UNI Apro Post & Logistics
1 POSTAL NEWS No 91-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Autonomous aircraft delivery service to launch in Arkansas. November 19, 2021.
2. Canada Post’s Mandatory Vaccination Practice: CUPW Update. November 18, 2021.
3. India Post, could be the next big thing in the supply chain industry. November 17, 2021.
4. Swiss Post to acquire Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG. November 16, 2021.
5. Posten Norge prepares for a big peak season. November 15, 2021.
1.Autonomous aircraft delivery service to launch in Arkansas November 19, 2021
Walmart and the instant logistics provider Zipline are to launch an autonomous aircraft delivery service in Pea Ridge, northwest Arkansas. The new service will make on-demand deliveries of select health, wellness and consumable items from the region’s Walmart Neighborhood Market, the company’s grocery chain. To implement the service, the companies have created a 7.5m platform to enable aircraft take-off and landing. The platform, which is directly behind the Neighborhood Market, houses several of Zipline’s proprietary autonomous aircraft as well as the company’s flight operations crew. At full capacity, Zipline’s aircraft can service an 80km radius, nearly the size of the state of Connecticut.
The service became operational on November 18, 2021, and runs through Zipline’s app, where customers order products, select a delivery time and track the status of the aircraft. To process the order, a Walmart employee picks and packs the product and then hands the package to Zipline staff, who prepare the aircraft for launch. The aircraft departs to the customer’s home, drops the package and returns to the platform. Tom Ward, senior vice president of last-mile delivery at Walmart US, said, “Zipline’s autonomous aircraft presents an incredible opportunity to offer customers an on-demand delivery option for the items they need now, such as a thermometer, non-prescription medication or an emergency pack of diapers. Even more, Zipline’s aircraft can help provide immediate access to needed items for both hard-to-reach and at-risk populations, such as rural communities and elderly customers. By bringing this game-changing technology to the rural community of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, we’re continuing to look for ways to make shopping with Walmart convenient and easy – for everyone.” “We’ve seen firsthand the impact that instant logistics can have in making important, even lifesaving, products available on a moment’s notice,” said Keller Rinaudo, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. “At the same time, the past two years have proven the need to bring health products closer to home, where they are more accessible. Working with Walmart, we’re able to bring this type of service to northwest Arkansas, showcasing what the future of health access looks like.” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said, “Only two weeks after Walmart launched its autonomous truck delivery system in northwest Arkansas, the company is launching its autonomous aircraft service. Walmart and its partners such as Zipline are harnessing customer-friendly technology with such lightning speed that the future is becoming a reality far sooner than many Arkansans thought possible.
Source:https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/delivery/autonomo us-aircraft-delivery-service-to-launch-in-arkansas.html
2.Canada Post’s Mandatory Vaccination Practice: CUPW Update November 18, 2021
CUPW has filed a cease and desist application against Canada Post’s vaccination practice which will be heard by Arbitrator Burkett on November 24, 2021. We have also filed national grievances against the practice. CUPW supports voluntary COVID-19 vaccination, and is proud that many of our members have been vaccinated. However, CUPW is concerned that the mandatory vaccination practice goes farther than required.
Frequent rapid testing is a less intrusive option for employees who object to vaccination, and it achieves the same health and safety goals, without using the threat of economic duress to coerce anyone to get vaccinated. Canada Post’s initial vaccination practice document included a rapid testing option. As you know, the vaccine practice came into effect October 29, and as it stands now, members who do not comply will be placed on leave without pay after November 26. We will continue to ensure our workplaces are safe and defend your rights as we do our part to end the pandemic.
Source:https://www.cupw.ca/en/canada-post%E2%80%99s-mandatory-vaccinationpractice-cupw-update
3.India Post, could be the next big thing in the supply chain industry : November 17, 2021
India Post also delivers various government welfare benefits to citizens, such as MGNREGA and old-age pension payments.
The Department of Posts, now known as India Post, has been the backbone of the country’s communication for over 150 years and has played a critical role in the social and economic growth of the country. It affects Indian citizens in a variety of ways, including delivering mail, accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance coverage under Postal Life Insurance (PLI), Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), providing retail services such as bill collection, form sales, and so on. India Post also delivers various government welfare benefits to citizens, such as MGNREGA and old-age pension payments. It is the country’s only network of post offices, with the task of providing communication, banking, and insurance services to all residents. With a high level of popularity among
rural residents, having lesser trouble connecting to its network, it is among India’s oldest institutions, with well-established and time-tested procedures. The workforce in rural areas, where 85 percent of post offices are located, is mostly local and thus familiar with the community served by the Post Office. Many of the products and services offer features that are appropriate for the typical person, such as daily delivery on the doorstep, delivery of money orders in cash at the doorstep, and minor transactions in the Post Office Savings Bank. Following new rules, the Reserve Bank’s criteria for the issue of new banking licences in 2013, India Post Launched Banking system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India Post Payments Bank on September 1, 2018. With 23,483 post offices currently connected, the Post Office Core Banking Solution (CBS) system is the world’s largest at present. India Post Payment Bank has the potential through 1.56 lakh post offices around the country, India Post serves more than 50 crore Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) customers.
India Post with its main features which can fetch wonders are as follow: • Nearly 156,000 post offices, with 90% of them in rural areas. • Almost 416,000 employees, with 41 percent being direct employees and 59 percent being Gramin Dak Sewaks in the rural area again. • Estimated total revenue of Rs 13,600 crore, losses of Rs 14,800 crore, and pension payments of Rs 10,000 crore per annum.
The banking arm of India Post has deposits of Rs 8.23 lakh crore, more than Punjab National Bank. PNB has 100,000 employees, which is less than a quarter of IP. Deposits of Rs 8.23 lakh crore are not sufficient to support over 400,000 workers. India Post’s biggest opponent right now is its fixed cost, which is eating away its revenues and turning it into the country’s largest loss-making PSU. Given its existing wide network, India Post needs to incrementally increase its network and reach out to cost-effective franchisee with outsourcing models. This would improve India Post’s overall viability and efficacy, and to enable inclusion of many individuals who are currently unserved or underserved, primarily in rural areas. The government’s focus on equitable growth presents an opportunity to use the network for last-mile deliveries. MNREGA, old age, and a variety of other pensions are already being paid.
The following are a few areas where India Post’s vast network can make a difference:
• Large-scale mail parcel services and transactional B-C mails. An average Indian receives ten mail parcel items a year, compared to 200 in Germany and 600 in the US. • Insurance services, whether life or general, do not cover 80 percent of the rural market. • There is untapped potential in terms of migrant money transfer and small enterprises that serve the entire India market.
• 40% of the rural population lacks access to institutional credit, despite the fact that India Post, with its payment bank already in place, has the largest access. • Currently, there are no bill collection systems in place in rural areas, residents are forced to pay their electricity bills, telephone bills, insurance premiums, and property taxes in the nearest town. People will not object if India Post can collect those bills with a low service charge, because they are spending a whole day and few hundreds of rupees paying bills.
The other hot area is E-Commerce, a rapidly growing industry in India. Volumes are increasing at a dizzying pace, with revenue estimated to reach Rs 15-20 lakh crore by 2025/26, representing a six-fold increase since 2016/17. Even online grocery sales are predicted to expand at over 55 percent annual growth rate, reaching Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2024. There is little doubt that e-commerce will grow in the next few years as internet access and smartphone usage rise, and consumers discover the convenience of shopping online.
Rural India is the largest e-commerce market, but it is mainly untapped. This is where India Post has a significant advantage over the competition. • The ‘last mile problem,’ or getting goods to the buyer from the last point where bulk items can be carried, is a major challenge for all e-commerce businesses. The last delivery leg is the most expensive in the E-Commerce delivery system, but India Post has a network in place and hence has an advantage over the competition. • India Post provides extensive coverage in rural regions, with each post office servicing an average of 21 square kilometres. • Because postmen are used to covering huge areas on a daily basis with tiny items and delivering them to locations, they require little training to become E-Commerce delivery chain’s “last mile carrier.” • There is also a substantial chance for reverse delivery. Postman can also pick up courier packets for onward delivery while on his rounds delivering letters and e-commerce goods. • The Modi government has put a strong emphasis on Make in India and other programmes, which are paying off well and turning rural India into a manufacturing hotspot; the India Post E-commerce delivery system, with its extensive collection network, may assist them in reaching out to urban consumers. • There is no other organisation in India with such a broad reach across the country with such a huge force of well-trained “Postmen.” All that is required is for it to organise its capabilities, form partnerships with big E-Commerce and courier companies, and take advantage of its geographic reach (especially in villages).
With an annual loss to the exchequer of Rs. 19,000 crores in fiscal year 2019 and Rs. 15541 crores in 2020, the postal department has been India’s top loss-making entity. We can very well turn this loss-making corporation into a successful organisation in the coming years with the Bill collection system and the E-Commerce services in place in rural India.
Source : https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/india-post-could-be-the-nextbig-thing-in-the-supply-chain-industry/2370937
4.Swiss Post to acquire Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG. November 16, 2021.
As a long-standing and reliable partner to the Swiss Confederation, cantons and municipalities, Swiss Post is highly familiar with their requirements within Switzerland’s federal structure. For this reason, Swiss Post aims to focus on providing public administrations and municipalities with greater support for digitization. It is planning to set up an ecosystem for authorities and, with this in mind, is expanding its business area to include digital services for public authorities. To achieve this goal, Swiss Post is securing vital expertise. On 15 November 2021, it acquired the municipality software provider Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG.
Swiss Post already supports municipalities and authorities with a wide range of physical services. In future, it will also support public administrations with the digital transformation and protection of sensitive data and help to simplify their routine activities. This step will also strengthen the Swiss economy – members of the public and businesses all benefit from a modern, digital administration. For this reason, Swiss Post is aiming to achieve growth in the e-government sector and is expanding its business area to include digital services for authorities. On 15 November 2021, Swiss Post acquired an 81.5 percent stake in Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG.
Dialog will continue to operate as an independent company
The company, which is headquartered in Baldegg in the Canton of Lucerne, develops software and cloud solutions for public administrations in Switzerland and is a specialist in the secure digital exchange of information. Dialog is renowned for providing integrated total solutions from a single source. Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG’s software for municipalities was developed in-house and enables continuous flows of information without media disruption, replacing complex silo systems with different user interfaces. This relieves the administrative workload on authorities and creates more time for their core activities – contact with citizens. Dialog was founded in 1980 and employs 63 staff and 3 apprentices. Dialog VerwaltungsData AG will become a subsidiary of Swiss Post and continue to operate as an independent company. The acquisition will not have any effect on Dialog’s employees. They will continue to be employed by Dialog in future. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price or details of the acquisition.
Foundation laid for Swiss Post’s future role
The acquisition of Dialog enables Swiss Post to gain vital expertise in the field of digital services for authorities, instead of having to build up this knowledge itself over a number of years. This is part of its new Swiss Post of tomorrow strategy. Swiss Post is making targeted investments and achieving growth in individual areas − specifically, in areas that will enable future customer requirements to be met. “Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG’s software and IT solutions strengthen Swiss Post’s portfolio of digital services,” says Nicole Burth, Member of Executive Management and Head of the CommunicationServices unit. “Dialog’s specialist knowledge will allow us to make everyday work at municipalities and authorities much easier and more secure.”
In the field of digital services for authorities, Swiss Post already has proven products, such as debt collection register and criminal records extracts. With solutions such as ePostApp, IncaMail, the digital identity and signature and e-voting, the company is in the process of establishing even more. “We aim to more firmly establish ourselves as a dependable partner for authorities,” explains Nicole Burth. The acquisition of Dialog lays the foundation for this goal, in line with Swiss Post’s future role: “We aim to act as a trustworthy, independent intermediary between the physical and digital worlds – particularly when it comes to the growing field of digital communication between authorities and citizens,” says Nicole Burth.
Open and interconnected ecosystem for authorities Over the long term, Swiss Post – in collaboration with Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG – is planning to set up an ecosystem for authorities. This ecosystem will not be a closed Swiss Post environment, but open and interconnected. Digital services for authorities operated by potential partners will be just as integrated within the ecosystem as Swiss Post’s own products and solutions. Customers can decide which services they wish to purchase. Most importantly of all: “Access must be simple and secure,” says Nicole Burth. “This will enable us to simplify everyday life for authorities, companies and citizens.
.” Source : https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/media/press-releases/2021/swiss-post-toacquire-dialog-verwaltungs-data-ag
5.Posten Norge prepares for a big peak season November 15, 2021.
Norwegian postal operator Posten Norge is preparing for peak season, bringing on 1,000 extra employees as well as adding sorting and delivery capacity. Last year Posten handled about 50% more parcels in the run-up to Christmas compared to the previous year. And there seems little
doubt that this year’s peak season will be even bigger, with e-commerce parcels up by 36% over the past 12 months.
Out-of-Home Delivery
Posten Norge has been expanding its out-of-home delivery network across Norway. About 600 PUDO points have been added since last year. Norway Post now has around 2,300 parcel collection points.
Several hundred more parcel lockers have also been installed across the country.
Sorting Capacity Posten and Bring's logistics centre at Alnabru has further increased capacity and can now handle more than 300,000 parcels a day.
In Førde, Norway Post and Bring have opened a new terminal that can sort 2,200 parcels per hour.
Residential Delivery
In Greater Oslo, 30 new vans will be put into service for home delivery in the evening.
Customer Service More parcels can mean more customer enquiries. Posten Norge has boosted its customer service team and extended its operating hours during peak season.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog/posten-norge-peak-season
1 POSTAL NEWS No 92-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Biden seeks to replace 2 Trump picks on USPS Board of Governors. November 19, 2021.
2. EBA10 technical & engineering review process kicks-off. November 19, 2021.
3. Croatian Post: Cryptocurrencies to be sold at 50 post offices. November 17, 2021.
4. DHL Express expands Asia capacity to meet e-commerce demand. November 17, 2021.
5. Royal Mail rolls out new fully automated parcel sorting machine in Tyneside Gateshead. November 16, 2021
1.Biden seeks to replace 2 Trump picks on USPS Board of Governors November 19, 2021
President Joe Biden is naming two new nominees to serve on the Postal Service Board of Governors, replacing former President Donald Trump’s picks to help lead the agency.
Biden on Friday submitted to the Senate his latest nominees to serve on the board: former head of the General Services Administration Dan Tangherlini and Derek Kan, a former deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Biden’s nominees, if confirmed by the Senate, would replace USPS Board of Governors Chairman Ron Bloom and John Barger, a member of the board since August 2019. If confirmed, Biden’s nominees would not change the political composition of the board, and would give Postmaster General Louis DeJoy an opportunity to remain on the job. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday it’s up to the board whether to keep DeJoy as postmaster general.
It’s to the board to make a determination about leadership, but we have continued concerns about the postmaster general’s leadership,” Psaki said. The board currently has four Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent. The board consists of up to nine governors appointed by the president. Each nomination requires Senate confirmation and no more than five governors may come from the same party. The postmaster general serves at the pleasure of the USPS board for an indefinite term. USPS in a statement congratulated Tangherlini and Kan on their nominations, and said the agency will “wish them well as they proceed through the United States Senate confirmation process.” USPS also thanked Bloom and Barger for their service on the board.
“We are grateful for their contributions to the development of the Postal Service’s Delivering for America 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence, and look forward to continuing to work with them as they serve out their terms,” the agency said. Biden’s decision to replace Bloom and Barger earned him praise from top congressional Democrats, who maintain a careful working relationship with DeJoy, but remain frustrated with the agency’s recent decisions to raise prices on mail products and implement a new service standard that slows the delivery of nearly 40% of first-class mail.
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement Friday that Tangherlini’s public service experience “makes him well-suited to help get the Postal Service back on track. “Under Postmaster General DeJoy, the Postal Service lost focus on its core mission — to serve the American people by delivering the mail on-time at an affordable rate,” Maloney said. “It is my hope that Mr. Tangherlini, along with the rest of the Board of Governors, will begin to hold the Postmaster General accountable for the damage that has been done to the Postal Service’s operations and credibility.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), chairman of the government operation subcommittee, said he supported Biden’s decision to replace Bloom and Barger. “This action is a good thing for the Postal Service and, most importantly, a great thing for the American people,” Connolly said. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) earlier this month also asked Biden to replace Bloom, rather than nominate him for a full term, citing Bloom’s support of DeJoy and persistent mail delays.
Porter McConnell, campaign director for Take On Wall Street and head of its Save the Post Office Campaign, said Biden’s decision to remove Bloom and Barger best serves USPS and its customers. “President Biden has listened to the millions of people across the nation demanding a return to the quiet competence of the post office before Louis DeJoy and his friend Ron Bloom took a wrecking ball to it. Ron Bloom has no place in the USPS’s future, and we are glad to see his tenure in the past,” McConnell said.
DeJoy and Congress have worked together on the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act that would, among other things, eliminate the agency’s mandate since 2006 to pre-fund retiree health benefits, and would instead shift USPS to a pay-as-you-go system. USPS has defaulted on billions of dollars in scheduled payments to its retiree health fund since 2012. The bill is the Postal Service’s sole legislative request in its 10-year reform plan, and is essential to its plans to end its 15-year streak of net losses. Democratic lawmakers also secured $6 billion in the House-passed Build Back Better Act that will allow USPS to purchase more electric delivery vehicles and set up charging stations at its facilities across the country. USPS, meanwhile, quietly launched a pilot in September that allows customers to cash payroll and business checks in the form of gift cards. Progressive Democrats urged USPS to expand postal banking services for years, but the agency’s pilot has frustrated House Republicans. Tangherlini said in a statement that his nomination comes at a “critical time for the U.S. Postal Service.” “If confirmed, I look forward to serving and working to make sure the Postal Service is run as efficiently and effectively as possible,” he said. Kan said he would, in confirmed, “work to strengthen the Postal Service so that it will continue to serve the American people well into the future.”
“Having served both on Capitol Hill and in the White House, I know firsthand the importance of good leadership at the US Postal Service and the critical role it plays in people’s lives,” Kan said. The USPS Board of Governors last week voted to re-elect Bloom as its chairman, over the objections of two of Biden’s recently confirmed picks. Two of Biden’s picks on the board, former Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman and Anton Hajjar, former general counsel for APWU, requested to delay the election, but were overruled by the board.
When put to a vote, Stroman and Hajjar voted against Bloom’s re-election. Bloom’s term expired in December 2020, but he has been serving in a holdover year. His tenure on the board expires Dec. 8. Barger’s term expires the same day, but he has not used his holdover year.
Source : https://federalnewsnetwork.com/people/2021/11/biden-seeks-to-replace-2-trumppicks-on-usps-board-of-governors/
2.EBA10 technical & engineering review process kicks-off November 19, 2021.
As part of the overall EBA10 package supported by the majority of Branches and members across the country, the Union secured a joint review of the technical / engineering occupational group.
During subsequent planning discussions between the Union and Australia Post, we have developed the following terms of reference to structure the joint review:
• Review the current technical structures including the following roles; § Team Leader roles § 2IC roles § SME roles § Planner roles • PTO4 increment progression and barriers with Cert IV and Diploma qualifications • Staffing levels including trainees / apprentices • Rostering arrangements.
The Union is seeking for disputes relating to the review to be managed internally, in the first instance, between National Secretary Greg Rayner, National President Shane Murphy and the relevant Australia Post Executive General Managers. This important process commenced yesterday with local workplace AURs, National and Branch Officials representing the Union on the committee.
Source : http://www.cepu.org/2021/11/eba10-technical-engineering-review-process-kicks-off/
3.Croatian Post: Cryptocurrencies to be sold at 50 post offices: November 17, 2021
After introducing the service of purchasing cryptocurrencies at selected post offices almost two years ago, the Croatian Post has now expanded the service to the sale of cryptocurrencies as well.
Cryptocurrencies can be purchased or sold at more than 50 selected post offices covering all counties.
Eleven (11) cryptocurrencies can currently be traded at post offices: Bitcoin, Ripple, Stellar, Ether, Eos, Bitcoin Cash, Dai, USDT, USD Coin, Polkadot and Kusama. With the introduction of the option to purchase cryptocurrencies, selected post offices have become central locations for cryptocurrency trade at numerous locations in Croatia. The exchange of cryptocurrencies is carried out in cooperation with the Croatian company Electrocoin, which runs the bitcoin-mjenjacnica.hr service. Users also have the Crypto Center at their disposal, a special website that combines all Croatian Post services related to cryptocurrencies. The website also features an exchange rate list, information on how to buy and sell a given cryptocurrency, as well as an interactive map with the addresses of post offices where this service is available.
The website also offers crypto-stamps, another novelty offered by the Croatia Post to bring domestic philately closer to new technological trends – the NFT market. The three issues of the crypto-stamps that were put into circulation included a total of 3,000 exclusive stamps that could only be purchased with cryptocurrencies, and which have been sold out in the meantime.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/145345/news/croatian-post-cryptocurrencies-to-besold-at-50-post-offices/
4.DHL Express expands Asia capacity to meet e-commerce demand November 17, 2021
DHL Express has expanded its capacity covering the intra-Asia and transpacific market as it looks to meet growing demand.
On the intra-Asia market, the express operator has added a six-times-per week B737- 400SF flight between Hong Kong and Bangkok operated by K-Mile; and Air Hong Kong has added a sixth flight rotation to two existing routes operated by A300-600 on behalf of the company. The Air Hong Kong routes are: Beijing-Hong Kong-Beijing, and Hong Kong-CebuManila-Hong.
And to cater to the intercontinental cargo demand, a B777F aircraft operated by AeroLogic, the firm’s JV with Lufthansa Cargo, will fly six times a week from DHL Express’ Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong to Cincinnati Hub in the US. The company said that pandemic and pandemic-related restrictions have further accelerated online sales growth: in 2020, e-commerce comprised half of the retail sales in Asia Pacific, and is expected to reach 61% in 2025. “To ensure we are ready to cater to the anticipated surge in demand during peak seasons, we consistently enhance our fleet and adjust our air network to provide our customers with the most efficient, time-definite international deliveries,” said Sean Wall, executive vice president, network operations & aviation, DHL Express Asia Pacific.
Source : https://www.aircargonews.net/sectors/e-commerce-logistics/dhl-express-expandsasia-capacity-to-meet-e-commerce-demand/
5.Royal Mail rolls out new fully automated parcel sorting machine in Tyneside Gateshead November 2021.
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A new fully automated parcel sorting machine which can process 180,000 parcels per day has been installed by Royal Mail in its Tyneside Mail centre.
The machine – officially opened by Gateshead MP Ian Mearns – is an intelligent system of conveyor belts and scanning technology that automatically sorts parcels for despatch within Royal Mail’s network. With Royal Mail’s busiest time of the year just a few weeks away, the machine uses its 200 sorting trays to process up to 10,000 parcels per hour to local mail centres across the country. Built by automated technology company Bowe Group, the parcel sorting machine - which is about the same length as six double-decker buses – can handle a variety of parcel shapes and sizes weighing up to 31kg.
It is part of Royal Mail’s multi-million pound investment programme to replace significant manual sorting processes that can be both time consuming and physically demanding and help the Company meet the surge in demand for online shopping. Using parcel automation can mean that parcels are sorted up to four times more quickly than manually sorting them.
Achim Dunnwald, Chief Operating Officer, Royal Mail, said: “We are transforming the way Royal Mail processes parcels which are rapidly growing in popularity thanks to the boom in e-commerce and new online shopping trends accelerated by the pandemic. Our investment in state-of the-art parcel sorting machines and automated technology enables us to compete more effectively for business and meet the demands of our customers, while helping to secure quality jobs for the future of Royal Mail.
” Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead, said: “I’m very honoured to have been asked to unveil this new state-of-the-art machinery for Royal Mail at the major Tyneside depot in myGateshead constituency. It will undoubtedly enhance Royal Mail’s capacity to respond to the demands of business customers and domestic customers alike and help facilitate the ever growing demands for a universal parcel service that only Royal Mail can provide.”
Lisa Banton, Bowe Group UK & Ireland, said: “We are extremely pleased to partner with Royal Mail on this journey towards fully automating their sorting centres with our very latest technology. We believe our parcel sorting solution and services will enable Royal Mail to effectively meet the demands of their customers now and in future. We are particularly pleased that the Bowe Group and Royal Mail teams collaborated together to deliver this automation just in time for the peak period.”
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases/royal-mail/royalmail-rolls-out-new-fully-automated-parcel-sorting-machine-in-tyneside-gateshea
UNI Apro Post & Logistics
1 POSTAL NEWS No 90-2021
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Autonomous aircraft delivery service to launch in Arkansas. November 19, 2021.
2. Canada Post’s Mandatory Vaccination Practice: CUPW Update. November 18, 2021.
3. India Post, could be the next big thing in the supply chain industry. November 17, 2021.
4. Swiss Post to acquire Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG. November 16, 2021.
5. Posten Norge prepares for a big peak season. November 15, 2021.
1.Autonomous aircraft delivery service to launch in Arkansas November 19, 2021
Walmart and the instant logistics provider Zipline are to launch an autonomous aircraft delivery service in Pea Ridge, northwest Arkansas. The new service will make on-demand deliveries of select health, wellness and consumable items from the region’s Walmart Neighborhood Market, the company’s grocery chain. To implement the service, the companies have created a 7.5m platform to enable aircraft take-off and landing. The platform, which is directly behind the Neighborhood Market, houses several of Zipline’s proprietary autonomous aircraft as well as the company’s flight operations crew. At full capacity, Zipline’s aircraft can service an 80km radius, nearly the size of the state of Connecticut.
The service became operational on November 18, 2021, and runs through Zipline’s app, where customers order products, select a delivery time and track the status of the aircraft. To process the order, a Walmart employee picks and packs the product and then hands the package to Zipline staff, who prepare the aircraft for launch. The aircraft departs to the customer’s home, drops the package and returns to the platform. Tom Ward, senior vice president of last-mile delivery at Walmart US, said, “Zipline’s autonomous aircraft presents an incredible opportunity to offer customers an on-demand delivery option for the items they need now, such as a thermometer, non-prescription medication or an emergency pack of diapers. Even more, Zipline’s aircraft can help provide immediate access to needed items for both hard-to-reach and at-risk populations, such as rural communities and elderly customers. By bringing this game-changing technology to the rural community of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, we’re continuing to look for ways to make shopping with Walmart convenient and easy – for everyone.” “We’ve seen firsthand the impact that instant logistics can have in making important, even lifesaving, products available on a moment’s notice,” said Keller Rinaudo, co-founder and CEO of Zipline. “At the same time, the past two years have proven the need to bring health products closer to home, where they are more accessible. Working with Walmart, we’re able to bring this type of service to northwest Arkansas, showcasing what the future of health access looks like.” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said, “Only two weeks after Walmart launched its autonomous truck delivery system in northwest Arkansas, the company is launching its autonomous aircraft service. Walmart and its partners such as Zipline are harnessing customer-friendly technology with such lightning speed that the future is becoming a reality far sooner than many Arkansans thought possible.
Source:https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/delivery/autonomo us-aircraft-delivery-service-to-launch-in-arkansas.html
2.Canada Post’s Mandatory Vaccination Practice: CUPW Update November 18, 2021
CUPW has filed a cease and desist application against Canada Post’s vaccination practice which will be heard by Arbitrator Burkett on November 24, 2021. We have also filed national grievances against the practice. CUPW supports voluntary COVID-19 vaccination, and is proud that many of our members have been vaccinated. However, CUPW is concerned that the mandatory vaccination practice goes farther than required.
Frequent rapid testing is a less intrusive option for employees who object to vaccination, and it achieves the same health and safety goals, without using the threat of economic duress to coerce anyone to get vaccinated. Canada Post’s initial vaccination practice document included a rapid testing option. As you know, the vaccine practice came into effect October 29, and as it stands now, members who do not comply will be placed on leave without pay after November 26. We will continue to ensure our workplaces are safe and defend your rights as we do our part to end the pandemic.
Source:https://www.cupw.ca/en/canada-post%E2%80%99s-mandatory-vaccinationpractice-cupw-update
3.India Post, could be the next big thing in the supply chain industry : November 17, 2021
India Post also delivers various government welfare benefits to citizens, such as MGNREGA and old-age pension payments.
The Department of Posts, now known as India Post, has been the backbone of the country’s communication for over 150 years and has played a critical role in the social and economic growth of the country. It affects Indian citizens in a variety of ways, including delivering mail, accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance coverage under Postal Life Insurance (PLI), Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), providing retail services such as bill collection, form sales, and so on. India Post also delivers various government welfare benefits to citizens, such as MGNREGA and old-age pension payments. It is the country’s only network of post offices, with the task of providing communication, banking, and insurance services to all residents. With a high level of popularity among
rural residents, having lesser trouble connecting to its network, it is among India’s oldest institutions, with well-established and time-tested procedures. The workforce in rural areas, where 85 percent of post offices are located, is mostly local and thus familiar with the community served by the Post Office. Many of the products and services offer features that are appropriate for the typical person, such as daily delivery on the doorstep, delivery of money orders in cash at the doorstep, and minor transactions in the Post Office Savings Bank. Following new rules, the Reserve Bank’s criteria for the issue of new banking licences in 2013, India Post Launched Banking system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India Post Payments Bank on September 1, 2018. With 23,483 post offices currently connected, the Post Office Core Banking Solution (CBS) system is the world’s largest at present. India Post Payment Bank has the potential through 1.56 lakh post offices around the country, India Post serves more than 50 crore Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) customers.
India Post with its main features which can fetch wonders are as follow: • Nearly 156,000 post offices, with 90% of them in rural areas. • Almost 416,000 employees, with 41 percent being direct employees and 59 percent being Gramin Dak Sewaks in the rural area again. • Estimated total revenue of Rs 13,600 crore, losses of Rs 14,800 crore, and pension payments of Rs 10,000 crore per annum.
The banking arm of India Post has deposits of Rs 8.23 lakh crore, more than Punjab National Bank. PNB has 100,000 employees, which is less than a quarter of IP. Deposits of Rs 8.23 lakh crore are not sufficient to support over 400,000 workers. India Post’s biggest opponent right now is its fixed cost, which is eating away its revenues and turning it into the country’s largest loss-making PSU. Given its existing wide network, India Post needs to incrementally increase its network and reach out to cost-effective franchisee with outsourcing models. This would improve India Post’s overall viability and efficacy, and to enable inclusion of many individuals who are currently unserved or underserved, primarily in rural areas. The government’s focus on equitable growth presents an opportunity to use the network for last-mile deliveries. MNREGA, old age, and a variety of other pensions are already being paid.
The following are a few areas where India Post’s vast network can make a difference:
• Large-scale mail parcel services and transactional B-C mails. An average Indian receives ten mail parcel items a year, compared to 200 in Germany and 600 in the US. • Insurance services, whether life or general, do not cover 80 percent of the rural market. • There is untapped potential in terms of migrant money transfer and small enterprises that serve the entire India market.
• 40% of the rural population lacks access to institutional credit, despite the fact that India Post, with its payment bank already in place, has the largest access. • Currently, there are no bill collection systems in place in rural areas, residents are forced to pay their electricity bills, telephone bills, insurance premiums, and property taxes in the nearest town. People will not object if India Post can collect those bills with a low service charge, because they are spending a whole day and few hundreds of rupees paying bills.
The other hot area is E-Commerce, a rapidly growing industry in India. Volumes are increasing at a dizzying pace, with revenue estimated to reach Rs 15-20 lakh crore by 2025/26, representing a six-fold increase since 2016/17. Even online grocery sales are predicted to expand at over 55 percent annual growth rate, reaching Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2024. There is little doubt that e-commerce will grow in the next few years as internet access and smartphone usage rise, and consumers discover the convenience of shopping online.
Rural India is the largest e-commerce market, but it is mainly untapped. This is where India Post has a significant advantage over the competition. • The ‘last mile problem,’ or getting goods to the buyer from the last point where bulk items can be carried, is a major challenge for all e-commerce businesses. The last delivery leg is the most expensive in the E-Commerce delivery system, but India Post has a network in place and hence has an advantage over the competition. • India Post provides extensive coverage in rural regions, with each post office servicing an average of 21 square kilometres. • Because postmen are used to covering huge areas on a daily basis with tiny items and delivering them to locations, they require little training to become E-Commerce delivery chain’s “last mile carrier.” • There is also a substantial chance for reverse delivery. Postman can also pick up courier packets for onward delivery while on his rounds delivering letters and e-commerce goods. • The Modi government has put a strong emphasis on Make in India and other programmes, which are paying off well and turning rural India into a manufacturing hotspot; the India Post E-commerce delivery system, with its extensive collection network, may assist them in reaching out to urban consumers. • There is no other organisation in India with such a broad reach across the country with such a huge force of well-trained “Postmen.” All that is required is for it to organise its capabilities, form partnerships with big E-Commerce and courier companies, and take advantage of its geographic reach (especially in villages).
With an annual loss to the exchequer of Rs. 19,000 crores in fiscal year 2019 and Rs. 15541 crores in 2020, the postal department has been India’s top loss-making entity. We can very well turn this loss-making corporation into a successful organisation in the coming years with the Bill collection system and the E-Commerce services in place in rural India.
Source : https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/india-post-could-be-the-nextbig-thing-in-the-supply-chain-industry/2370937
4.Swiss Post to acquire Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG. November 16, 2021.
As a long-standing and reliable partner to the Swiss Confederation, cantons and municipalities, Swiss Post is highly familiar with their requirements within Switzerland’s federal structure. For this reason, Swiss Post aims to focus on providing public administrations and municipalities with greater support for digitization. It is planning to set up an ecosystem for authorities and, with this in mind, is expanding its business area to include digital services for public authorities. To achieve this goal, Swiss Post is securing vital expertise. On 15 November 2021, it acquired the municipality software provider Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG.
Swiss Post already supports municipalities and authorities with a wide range of physical services. In future, it will also support public administrations with the digital transformation and protection of sensitive data and help to simplify their routine activities. This step will also strengthen the Swiss economy – members of the public and businesses all benefit from a modern, digital administration. For this reason, Swiss Post is aiming to achieve growth in the e-government sector and is expanding its business area to include digital services for authorities. On 15 November 2021, Swiss Post acquired an 81.5 percent stake in Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG.
Dialog will continue to operate as an independent company
The company, which is headquartered in Baldegg in the Canton of Lucerne, develops software and cloud solutions for public administrations in Switzerland and is a specialist in the secure digital exchange of information. Dialog is renowned for providing integrated total solutions from a single source. Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG’s software for municipalities was developed in-house and enables continuous flows of information without media disruption, replacing complex silo systems with different user interfaces. This relieves the administrative workload on authorities and creates more time for their core activities – contact with citizens. Dialog was founded in 1980 and employs 63 staff and 3 apprentices. Dialog VerwaltungsData AG will become a subsidiary of Swiss Post and continue to operate as an independent company. The acquisition will not have any effect on Dialog’s employees. They will continue to be employed by Dialog in future. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price or details of the acquisition.
Foundation laid for Swiss Post’s future role
The acquisition of Dialog enables Swiss Post to gain vital expertise in the field of digital services for authorities, instead of having to build up this knowledge itself over a number of years. This is part of its new Swiss Post of tomorrow strategy. Swiss Post is making targeted investments and achieving growth in individual areas − specifically, in areas that will enable future customer requirements to be met. “Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG’s software and IT solutions strengthen Swiss Post’s portfolio of digital services,” says Nicole Burth, Member of Executive Management and Head of the CommunicationServices unit. “Dialog’s specialist knowledge will allow us to make everyday work at municipalities and authorities much easier and more secure.”
In the field of digital services for authorities, Swiss Post already has proven products, such as debt collection register and criminal records extracts. With solutions such as ePostApp, IncaMail, the digital identity and signature and e-voting, the company is in the process of establishing even more. “We aim to more firmly establish ourselves as a dependable partner for authorities,” explains Nicole Burth. The acquisition of Dialog lays the foundation for this goal, in line with Swiss Post’s future role: “We aim to act as a trustworthy, independent intermediary between the physical and digital worlds – particularly when it comes to the growing field of digital communication between authorities and citizens,” says Nicole Burth.
Open and interconnected ecosystem for authorities Over the long term, Swiss Post – in collaboration with Dialog Verwaltungs-Data AG – is planning to set up an ecosystem for authorities. This ecosystem will not be a closed Swiss Post environment, but open and interconnected. Digital services for authorities operated by potential partners will be just as integrated within the ecosystem as Swiss Post’s own products and solutions. Customers can decide which services they wish to purchase. Most importantly of all: “Access must be simple and secure,” says Nicole Burth. “This will enable us to simplify everyday life for authorities, companies and citizens.
.” Source : https://www.post.ch/en/about-us/media/press-releases/2021/swiss-post-toacquire-dialog-verwaltungs-data-ag
5.Posten Norge prepares for a big peak season November 15, 2021.
Norwegian postal operator Posten Norge is preparing for peak season, bringing on 1,000 extra employees as well as adding sorting and delivery capacity. Last year Posten handled about 50% more parcels in the run-up to Christmas compared to the previous year. And there seems little
doubt that this year’s peak season will be even bigger, with e-commerce parcels up by 36% over the past 12 months.
Out-of-Home Delivery
Posten Norge has been expanding its out-of-home delivery network across Norway. About 600 PUDO points have been added since last year. Norway Post now has around 2,300 parcel collection points.
Several hundred more parcel lockers have also been installed across the country.
Sorting Capacity Posten and Bring's logistics centre at Alnabru has further increased capacity and can now handle more than 300,000 parcels a day.
In Førde, Norway Post and Bring have opened a new terminal that can sort 2,200 parcels per hour.
Residential Delivery
In Greater Oslo, 30 new vans will be put into service for home delivery in the evening.
Customer Service More parcels can mean more customer enquiries. Posten Norge has boosted its customer service team and extended its operating hours during peak season.
Source : http://www.thepostalhub.com/blog/posten-norge-peak-season