better serve customers and improve
the end-user experience.”
3. PHLPostdelivers supplies to frontline workers
April 22, 2020
PHLPost has been assisting local government in the delivery of relief
and emergency services to health workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Postmaster General
Joel Otarra commented: “Post office employees are frontline workers too,
responding to any emergency situation where it is needed most.
“Our postmen, drivers,
couriers and network of post office vehicles are now being tapped to provide
assistance to local government units in the delivery of supplies of frontline
workers”, he added.
Measures have been
implemented to help employees cope with the impact of the pandemic like wearing
of face coverings, social distancing and hygienic practices.
PHLPost is also
committed to fulfill its universal mandate of continuous delivery of important
mails from various government and private sectors who are important clients of
the agency.
PHLPost says it will
limit its door-to-door delivery, prioritising “vital communications and parcels
containing medicines, items containing goods/perishable items, items from SSS,
GSIS, and other public and private institutions containing pensions,
checks/loans etc, Express Mail items, and leftover mails (vital
communications/checks) prior to the implementation of the community lockdown.”
Post offices are also
coordinating with barangay officials for mail delivery, in accordance with local
community quarantine protocols.
4. France’s La Poste ups deliveries from three to four days a week
April 21, 2020
France’s La Poste is from today operating a four days a week delivery schedule for mail and parcels on a nationwide basis, having reduced its offering to three days a week at the end of last month to protect workers from the COVID-19 virus as the country remained in a widespread lockdown.
Under
the four days a week delivery schedule, effective April 21, mail and parcels
normally will be delivered from Tuesday to Fridays. This schedule will switch
to Monday to Thursday the two following weeks as Friday, May 1 and Friday, May
8 are public holidays, La Poste said.
Since
March 30, the national postal operator had only been delivering letters and
parcels on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, instead of the usual six days a
week. As a result, the Colissimo parcels service has suspended its guaranteed
delivery times.
“In
the context of a health crisis, we are adapting our organisation every day to
ensure continuity of service while protecting the health of postal workers and
customers by limiting the number of people working outside the home,” the
company said in a customer service message.
However,
from the outset, the move to a three-day delivery schedule was heavily
criticised by local mayors, especially in rural and suburban areas, who feared
that their jurisdictions would be isolated further while consumers also voiced
their discontent at the curtailed service as did the press distribution sector.
At
the beginning of the month, French media reported that La Poste chief Philippe
Wahl was summoned by France's prime minister, Edouard Philippe, who wanted
“assurances that it (the state postal utility) was fulfilling all of its
missions.”
Wahl
explained that the move to a “minimum” service was due to “a reduction in La
Poste's workforce due to the lockdown and illness,” with around one quarter of
its 220,000 postal workers being absent.
The
subsequent weeks saw La Poste gradually bow to pressure to increase its
activity again. Thanks to staff reinforcements of 3,000 additional workers last
week it is now providing a five days a week service for press distribution,
from Monday to Friday, which will rise to six days weekly from May 11 when
France's lockdown restrictions are set to be eased.
The
company statement also emphasised that neigbourhood services such as 'meals on
wheels,' the delivery of medicines and social visits (by postal workers) have
been maintained from Monday to Friday since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.
During
the public health crisis, La Poste has switched to contactless deliveries, with
staff delivering small items into letterboxes or leaving large items in front
of doors if customers are home to take acceptance.
It is
also supporting local shops and firms that have been forced to close during the
lockdown by expanding its online marketplace ‘My Town, My Shopping’
(www.mavillemonshopping.fr), which was originally launched in 2017.
Local
retailers and other firms can sign up free of charge, create an online shop
instantly and list their available products, while consumers can buy directly
from the individual webshop. Product categories include food and basic
supplies, fashions (men, women and children) and goods for the home or leisure
activities.
La
Poste offers several delivery options for orders on the marketplace, including
Click & Collect (if physical collections are permitted) or home delivery by
a postal worker or by the shop operator.
Source
:https://www.cep-research.com/
5. Posti Group is negotiating on possible layoffs in certain business areas due to the coronavirus situation
April 21, 2020
Posti Group is preparing for the business impact of
the coronavirus pandemic and the changes in customer needs and is negotiating
on possible layoffs in certain business areas. The objective of the
negotiations is to find flexible solutions in order to minimize the impact on
personnel. Co-operation negotiations are initiated at Freight Services and
potential layoffs are negotiated at Home Services.
The co-operation negotiations announced earlier at
Transval on possible layoffs have been partly concluded. In addition, the
Leadership Team of Posti Group will waive one month’s pay.
The coronavirus pandemic has had two types of effects on the
business operations of Posti Group. First, the company’s Parcel and eCommerce
business area has been exceptionally busy due to significant growth in the
sales volumes of online stores. Posti is currently processing approximately one
million parcels each week, which corresponds to the Christmas peak season.
Second, the pandemic has had a negative impact on Posti’s freight services, the
logistics services of Transval, part of Posti Group, and Posti’s Home Services.
Posti needs to prepare for the short- and long-term business impacts of the
declining demand for these services caused by the pandemic.
“The coronavirus pandemic is impacting everyone and society as
a whole. Thousands of our employees have worked hard in their respective areas
to ensure the delivery of our services and that we can help our customers in
this exceptionally challenging situation. I want to thank all our employees for
their valuable work. While some of our business areas are very busy, some areas
are seeing declining volumes as a result of declining customer needs. As the
coronavirus crisis continues, it will inevitably impact also Posti. As a
responsible employer, we must prepare for the business impacts of the situation
and ensure the viability of our operations also after the crisis,” says TurkkaKuusisto,
President and CEO of Posti Group.
Co-operation negotiations on possible layoffs at
Freight Services, Home Services and Transval
The objective of the negotiations is to find flexible
solutions in order to minimize the impact on our personnel and our customers.
Freight Services will initiate co-operation negotiations on 27
April 2020, with all freight employees, approximately 1,100 persons, in scope
of the negotiations. The initial estimate is that the negotiations may result
in up to 90 days’ staggered layoffs during 2020. Freight volumes have
decreased, for example, in the service, manufacturing and construction
industries, which has already weakened the demand for freight services. We
expect the demand to further weaken in the near future. Therefore, we need to
prepare for the changes in customer delivery volumes to secure the
preconditions of our business operations.
Home Services is going through co-operation negotiations on
possible temporary layoffs for a fixed period in personal assistance functions.
The continued pandemic has resulted in customer losses as assisted living
facilities and private customers have cancelled visits. Home Services has
sought to find replacement tasks for employees to avoid layoffs and will
continue to do so. The initial estimate on the need for layoffs minimal. Posti
Home Services employed approximately 600 persons in March.
Transval initiated co-operation negotiations on potential
layoffs on 24 March 2020. Approximately 3,600 persons were within scope of the
negotiations. The negotiations have been concluded for operations personnel. As
a result of the negotiations, Transval has the option of initiating staggered
layoffs for a fixed period among personnel during 2020. The scope and duration
of possible layoffs can vary significantly between business functions, with the
possible duration ranging from 1 to 90 days.
Transval has carried out several initiatives to mitigate the
impact of the coronavirus pandemic and to minimize the need for layoffs.
Posti Group Leadership Team to waive one month’s pay
Due to the coronavirus situation, the members of the
Leadership Team of Posti Group have decided to waive one month’s pay during
2020 while continuing to work in normal manner. The Leadership Team includes 7
members, including the President and CEO.
No 34-2020
Formulated by UNI AproPost and Logistics Sector
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1.
Emirates Post resumes international
postal services.
April 23, 2020.
2.
APWU
responds to Washington Post expose of White House plot to destroy the public
Postal Service. April 23, 2020.
3.
Delivering
Wales' most remote postal route during the Coronavirus pandemic.April 22,
2020.
4.
PostNord --- First quarter
2020. April 22, 2020.
5.
DHL launches China-Africa freighter operation.
April 21, 2020. |
1. Emirates Post resumes international postal services
April 23, 2020
Emirates Post has resumed its standard
and express international postal services to 12 European destinations.
The destinations
include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom,
The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland, in addition to
existing services in Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Emirates Post had
temporarily suspended its standard and express services, following the
restrictions placed on the transport and aviation industry to curb the outbreak
of COVID-19.
2. APWU responds to Washington Post expose of White House plot to destroy the public Postal Service
April 23, 2020
“It’s a power grab to
destroy the public Postal Service. Shame on them,” responded APWU President
Mark Dimondstein to shocking reports from the
Washington Post that the
Trump Administration is attempting to use the coronavirus crisis to force
draconian cuts to the Postal Service.
“The Post’s reporting
confirms what our union has long known: This Administration is committed to
fulfilling the decades-long pursuit by some to sacrifice our public Postal
Service at the altar of private profit,” Dimondstein said.
“Postal workers provide an
absolutely essential service to everyone in the country – no matter how rich or
poor we are or where we live. During this pandemic, postal workers have
continued to bind the nation together and deliver essential medicine, supplies
and information to a public that is confined to their homes,” he
continued. “At a time when the country needs us now more than ever, Mnuchin
and his Wall Street cronies are attempting to exploit the crisis to raise
prices, demonize heroic postal workers and cut service, all so private delivery
companies can profit. It’s a power grab. Shame on them.”
The Treasury Department
chaired a Presidential Task Force that in December 2018 proposed unprecedented
service cuts to the Postal Service, cuts in postal worker pay and benefits and
increases in package prices. That followed a June
2018 Office of Management and Budget report that called for Postal Service privatization.
Source :https://www.apwu.org/news
3. Delivering Wales' most remote postal route during the Coronavirus pandemic
April22, 2020
Postwoman
Ali Garbutt is continuing to deliver mail to one of Wales’ most remote - and
also most scenic - postal routes throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
A
local farmer’s daughter, Ali has lived in the local area her entire life.
Having worked as a postwoman for 11 years, she has served the Abergynolwyn
route for five of those and is a pillar of the rural and tight-knit, local
community. The mail continues plays a very important role in this area as
mobile phone signals are intermittent given the remoteness of the location.
In
most communities of the UK, Royal Mail continues to deliver a near normal
service, six days a week. Ali’s delivery route is no exception to that.
Ali’s
daily delivery round gives her a view of some of the UK’s most inspirational
landscapes as well as the occasional heart-stopping close up of a fighter jet.
The 50-mile postal route covers a combination of rugged mountains, lakes and is
one of the busiest parts of the UK for low flying jets on practice missions.
As
part of her daily postal round, Ali passes through the valley of Cader Idris,
the 1,995 ft mountain surrounding the area, and crosses the scenic Tal y Llyn
lake.
The
delivery route also passes Castell y Bere castle, which was built by a Welsh prince
Llewelyn the Great in the 1220s, and Mach Loop, an area where RAF planes
regularly fly as low as 250 ft during training exercises. The area attracts a
number of plane spotters, particularly during the summertime, when most of the
flights occur.
Ali Garbutt,
Royal Mail postwoman commented: “While of course it’s strange delivering mail in these
unusual times, more than ever, I feel so appreciated by this local remote
community.
“When
I’m out on my route, I can enjoy the spectacular landscape while interacting
with the wonderful local people, at a distance, who I’ve known all my life.
There’s nothing else quite like it.”
Gary
Davies, Delivery Office Manager said: “We are extremely proud of Ali, and of all postmen and
women who are working hard to deliver the country’s mail. At a time when many
businesses and retailers have had to reluctantly close their doors, people like
Ali are helping to keep the wheels of commerce moving.
“Ali
is a real credit to the company. Her service is hugely appreciated by us and by
the community she serves.”
4. PostNord --- First quarter 2020
April 22, 2020
First quarter 2020
· Net
sales SEK 9,504m (9,471), +0.2% at fixed exchange rates for comparable units.
· Operating
income SEK 314m (162).
· Net
income for the period SEK 263m (56).
· Earnings
per share SEK 0.13 (0.03).
· Cash
flow from operating activities SEK 757m (435).
Effects of coronavirus pandemic
·
Marginal financial impact in quarter
·
Business classified as key service sector
·
Increased sick leave
·
Changes in customer behavior
Comment
from Annemarie Gardshol, President and Group CEO
The first quarter of the year may be divided
into two phases: before and after the outbreak of the coronavirus in the
Nordics. Until mid-March, growth was clearly positive and overall sales in the
quarter were on a par with the preceding year. Operating income totaled SEK
314m (162), a strong improvement from the corresponding quarter last year and a
satisfactory, result given the prevailing situation.
The pressure of change remains high. Our
efficiency programs are continuing successfully and are preparing us for the
future. We are continuing to grow in e-commerce logistics and are seeing mail
customers streaming back from competitors. The dialogue with both owners has
continued in a positive spirit and a new review of postal legislation has been
announced in Sweden.
With the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,
the situation changed in mid-March. Just like our customers and the rest of the
industry, we are experiencing the challenges of closed borders, shortages of
transport capacity, increased sick leave and major changes in customer
behavior. PostNord has an important social function to discharge, and our focus
has been to ensure secure deliveries for our customers and recipients, while
looking after our employees at all times. The various restrictions in the
Nordic countries resulting from the pandemic have also affected our market. For
example, volumes in durable goods to stores have fallen sharply, while demand
for home deliveries has risen sharply throughout the Nordics. The latter
development is a need that we have quickly been able to respond to. The
pandemic itself did not have any direct impact on mail volumes in the quarter.
Despite the pandemic, operations went ahead
in accordance with our strategy, and in order to meet the challenge of
digitization. Recently, the Nordic-wide agreement with the DPD Group was
extended, enabling parcel deliveries to and from the Nordic region and out into
Europe to continue. We have also signed a new agreement for the Swedish and
Danish market with Staples Solutions, one of the biggest suppliers of office
materials and equipment in Europe. In the Swedish market, we are preparing to
pilot alternate-day deliveries in the autumn. In Denmark, dialogue with
politicians continues regarding a new agreement on universal postal services. The
current agreement expires at mid-year.
Strålfors continues to implement efficiency
improvements in physical production processes, with parallel development of its
activities in 3D printing.
In addition, we made a contribution to
greater sustainability in the industry by reducing the volume of air in parcels
and announced the winners of the prestigious PostNord Logistics Award.
In the quarter, we issued stamps in Denmark
to mark the 80th birthday of the Queen of Denmark and chose the winning entries
in the popular Swedish “My dog on a stamp” competition.
Like every other company, we are now working
proactively with customers and employees in taking responsibility. Many
citizens and businesses in the Nordics are dependent on our deliveries, and on
us living up to the demands of the universal postal service in Denmark and
Sweden. In times such as these, it is even more obvious how important
PostNord’s activities are in serving the public interest. In the present
circumstances, I therefore take extra pride in what we do and the excellent
quality we have succeeded in maintaining. I would also like to say a big Thank
You to all our wonderful employees who are standing firm in delivering our
customer promise.
5. DHL launches China-Africa freighter operation
April 21, 2020
DHL Global Forwarding has
launched a dedicated 100-tonne weekly airfreight service for organisations and
governments shipping goods from China to Africa and Middle East.
The forwarder said it would
consolidate cargo from across China into Guangzhou and airfreight them via
Dubai to their various destinations across Africa and Middle East with
transport times ranging from two or three days.
The bulk of the cargo is
expected to comprise personal protective gear such as masks, gloves, hand
sanitisers and goggles. Equally, part of the cargo will head to other countries
in the Middle East to plug the demand gap there.
The service will operate for
four weeks starting April 21, but the forwarder said it is actively seeking to
secure routes to all of Africa and boost capacity to the Middle East and Africa
in the longer term.
Amadou Diallo, chief
executive, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, said: “DHL Global
Forwarding is bolstering logistics support to our customers in the region who
need to ensure stable supply chains, especially for medical and critical
supplies during this critical period.
“With multiple flight
cancellations that has strained worldwide airfreight capacity, we remain
committed to leveraging our capabilities, global network and customized
solutions to ensure that goods and critical resources continue to reach people
and communities in Africa and the Middle East.”
Dubai plays a key role as a
gateway between China and the rest of Africa and the Middle East.
DHL said that Africa is
Dubai’s third largest trading partner in volume terms and Africa’s non-oil
trade with Dubai has been growing steadily over the last decade, accounting for
10.5% of the emirate’s total non-oil foreign trade in 2018.