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Postal News Reported During October 2002
October 31, 2002 -- The Mailers Council has asked: "Are All Mailers Paying Their Fair Share of Postage?" And the Council has answered by saying you bet they are!
October 31, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the European Union Commission Thursday approved the purchase by Denmark's state-owned postal service of a 33% stake in electronic mail company E-Boks."
October 31, 2002 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.
October 31, 2002 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:
Business Mailers Review is published biweekly by Sedgwick Publishing Co. This is one of the best postal newsletters you'll find published in this country. For subscription information, be sure to contact the publisher.
October 31, 2002 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal and logistics company, said on Thursday it would boost operating profit 40 per cent by 2005 through a far-reaching restructuring aimed mainly at integrating its express, freight forwarding and logistics services under the joint roof of DHL." See also the report by the Journal of Commerce and Eyefortransport.com.
October 31, 2002 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "the regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry has entered the fray over the state's attempt to regulate the courier industry, warning that implementing draft regulations in their current form would have a severe negative effect on many of its members. The chamber said in a letter to Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri that although commerce and industry were the biggest users of postal and courier services, there had been no attempt to consult organised business over the new provisions, which would force smaller courier companies out of business and destroy thousands of jobs."
October 31, 2002 -- According to Quicken.com, "Deutsche Post AG (G.DPW, news) Thursday outlined a plan to boost profit by 40% within three years through reorganization as it reported a broadly expected 3% drop in third-quarter core earnings. The partially privatized mail company said its STAR program would increase earnings before interest, taxes and amortization to EUR3.1 billion within three years, from an expected EUR2.2 billion this year." See also Bloomberg News.
October 31, 2002 -- The Herald Sun (Australia) has reported that "the Australian public may soon have a ombudsman to hear complaints about the $8 billion postal industry. The position is likely to be modelled on that of the successful telecommunications ombudsman. It would have wide powers to investigate complaints and order compensation for poor service by Australia Post and private delivery companies. The ombudsman would cover all providers of postal and similar services, including Australia Post, courier companies, direct mail houses, document exchange operators and related businesses."
October 31, 2002 -- DI-VE.com (Malta) has reported that "Maltapost’s general manager, corporate services, Mr Joseph Gafa has been elected on the PostEurop’s management board for the years 2003 – 2004. His appointment to the board follows an election held on Wednesday,16th October 2002, where the member delegates cast their ballots for the appointment of a new board."
October 31, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "air-cargo volume grew 20% for September, the largest percentage gain in at least a dozen years, though the surge was magnified in part by easy comparisons to year-earlier results battered by the terrorist attacks. The Air Transport Association, the main trade group for U.S. carriers, said air-freight traffic rose to 1.91 billion revenue ton miles for September from 1.59 billion a year earlier. The most recent results showed the sixth straight monthly gain for an industry that is important to just-in-time manufacturing and distribution but suffered as companies cut production and thinned inventory during the economic slump. The results reflect volume at 18 carriers, including FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc."
October 31, 2002 -- The latest issue of PostCom's Tech-Notes has been posted on this site. This issue focuses on "Moving Forward with PARS".
October 31, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register:
October 31, 2002 -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "hauling the mail has long been an important generator of extra revenue for airlines. For the past 13 months, however, that revenue has been cut about in half by post-Sept. 11, 2001, security restrictions. Airliners cannot carry U.S. mail packages over 1 pound until a security screening method is in place. Ailing airlines are lobbying to end the restriction and have gotten a sympathetic ear in Congress -- but not much more. A House bill includes a provision that would lead to the restiction being lifted, but the bill remains pending, and it's unclear when the provision would take effect."
October 31, 2002 -- Cape Business News (South Africa) has reported that "new regulations framed by the Department of Communications to control postal services will force courier companies out of business and destroy many thousands of jobs. This is the view of the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry."
October 31, 2002 -- Bangkok Post (Thailand) has reported that "the [Thai] cabinet will soon be asked to approve an increase in the basic local postal rate to three baht from two baht in order to help the Communications Authority of Thailand offset postal service losses and prepare for privatisation. The CAT says the real operating cost for domestic mail is four baht per letter and that it pays 100 million baht a month to subsidise postal rates. The request is now being considered by the new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry, before being forwarded to the cabinet for approval."
October 31, 2002 -- Neue Zurcher Zeitung (Switzerland) has reported that "in view of progressive deregulation, the Swiss Postal Service is planning to cut its costs by Sfr. 200 million. Last Tuesday, top Postal Service management announced that it will accomplish this by closing its 18 sorting centers and replacing them with three high-tech sorting facilities to be located in the midlands. At a press conference in Bern, Postal Chief Ulrich Gygi justified the choice of locations by pointing out that 86% of all first-class letters are sent from the midlands and 77% are also delivered in the midlands."
October 31, 2002 -- The Star (Malaysia) has reported that "Mail from east coast states like Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang destined for districts in southern Thailand will no longer pass through Kuala Lumpur once a new arrangement is worked out with the Thai postal authorities." It was estimated that "delivery time will be cut down from the present five or six days to about a day or two with the new arrangement, which will also apply to Malaysia-bound mail originating from southern Thailand."
October 31, 2002 -- BruneiDirect.Com has reported that "the Brunei Postal Services Department, through its press release yesterday announced that Thailand Administration of Postal Services said they are sorry for the delay delivery of the EMS mail services in several flood affected areas in Thailand."
October 31, 2002 -- Ahmedabad.Com (India) has noted that "with the ever-increasing popularity of Internet and postal charges getting expensive, most people prefer to send e-cards. Not only does it make sound economy, it is also just few clicks away. Even card shop owners are feeling the pinch of Internet popularity. Most card shop owners feel that e-cards have altogether put an end to their business. 'It’s only the middle age people, and those not well versed in computer operations, who buy the greeting cards. The young generation is very net savvy.'"
October 31, 2002 -- Tass (Russia) has reported that "the telecommunications and postal industry increased sales by 12 percent year on year to 195.4 billion rubles ($6.15 billion) in the first nine months of 2002, the State Statistics Committee said Wednesday. Sales to households rose 26.4 percent year on year to 86.7 billion rubles in the period, while sales to companies were up 3.6 percent to 108.7 billion rubles. The industry posted a 1.5 percent month-on-month increase in sales to 24.4 billion rubles in September, including 13.2 billion rubles in sales to companies and 11.2 billion rubles in sales to residential customers."
October 31, 2002 -- Transportation industry veterans Michael Comstock and John Callan have announced the formation of Ursa Major Associates(R), LLC, a strategic consulting services firm for businesses challenged by the rapid transformation of the global logistics industry. Headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., the firm will focus on clients that provide mail, parcel or freight related services. The Ursa Major Associates team comprises proven operating executives, accomplished entrepreneurs and skilled management consultants with expertise in express delivery, postal operations, LTL, ground parcel delivery, shipping systems technology and direct marketing. Team members draw their experience from DHL, TNT, USPS, Roadway Services, Harte Hanks, Stamps.com, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte Consulting.
October 31, 2002 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has been told that it has until January to pay the country's government the fine levied by the EU Commission. In June of this year, the Commission said that DP was to pay 572m euros to its government for inappropriate use of money from its postal monopoly. Including interest, this figure rose to 850m euros."
October 31, 2002 -- Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL) and Rep. Rep Rohrabacher (R-CA), once again, have reintroduced a postal privatization bill. HR 5702 was referred to the House Committee on Government Reform on October 28.
October 31, 2002 -- The Washington Times has reported that "the Postal Service yesterday said the move to cut 500 jobs in Arkansas is not a politically motivated decision to hurt Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson's re-election campaign."
October 31, 2002 -- The following has been received from Postmaster General Jack Potter:
Deborah Willhite, senior vice president of Government Relations and Public Policy, is leaving the Postal Service after five years in that position. Since she joined the Postal Service, Debbie has been instrumental in moving our agenda forward on many levels....Effective communication during the anthrax attacks and ma1box pipe bombings with all of our stakeholders was critical to restoring confidence in the mail and building awareness and support of our Transformation Plan. The Public Policy Group's work on behalf of consumers has resulted in exceptionally strong privacy protections for customers as they take advantage of the opportunity to conduct more business with us electronically. Debbie's efforts have made a difference. I am grateful for her genuine and passionate commitment to the Postal Service.
See also the letter sent by Potter to U.S. News to correct the record on this matter.
October 31, 2002 -- According to the U.S. Postal Service, "if you're in a hurry to shop for gifts now so you can get them in the mail to be delivered overseas, don't' despair. There's still plenty of time to avoid the Holiday rush. While there are no 'deadlines,' the Postal Service offers a myriad of international mailing choices ranging from two- to three-day certain guaranteed delivery, to economical surface transportation that can still get there before December 25 if mailed by November 1. The Postal Service offers five international service options based on speed and price. Delivery times are based on the number of business days specified for each service depending on origin and destination. For example, a package mailed from New York to Beijing will take longer than a package from New York to London."
October 30, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service's Chief Operating Officer has announced that package customers taking advantage of "early-bird" Parcel Select Destination Delivery Unit acceptance hours will find that many locations will provide same- or next-day delivery. Parcel Select service allows high-volume shippers to earn discounts by bypassing processing operations to enter parcels into the mail stream as close as possible to the delivery post office. Early-bird hours benefit the mailers because it allows the mail to be introduced into the system earlier in the process. Parcel consolidators primarily target large- and medium-sized business who ship to residential customers. They combine numerous mailings to achieve greater discounts.
October 30, 2002 -- According to the Wall Street Journal, "falling stock prices, deteriorating job prospects and the threat of war with Iraq are depressing consumer spirits. And that is offering new signs that U.S. household spending, the pillar of world economic growth, is weakening and giving the Federal Reserve more reason to cut interest rates again, perhaps as early as next week. The Conference Board said its widely followed index of consumer confidence plunged to a nine-year low of 79.4 in October, a 14.3-point dive that exceeded any drop in the measure since 1990, except for the one following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Such large declines rarely occur outside of recessions. Economists had been expecting a reading of 90.0, or a 3.3-point drop. The business research organization's latest survey found Americans increasingly gloomy about both the current economic situation and the future. That corroborates other evidence, such as weak car sales, of a retreating consumer." It's gonna be a tough year....
October 30, 2002 -- If you haven't been there lately, you might want to check out the PostInsight web site, where you'll find:
Securing the Business," by Michael Schmidt, VP, Corporate Security, Deutsche Post World Net, was presented at Post-Expo 2002, Köln, Germany; "Influence of New Technologies on the Postal Network over the Next Ten Years," by Luis A. Jimenez, Sr. Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Pitney Bowes, presented at the UPU Strategy Conference, Geneva; "Preparing Your Mail ? The Future of Standardization," by John C. Campanelli, President, R.R. Donnelley Logistics; William L. Davis, Chairman, President and CEO, R.R. Donnelley; and John A. Rapp, Sr. VP, Operations, U.S. Postal Service, a Mailing Industry Task Force presentation from the Fall 2002 National Postal Forum in Boston. Topics include the development of pilot tests for periodicals make-up, flats containerization, and enhanced drop ship entry.
October 30, 2002 -- Hoovers Online has reported that:
FedEx Ground, the ground-delivery subsidiary of Federal Express, announced on Sept. 17 that it had opened 50 new terminals to reach 'virtually' the entire U.S. population with its FedEx Home Delivery. The service competes with United Parcel Service's ground service. FedEx spokesperson Allison Sobczak says that although FedEx Home Delivery still doesn't reach 2% of the country — mostly scattered rural pockets — those areas can receive packages via the company's business-to-business ground service, which covers the entire country.
And, from a direct marketing executive: "Over the years we have heard and seen how the United Parcel Service seems to do everything it can to show its lack of concern and sheer disdain for the direct marketing industry. Yet we as an industry never seem to talk about fighting back and showing UPS that we are important to its business and that it cannot take our business for granted. So why do we continue to support UPS by giving it our business? I would hope that we as an industry could stand together and tell UPS that unless it is willing to work for us and not against us we will find other suppliers that will."
October 30, 2002 -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "United Parcel Service has broken into the top 20 of the 100 biggest contributors to political candidates and campaigns. The delivery company is among a handful of Georgia companies, ranging from labor unions to business groups, with the goal of becoming players in making policy, a study by the Center for Responsive Politics concluded."
October 29, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "business and commerce is doing its part to encourage the mass migration to e-mail and away from the snail mail of the USPS, which has been underway for several years now. One might ask oneself, 'What in 2010 will be the primary business of the USPS?' Or maybe the question should be, 'Will the USPS then have any business?'"
October 29, 2002 -- Die Welt (Germany) has reported that:
TNT Post Groep (TPG), the Dutch postal and logistics group, hopes soon to enter the German market, and reports that it is currently holding talks with potential co-operation partners. The Dutch group assures that it would have no difficulty in financing the deal.
According to Ver.di, the German services sector union, Deutsche Post AG, the German postal service operator, is planning to slim down its night air mail network and transfer part of the mail to overland transport. According to the union, the company is prepared to accept that some deliveries may be slower, as the changes form part of a series of measures aimed at saving a nine-figure sum.
October 29, 2002 -- Xinhua has reported that "China will make effort to promote its postal service so that it is more market-oriented while ensuring universal postal service, according to Liu Andong, Deputy Postmaster General of State Post Bureau of China here Tuesday. At the Strategic Conference 2002 of Universal Postal Union (UPU) which opened here Tuesday, Liu said that as a contracting party of the UPU Convention, China is committed to providing universal postal service for the domestic citizens. The Chinese government has always been paying much attention to ensuring the communication right of citizens, to the universal postal service and to the development of postal service, he said."
October 29, 2002 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Deutsche Post AG, the German postal service operator, has vehemently rejected rumours that its supervisory board may have decided in favour of the closure of around 1,000 branches and extensive job cuts, although the rumours had boosted the company's share price by 7.26 per cent."
October 29, 2002 -- SwissInfo has reported that "how post offices should respond to challenges posed by technology and market liberalisation is being debated at conference of the Universal Postal Union."
October 29, 2002 -- The Associated Press has reported that "William H. Young, 56, was elected president of the National Association of Letter Carriers."
October 29, 2002 -- "The U.S. Postal Service is too focused on volume growth, Postal Rate Commissioner Ruth Goldway said last week in an interview with DM News. Postmaster general John E. Potter 'is trying -- with a good deal more diligence -- to implement cost-control and structural changes," she said. "Instead of just cutting capital expenditures, he is reviewing the way mail flows through the system.' However, the postal service needs to differentiate itself, she said, citing First-Class mail that is trackable and stamps with barcodes as examples. Goldway said the USPS needs to pay more attention to standards and quality issues. Instead of saying that First-Class mail will be delivered in one to three days, it needs to give a specific number of days for delivery."
October 29, 2002 -- U.S. News has reported that "a Democratic executive of the U.S. Postal Service abruptly quit last Friday amid allegations that she used the federal mail budget to hurt the re-election chances of Arkansas Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson. Sources allege that Deborah Willhite, the Postal Service's top lobbyist, pushed to have the budget for Arkansas post offices cut–and Hutchinson blamed. The money was to be transferred to Georgia's post offices, allowing supporters there to credit Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who's in his own tough re-election battle."
Baloney! What are the facts here? For sure, there's absolutely no truth to the allegation made above. The FACT is that Willhite was at the end of the five-year employment contract she had made with PMG Henderson, and had decided that it was time to move on.
October 29, 2002 -- The Federal Times has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is planning to announce in February a sweeping redesign of its operations. The plan is expected to call for consolidating or eliminating many transportation routes that can be made more efficient. The new blueprint of postal operations is the result of a study started in April as part of Postmaster General John Potter’s transformation plan to modernize how the agency does business."
October 29, 2002 -- GovExec.Com has reported that "the Postal Service plans to eliminate 1,060 accounting technician positions and close its 85 regional accounting offices by September 2003 as part of a plan to streamline its financial reporting system. Beginning Nov. 2, the first group of employees whose positions are targeted for elimination will have the opportunity to bid for other jobs within the Postal Service, according to agency officials. The first group will include agency employees in the Washington area. The reorganization will affect employees at the Postal Service’s headquarters and regional offices."
October 29, 2002 -- According to the New York Times, "you may dread monthly bills in the mailbox, but consider them a perk. Some companies are charging for them."
October 29, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "online holiday sales in 2002 are projected to total $38.2 billion world-wide, a 48% increase from the same period last year, according to GartnerG2, a Stamford, Conn., research firm. For the first time, Europeans will spend more money online this holiday season than any other region, with revenue reaching $15.77 billion (€ 16.02 billion), GartnerG2 said. North America will fall to second place with revenue at $15.66 billion. 'Gains in Europe are being fueled by companies integrating their mail-order and Web presence,' said Gill Mander, business analyst for GartnerG2."
October 29, 2002 -- eMarketer has reported that "according to a recently-published survey of US e-mail users, 75% prefer receiving communication from online merchants via permission-based e-mail whereas just 25% prefer postal mail communication. The survey, conducted by Beyond Interactive and Greenfield Online and commissioned by DoubleClick, also determined that 69% of men prefer permission e-mails from online merchants with subject lines that communicate news or compelling information while 64% of women prefer discount offers presented in the subject line."
October 29, 2002 -- The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that "a Toronto woman is suing her Internet service provider for withholding her e-mails. Nancy Carter says she lost out on a job offer as a result. Carter says Inter.net Canada continued to take in and store her e-mails while her account was under suspension. The company wanted to secure payment on her account and it's a common industry practice. Carter has already filed a successful complaint with Canada's privacy commissioner, George Radwanski. He ruled in August that Inter.net's policy of withholding e-mails violates the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Philippa Lawson of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre says the case will set a precedent. Lawson likens e-mail to regular mail. More people are using it for their business and legal interactions. 'We should protect e-mail the same way as we protect postal mail…right now the law is lagging behind the technology,' says Lawson."
October 29, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Deutsche Post AG will unveil a worldwide savings program when it releases its third-quarter results Thursday. But the German mail company, also active in the parcels, logistics and financial services businesses, rejected newspaper reports that the STAR program would include postal job cuts, the closure of post offices and the removal of letter boxes."
October 29, 2002 -- Xinhua Financial News has reported that "France-based CNP Assurances SA signed an agreement with China's State Postal Bureau (SPB) in Paris on September 23 to set up an insurance joint venture, scheduled to begin operations early next year, subject to approval by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC)."
October 29, 2002 -- The Times of Oman has reported that "in a bid to keep pace with postal reforms worldwide, Oman is planning to privatise its postal services, Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs & Energy Resource Council, told the Times of Oman. At present, the number of international messages sent by e-mail constitutes a larger market share than the t Bradstreet, a lifelong area resident, raised on a farm near Waters, is a former co-owner of Advertisers Postal Services (APS). He insists that government needs to be run more like a business, explaining the nature of government is to grow, despite the business cycle, and that he does all he can to oppose this tendency.raditional postal services in the region. In fact, the volume of e-mail in Oman has started exceeding the number of letters delivered by the traditional postal service."
October 29, 2002 -- The Gaylord Herald Times has reported that "incumbent state representative for the 105th state House District Ken Bradstreet, R-Gaylord, is running one last time for the seat he has held since 1998.
October 29, 2002 -- The Clarion-Ledger has reported that "postal officials closed the Mail Depot, Clinton's only satellite postal facility, after a review indicated postal procedures were not being followed. The Mail Depot had operated for about six months in the small shopping center adjacent to the former Wal-Mart."
October 29, 2002 -- The Toledo Blade has reported that "postal workers picketed yesterday outside Toledo's main post office, protesting counter-hours cuts and contending that they are overworked. 'They're cutting customer service staff and shortening hours at the same time they're raising the rates,' Ken Terry, president of American Postal Workers Union Local 170, said. Some workers may have to travel up to 100 miles to keep their jobs, and may even be relocated farther away if positions aren't available for all within 100 miles, Mr. Terry said."
October 29, 2002 -- According to the Hill Times, a "new book on CSIS reveals 'quite shocking' relationship between Canada Post and CSIS. Canada Post gathered 'intelligence' on union officials."
October 28, 2002 -- The agenda for the November 5 meeting of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors has been posted on the Postal Service's web site.
October 28, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics company TPG NV (TP) may need an extra EUR50 million to EUR70 million in funding to meet its pension requirements in 2003, Chairman Peter Bakker said in a conference call Monday after third quarter results. Any extra contributions would be taken as a charge on the profit and loss account. TPG's pension fund for 2002 is fully funded."
October 28, 2002 -- iWon.com has reported that "the European Commission said on Monday it approved German postal giant Deutsche Post's plans to form a joint venture with Dutch publishing group Wegener NV (WEGA) and to buy the firm's Interlanden distribution unit. Deutsche Post's Utrecht-based subsidiary Selektvracht will merge its addressed mail delivery operations with Wegener's to form the joint venture, which aims to be a market leader in the medium term, the firms said in a statement. The two firms will also cooperate intensively in sales and marketing, and Selektvracht will take a majority stake in Wegener's subsidiary Interlanden, specialising in delivering unaddressed mail."
October 28, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "direct marketers have cut back on mailings, sent catalogs earlier and taken other measures to tighten their belts. "We are seeing that catalogers are sending out the same number of catalogs this season as last year, or a little less," said Amy Blankenship, director of the Direct Marketing Association's Shop-At-Home Information Center. "The main reasons for this are the postal rate increase implemented earlier this year and the uncertain economy."
October 28, 2002 -- The Wichita Eagle has reported that "catalog sales are growing faster than overall retail sales, but postage increases and a faltering economic recovery are dampening the outlook for the all-important holiday season, retailers and consultants say. Hoping to control costs and protect relationships with loyal customers, catalog retailers are sending out fewer mailings and focusing on lower-priced items. Bulk mailers have faced three postage hikes in the last two years; the latest, which went into effect June 30, added about 6 percent to advertising mail costs."
October 28, 2002 -- The Montana Forum has noted that "it’s too easy to use the U.S. Postal Service as everyman’s punching bag. We expect it to bring us our mail in a timely fashion, year-round in all weather, for a reasonable price without tax subsidy. It has become the metaphorical knitter of the nation, uniting us in one reliable system, its buildings the informal community centers for tiny rural towns. That said...a group of nine Western Congressman are hopping mad about the Postal Service’s announcement last month to stop contracting with private regional airlines to carry our mail and shift the transport of rural mail to trucks. The small, regional air carriers are unhappy, too. About 100 to 110 companies across the country are all-cargo operations. All of them carry mail, some since the contracting began a decade ago. When the contract is not renewed next May, they stand to lose about $25 million a year."
October 28, 2002 -- AuctionBytes has reported that "Stamps.com Inc. and Microsoft are working to forge tighter integration of Stamps.com's online postage technology with Microsoft's Word software. The enhanced electronic postage printing functionality is currently being tested in the beta version of Microsoft Office 11."
October 28, 2002 -- AFX (Europe) has reported that "Deutsche Post World Net AG's supervisory board approved in the last few days a package of cost-savings measures. The measures include an unspecified number of jobs cuts in its mail division, the closure of around 1,000 post offices and the removal of thousands of pillar boxes. The measures are aimed at compensating for the loss of earnings resulting from the cut in postal rates imposed by the government, and a 850 mln eur fine from the EU."
October 27, 2002 -- When asked "What more can — should —Congress do to help the airlines?" Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar told the Minneapolis Pioneer Press that "we can help them with (some) security costs. We can put mail (now moving by land) back on the planes. That's a $244 million revenue stream for the airlines. We could compensate the postal service for the use of sniffer dogs to screen for explosives."
October 27, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "yield decline is still the leading concern for the air cargo industry, according to a survey of 500 senior executives by The International Air Cargo Association. As for the economic outlook for air cargo, 60 percent said they were optimistic about prospects for the industry over the next 12 months, while only 12 percent said they were pessimistic. Asked how long they thought the present downturn would last, 28 per cent said one year, 41 percent indicated two years, with 30 percent forecasting a recovery period of three years or longer."
October 27, 2002 -- Xinhua Financial News has reported that "China's State Post Bureau plans to seek a Hong Kong listing for a planned joint stock company to be set up with assets in six provinces and municipalities. The bureau plans to list its assets in Beijing, Shanghai, the eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, as well as the southern province of Guangdong. As of the end of 2000, the bureau had 66,740 post offices nationwide and total fixed assets of 75.7 billion yuan (US$9.12 billion)."
October 27, 2002 -- Sify News (India) has reported that "the Central Government has no plan at present to privatise postal services in the country, Postal Service Board Member (I & FS) T R Sharma said Saturday. 'There is no proposal to privatise the postal services because of the Government's obligation of providing the services under Universal Service.' India is a member of the Universal Postal Union since 1874, which makes it obligatory for the Government to provide postal services to every household, he added."
October 27, 2002 -- Pitney Bowes is a $4-billion global leader in mail and document management solutions. Deepak Chopra, president - Asia Pacific, discusses with Sobha Menon of Economic Times how his company is leveraging new technologies and developing online products to maintain its position in the global markets.
October 26, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register a final rule that "amends some of the standards and identification procedures for Standard Mail and Periodicals letter-size and flat-size mail using the simplified address format as provided in Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) A040. The new requirements will improve the processing and distribution of such mail and will also clarify and expand the standards for identifying this mail that does not bear a specific delivery address. EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2003."
October 26, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service is tossing out the decades-old contract it has with the passenger airlines to carry mail and coming up with a whole new way of doling out mail volume. Gone will be the familiar but worn ASYS (air system) and ASYS-R (air system-regional) contracts that have governed the financial relationship between the passenger airlines and their top cargo customer for the last few decades. The contracts still are in effect but the goal is to have new contractual language in place by May when the extension on the 2001 contracts expires."
October 26, 2002 -- Irish Times has reported that "a levy on An Post to cover the cost of regulation is set to be slashed following talks between the two sides."
October 25, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Great Britain is considering a last-ditch effort to start stalled aviation talks with the United States that would allow FedEx Corp. to fly freight out of the United Kingdom to Europe and other long-haul destinations in its global network."
October 25, 2002 -- The Asahi Shimbun (Japan) has reported that "longer opening hours for post offices and 24-hour ATM service are among the highlights of a comprehensive reform plan being drawn up by the Postal Services Agency, government sources said. Among other changes in store are a lowering of postal delivery fees, drastic simplification of postal fee categories, and differentiated salaries for postal employees."
October 25, 2002 -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "United Parcel Service agreed to pay $18 million to settle claims that it violated California employment laws by having salaried part-time managers work overtime without pay. A California law that went into effect in 2000 requires companies to pay certain employees overtime regardless of whether they're classified as hourly workers or managers. About 6,000 current and former part-time managers at UPS will get back pay ranging from $250 to $6,000, according to the agreement. The law firm representing them will get $6 million."
October 25, 2002 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Former U.S. Postmaster General Winton M. "Red" Blount, a wealthy businessman who helped bring Republican politics to the South and turned his sprawling estate into an arts mecca, died Thursday. He was 81. See also the Washington Post.
October 25, 2002 -- The BBC has reported that "the Royal Mail has struck its first deal to deliver mail for a commercial rival, in a landmark agreement with Deutsche Post. Under the deal, Royal Mail will deliver letters for Deutsche Post, which was recently awarded a license to collect business mail in the UK as part of government plans to liberalise the postal services sector. Deutsche Post will pay Royal Mail 21.9p per letter for next-day deliveries, and a maximum of 16.3p per letter for standard class deliveries. Those charges compare with Royal Mail's current collection and delivery fees of 27p per letter for first class mail and 19p for second class mail." See also The Scotsman.
October 25, 2002 -- PostCom has learned that Deborah Willhite has resigned her post as the senior vice president for corporate relations.
October 25, 2002 -- Le Figaro (France) has reported that "seven [French] trade unions have called upon retired and active employees of SNCF, the French national rail operator, to hold a national demonstration in Paris on November 26. The trade union FO has called for strike action. The public sector workers' division of FO had already called upon employees of the country's public services, of telecommunications operator France Telecom and of postal service operator La Poste, to take strike action and hold a demonstration on the same day, to bring attention to their pay and pension demands."
October 25, 2002 -- The Australian has reported that "the price of the basic postage stamp will rise five cents to 50 cents next January - the first increase in 11 years. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today cleared the way for the increase, saying ordinary small letters are priced below cost. Australia Post national spokesman Gary Highland said the price rise would happen from January 13. The price increase would also affect large letters, greeting cards and prepaid envelopes."
October 25, 2002 -- Datamonitor (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail has demonstrated that is still has a strong hold on the UK postal market with deal to deliver commercial mail for its European rival Deutsche Post. The agreement is a positive move by Royal Mail to the threat opposed by liberalization. In addition, its rivals are realizing that it is better to work with Royal Mail than compete head-to-head. Over the last year the Royal Mail has faced increasing pressure from foreign postal organizations taking advantage of the ongoing government plans to liberalize the postal services sector. Postal services such as business mail have been opened up to competition, with Business Post Group, Hays and more recently Deutsche Post heading the competition."
October 24, 2002 -- Different approaches to defining and further liberalizing the postal, courier, and express delivery sectors within the context of ongoing trade negotiations were discussed at a seminar hosted this week by the Universal Postal Union. The seminar, entitled "The Classification Debate: Defining Postal, Courier, and Express Delivery Services for World Trade Organization (WTO) Negotiations," brought postal operators and regulators together with three officials representing the trade agencies of Canada, the European Union (EU) and the United States. Over 50 UPU delegates attended the event at UPU Headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. The seminar's focus on classification was prompted by recent public announcements issued this past summer by trade agencies representing Canada, the US, and the EU. Consistent with the timetable set by the Doha Ministerial Declaration, each trade agency announced its intent to seek commitments from other WTO Members in certain service sectors related to the postal industry.
October 24, 2002 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.
October 24, 2002 -- The Scotsman has reported that U.K. "postal regulator Postcomm has altered the licence held by independent delivery firm UK Mail to keep the postal network running in emergencies. Currently UK Mail is required by its licence to pass all mail to Consignia for delivery. But under the new terms, in the event of a natural disaster or strike action at Consignia, UK Mail will be allowed to deliver mail itself. The news follows the regulator’s official warning to Consignia over its business mail services. A spokeswoman for Consignia said: 'Postcomm’s approved modification to the interim postal licences held by UK Mail is more evidence of increased competition... Royal Mail [Consignia’s delivery business] intends to compete vigorously for every letter with all competition.'"
October 24, 2002 -- The Los Angeles Times has reported that "a spate of mail thefts in the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys has prompted U.S. Postal Service inspectors to warn that residents should report any suspicious activity around neighborhood mailboxes. Mail thieves look for mail containing financial information, checks or credit cards. Thefts are most common in areas that have neighborhood delivery and curbside mailboxes."
October 24, 2002 -- Yahoo News has reported that Sweden's "Posten announced new rates and criteria for domestic and international postage. The new rates will take effect on January 1, 2003. - Posten's phased rollout of the new service network is proceeding according to plan. The network has been rolled out in 65 of Posten's 91 localities."
October 24, 2002 -- ZDNet Australia has reported that "Coles Myer has extended the outsourcing of its online grocery business to Australia Post, giving the postal service a greatly expanded role in fulfilling the retailer's customer orders. Under the five-year agreement - set to take effect from late November - Australia Post will take the reigns at Coles' online fulfilment centres in Melbourne and Sydney, with most of the 300 staff at those centres transferring to the Post Fulfilment Online operation."
October 24, 2002 -- The WiseMarketer.Com said that:
October 24, 2002 -- Japan Today has reported that "the state-run Postal Services Agency is considering operating automated teller machines (ATMs) of the postal savings system for 24 hours nationwide, starting next year, agency officials said. The move is aimed at strengthening services mainly in urban areas when a new public entity takes over postal operations next spring, the officials said. The officials cited similar 24-hour ATM services at convenience stores and other places, where customers can obtain cash and pay utility bills at nighttime."
October 24, 2002 -- O'Dwyers PR Daily has reported that "the United States Postal Service has picked Golin/Harris International as its agency of record to help the $65 billion entity educate the public about its efforts to operate in a more business-like manner. The USPS account will be managed jointly by Lane Bailey, who heads G/HI's Washington, D.C., office, and Ellen Ryan Mardiks, the Interpublic unit's worldwide marketing and brand strategy director in Chicago. David Nixon, executive VP in D.C., will serve as the account director. G/HI will provide PA, community relations, cause marketing and employee counseling services to the Post Office. IPG's Campbell-Ewald and Draft Worldwide also work on USPS business."
October 24, 2002 -- Forbes has reported that "catalog sales are growing faster than overall retail sales, but postage increases and a faltering economic recovery are dampening the outlook for the all-important holiday season, retailers and consultants say. Hoping to control costs and protect relationships with loyal customers, catalog retailers are sending out fewer mailings and focusing on lower-priced items. Bulk mailers have faced three postage hikes in the last two years; the latest, which went into effect June 30, added about 6 percent to advertising mail costs."
October 24, 2002 -- According to DMA Interactive, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman told DMA Annual Conference attendees that "the United States government - and specifically Congress - has a responsibility to pass new legislation that will give the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) the flexibility and modernization it needs to compete in the 21st century."
October 24, 2002 -- “Business mailers in Canada continue to face a rapidly diminishing gap between the full stamp price and work sharing incentive rates.” according to NAMMU President, Kathleen Rowe, in a 2003 rate case discussion with Association members October 9th in Toronto. The President noted mailers and service providers continue to question the reduced payback for worksharing activities, particularly in the Communications Product Line which includes Exclusive Privilege products. The Corporation has indicated that technological improvements and rising costs no longer support the magnitude of past work sharing benefits. NAMMU is finalizing its report on the 2003 Rate Package Proposals and preliminary discussion is already underway with senior Canada Post executive on the two critical industry issues: A clear statement of strategic direction by the Corporation on rewarding work sharing initiatives and the potential introduction of volume retention (loyalty) and growth incentives to offset reduced worksharing benefits. For a copy of the President’s media release contact executive@nammu.org.
October 24, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "TNT Express has rolled out faster services between Europe and the United States and Canada by introducing improved next day deliveries to nine business center, across North America, including New York, Washington, Chicago and Toronto. The carrier said the enhanced service to North America is the result of new block space agreements on 747 aircraft operated by Polar Air Cargo which fly direct six times a week between the TNT Express European Hub in Liege, Belgium and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York."
October 24, 2002 -- According to The West Australian, "Australia Post managing director Graeme John said yesterday the group was looking at acquisitions but he could not comment on whether it was eyeing the Mayne Group's logistics arm."
October 24, 2002 -- All Africa Global Media has reported that "proposed NET Post internet services designed to revolutionalise the operations of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) is to commence across the country before the end of next month. Area Postal Controller for Plateau Territory Mr. Eva Njamanze who disclosed this to newsmen, said the services of NET Post would be available in 15 centres in the country initially before gradually spreading to other parts.
October 23, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that:
October 23, 2002 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "strugglin postal operator Consignia has been served with an official warning to smarten up its performance on business mail deliveries after failing to meet a string of targets laid down in its licence. After falling as much as 20 per cent below some of its performance targets, Consignia - in the process of changing its name back to Royal Mail - has been given just 21 days to explain itself by industry regulator, Postcomm."
October 23, 2002 -- The Peninsula (Qatar) has reported that "Q-Post plans to launch a slew of new services in the near future as part of its drive to modernise postal services. By mid-December, Q-Post will offer a service through its website, www.qpost.com, that will enable post box owners to know if they have received mail. Under the plan, the post box subscriber’s telephone number will be used as the password for the service. Subscribers will have to simply log-on to the Q-Post website and follow a link to enter their P O Box number and the password to access the service."
October 23, 2002 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "Australia Post has achieved a record profit after tax of $A297 million ($US163.8 million) for the financial year 2002, as its chairman Linda Nicholls said the company was one of the best performing postal services in the world."
October 23, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "the most recent postage rate increase not only may hurt program delivery by nonprofit organizations, but encourage nonprofits to use other channels, according to a study announced yesterday by the Direct Marketing Association."
October 23, 2002 -- Japan Today has reported that "the [Japanese] Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry will start accepting electronic bids Friday for computers and other goods to be used by the ministry. The move by the ministry and its auxiliary Postal Services Agency to procure goods through Internet auctions is part of the so-called e-Japan priority program aimed at making Japan a leading global information hub."
October 23, 2002 -- Forbes is carrying a Reuters report that "Germany's Deutsche Post has said on Tuesday the European Commission had approved the postal giant's acquisition of airline Lufthansa's stake in international courier firm DHL.
October 23, 2002 -- Switchboard Incorporated, a provider of directory technology and online yellow pages solutions, has announced that it is extending its service offerings on the official Web site of the U.S. Postal Service -- USPS.com -- to include yellow and white pages. Switchboard's directory interfaces will be integrated within relevant service areas of the site, including Find Zip Codes and Locate Post Offices. Switchboard's directory platform, with its powerful underlying Switchboard Matrix(SM) technology, will enable USPS.com users to search more than 120 million business and residential listings across the U.S. Switchboard will also be working with USPS.com to integrate location information for stamp purchasing outlets, which exist beyond the Post Offices, into the database that supports the USPS.com Locate Post Offices function.
October 23, 2002 -- Advertising Age has reported that "the postmaster general of the U.S. today indicated that the next planned postal rate increase could come later than expected. John E. Potter, speaking to the Direct Marketing Association conference in San Francisco, said he didn't expect a rate hike 'until well into 2004,' a timetable that could have a rate increase taking effect in July of that year and well into the Postal Service's fiscal year. Mr. Potter originally suggested that there would be no rate increase until 2004. Under federal laws, the Postal Service generally files for a rate hike 10 months before it would take effect. The postmaster general today reiterated his hope to file a rate hike that includes phased-in increases that would allow marketers to know their costs well in advance, and the Postal Service to avoid the need for repeated hearings on rate increases."
October 23, 2002 -- The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has called for an independent public inquiry into illegal activities by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Canada Post Corporation's Security and Investigation Branch. The Union was responding to the revelations contained in the new book Covert Entry: Spies, Lies and Crimes inside Canada's Secret Service published today.
October 22, 2002 -- In a letter directed to Postmaster General Jack Potter, PostCom President Gene Del Polito informed the PMG of PostCom's resolve to: Recommend the provision of regularly scheduled annual postal rate increases no greater than the rate of inflation. PostCom explains it rationale for this action in an open letter to members that's been posted on this site.
October 22, 2002 -- The Postmaster General told mailing industry leaders that while the Postal Service is maintaining a firm handle on finances as it continues to perform at record service levels, the future of the mailing industry and the people it employs lies in the industry's continued commitment to working with Congress to modernize the Postal Service. A complete copy of the PMG's remarks has been posted on the Postal Service's web site.
October 22, 2002 -- The United States Postal Service has signed agreements with Union Bank of California to provide depository services for 2,059 post offices in California with annual deposits of approximately $6 billion. The contract will take effect in November, 2002. This contract is part of the Postal Service's overall treasury management strategy to ensure efficiency in its cash management, helping Americans get the best value for the postage they pay. As part of this strategy, the Postal Service has reduced the number of banks it uses for cash management from more than 5,000 to less than 30 during the past five years.
October 22, 2002 -- SmartMoney.Com has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) has reported a third-quarter net profit that inched up 1.8% from a year ago but trailed analysts' reduced expectations as a strong recovery failed to materialize for manufacturers that ship their raw materials and finished goods via UPS. See also the Journal of Commerce.
October 22, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Pitney Bowes Inc. has chosen Danzas AEI, the logistics division of Deutsche Post World Net, as the exclusive manager of its worldwide supply-chain-management services. The multi-year agreement will enable Pitney Bowes, based in Stamford, Ct. to access multiple services in the Deutsche Post logistics network"
October 22, 2002 -- Hoovers Online has reported that "in an unprecedented victory for part-time employees in California, almost 6,000 current and former United Parcel Service (UPS) employees are eligible to participate in a class action settlement for $18 million in retroactive pay. As a result of the lawsuit, UPS has changed employment compensation practices for part-time managers to comply with California labor laws."
October 22, 2002 -- According to the Internet Advertising Report, "e-mail can drive purchases in other channels -- including offline stores -- according to new research funded by Web ad technology player DoubleClick. The study, conducted by Beyond Interactive and Greenfield Online for DoubleClick, surveyed 1,000 consumers and found that 68 percent of the respondents said they have made purchases online after receiving e-mail. More surprising, however, is the finding that 59 percent of those polled said they had received e-mail marketing and then made purchases in retail stores. Additionally, 39 percent said they bought something through a catalog after e-mail marketing, 34 percent through call centers, and 20 percent through postal mail."
October 22, 2002 -- The Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have joined forces to ensure the safety of the international mail network through the early detection and safe transport of radioactive material through the international mail system. The agreement signed by the two United Nations organizations is aimed at ensuring the safe and secure transport of radioactive material through the mail and the detection of illicit radioactive material, including nuclear material, in the international mail stream.
October 22, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "direct marketers have reported that revenue and billings through the third quarter of 2002 were below their start-of-year projections, according to the Direct Marketing Association's Fall 2002 Quarterly Business Review survey of DMA members. In the survey, 60 percent of members reported a significantly or somewhat worse third quarter. And 19 percent of direct marketing users said their third quarter was "significantly worse" than they had projected. Meanwhile, 17 percent said their projections were on target while 23 percent reported a better-than-expected quarter. DMA members reported that in the fourth quarter they planned to spend more on e-mail (48 percent), followed by new customer prospecting (40 percent), new product development (35 percent), e-commerce (32 percent), database segmenting (29 percent) and customer services (21 percent). DMers indicated that direct mail, teleservices and customer relationship management will remain stagnant or decline in quarter four."
October 22, 2002 -- Reuters has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. has posted a small rise in third-quarter profit, with a strong pickup in overseas deliveries offsetting a slump in U.S. earnings. It also said the economy was not showing signs of recovery."
October 22, 2002 -- SwissInfo has reported that "the Swiss Post Office has announced plans to drastically reduce its mail processing centres and cut 2,500 jobs. Under the proposals, which still need final confirmation by the board of directors, the country's 18 mail sorting centres would be closed and replaced by only three units. Some 3,500 workers would be affected by the cuts over the next six years. The Post Office said the cuts are necessary to save SFr200 million ($133 million) annually and remain competitive in a liberalised market."
October 22, 2002 -- --A new bilateral aviation agreement just negotiated by Hong Kong and the United States will remove a major impediment to world economic growth, the chairman and CEO of UPS said today. The agreement, which will allow U.S. carriers to extend Asian air routes through Hong Kong to the rest of the world, "will accelerate the flow of goods into and out of Asia while providing substantial benefits to American businesses, workers and consumers," added Mike Eskew, UPS's top executive.
October 22, 2002 -- Canada.com has reported that "CGI Group Inc. earned $35.5 million in its fourth quarter, with the information technology company recording higher revenues from a joint venture with Canada Post Corp. in the three months ended Sept. 30. CGI and Canada Post announced in May they planned to create a new company, 51 per cent owned by the federal Crown corporation, that would deliver information technology services under a 10-year outsourcing deal. It takes over computer services formerly performed within Canada Post and is also aimed at selling similar services to other postal agencies around the world."
October 21, 2002 -- In a recent editorial, DM News wrote: "Nice of The Washington Post’s Bob Levey to take up the crusade against unwanted mail. In a column last week, he ranted about the “incredible four-inch high stack that arrives in the mail each day” and offered this advice: 'Open the trash can. Pretend for a minute that you’re Michael Jordan. Dunk'...Though Levey probably won’t believe it, marketers don’t want to send him mail that he’s not interested in. It may be a waste of his time throwing it away, but it’s a waste of their money producing and mailing it. And who wants to waste money in times like this? Many consumers like what they receive in the mail. Just look at this year’s response-driven Echo award campaigns. Once Levey thinks about it, maybe he’ll realize that not everything in his mailbox is junk." Nice job, DM News!
October 21, 2002 -- The Federal Times has reported that:
October 21, 2002 -- As the Journal of Commerce has noted, "Klaus Zumwinkel caused a considerable stir throughout corporate Germany last week when he quashed speculation that he was about to trade in his job as the head of Deutsche Post World Net, the sprawling national mail monopoly, to move into the hot seat at Deutsche Telekom, Europe's biggest telecommunications company. But a closer look shows it was no contest. The lumbering postal business is on the verge of becoming a high-growth sector as the main players move aggressively into new businesses like logistics, express delivery and distribution while the telecom market is a frontline casualty of the new-economy meltdown."
October 21, 2002 -- As Federal Computer Week has noted, "a new version of the PDF Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 5.1) will enable users to download forms, fill them out off-line, change them, save them and file them electronically or send them via e-mail. The Adobe software even permits a rudimentary electronic signature. Adobe officials say that such features will reduce the number of mistakes in applications and other forms, thus cutting the cost to the government of having workers correct them. And enabling individuals and businesses to submit forms electronically is expected to reduce the expense of having clerks type in data from forms that have been downloaded, filled out, printed and mailed."
October 21, 2002 -- As the New York Times has noted, "David Sable, chief executive of Wunderman New York, a Young & Rubicam unit that does mass mailings and 13 other corporate chiefs whose businesses cannot function without a thriving mail system, have taken the education of Congress into their own hands. They have formed the Mailing Industry CEO Council to set senators and representatives straight on the Postal Service's facts and figures — and, they hope, to point Congress toward a workable postal overhaul bill."
October 21, 2002 -- The New York Post has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service should protect New Jersey postal workers and residents in case of another anthrax attack, union leaders said. "There's been nothing put in place to safeguard us or the public," said Bill Lewis, president of the Trenton-area branch of the American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO.
October 21, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "E-mail marketing volume, frequency and response experienced greater increases than postal mail last year, according to a report by the Direct Marketing Association that will be released today at its 85th Annual Conference & Exhibition." Nonetheless, it also was noted that "postal is still by far the most used and critical element for mailers."
October 21, 2002 -- The Times of Oman has reported that "a three-day seminar on postal regulation and comprehensive postal service in Arab countries began at Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday, under the auspices of Sayyid Hamad bin Hilal Al Busaidi, undersecretary for labour at the Manpower Ministry. The event is being organised by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications in cooperation with the International Postal Union. The symposium discusses a number of topics relating to developing postal services and the experiences of the Arab countries in this field."
October 20, 2002 -- More then 200 million E-check payments were made during the first half of 2002, an increase of more than 300% over the same period last year, according to NACHA, the Electronic Payments Association. An E-check is an electronic debit to a checking account that's initiated at the point of sale, on the Internet, over the telephone, or via a bill remittance sent through the mail, and is processed using the automated clearinghouse network.
October 20, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Emery Forwarding has upgraded its MyEmery extranet technology with MyEvents, a real-time track-and-trace event notification system based on Microsoft Biztalk Server technology."
October 19, 2002 -- e-Postal News has reported that:
The Mongol Post Company, Mongolia’s postal service, has drawn up a draft Master Plan to quickly establish nationwide e-post and e-commerce services using the postal network as one way to stem the mounting losses in its core postal services, increase revenues and speed up letter deliveries.
Canada Post International Ltd, the consulting services arm of Canada Post, plans to focus on e-commerce and e-post next year.
e-Postal News is published weekly by G2 Computer Intelligence Inc. Among the topics it covers are: The e-Commerce Activities of the World's Postal Organizations, e-Mail & Secure Messaging, e-Billing/e-Invoicing, Hybrid Mail, e-Logistics, Internet Postage, e-Forms, Procurement Portals, Electronic Document Delivery & More. For subscription information, contact: G2 Computer Intelligence Inc.; 323 Glen Cove Avenue; Sea Cliff, NY 11579, USA; Tel.: 516 759-7025 Fax: 516 759-7028. www.g2news.com.
October 19, 2002 -- According to the Salt Lake Tribune, "the U.S. Postal Service uses boats, snowmobiles, skis, helicopters and fleets of white trucks to deliver mail and even a mule train to reach the Supai village in the Grand Canyon, but next year it won't be contracting with regional air carriers for rural America. For the past 11 months, the Postal Service has been phasing out its regional airmail service to rural areas, and by next May it will use ground transportation exclusively."
October 19, 2002 -- Sun Star Cebu (Philippines) has reported that "mail delivery service appears to be the worst in the government today. After listening to the many tales of woe from friends and kin here in the city and the towns, there is no other conclusion anyone can make about our present postal service. And it seems it is not only the ineptitude the citizenry are complaining about but also their lack of trust and confidence in the people holding fort in our post offices. Our overseas workers are wary of postal pilferage when they send money orders to their families."
October 19, 2002 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, is to pay around 400m euros for a further 23 per cent stake in express parcel delivery company DHL. The deal gives DP a 75.6 per cent stake in DHL, for which it has paid 1.85bn euros. In July, DP paid Lufthansa Cargo 550m euros for a 25 per cent stake in DHL, and the latest shares have been bought from investment fund Exeter and Chester."
October 19, 2002 -- All Africa Global Media has reported that a Courier Consultative Forum has been innaugurated to guide the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), an outcome of the Courier Summit in April 2001.
October 18, 2002 -- In an address given to the Board of Directors of the Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom) at its October 2002 meeting, Arnold F. Wellman, Jr., Vice President, Public Affairs, Corporate and International for United Parcel Service noted that "the postal public policy landscape is unclear with many questions and few answers. It is my hope that as members of this dynamic industry we can - together -- resolve differences and establish a dialogue on a number of challenges the postal community faces. We should be asking a number of questions as to the public policy direction of today's Postal Service."
October 18, 2002 -- For anyone who thought that PRC review of the Postal Service's proposed negotiated service agreement with Capital One would have been a cake-walk, it's time to think again. The Newspaper Association of America has told the PRC that it believes the USPS' proposal is "illegal." Now why the blazes should newspaper publishers give a hoot about a deal that's being proposed between the USPS and a bank?
October 18, 2002 -- - Quad/Graphics has awarded $1 million to the WCTC Foundation to benefit Waukesha County Technical College as part of a long-term, trend-setting partnership that will sustain the school's award-winning printing and graphic communications program. The company's contribution - made in the name of the late Harry V. Quadracci, founder of Quad/Graphics - will be used to continually upgrade the equipment on which students are trained as well as provide scholarship assistance to students interested in a career in graphic arts. As part of the partnership, WCTC's 1-year-old Graphic Communications Center will be officially named the Harry V. Quadracci Printing and Graphics Center in recognition of the many contributions Mr. Quadracci made to advance both print technology and education. The late Harry Quadracci had served as a PostCom director for several years.
October 18, 2002 -- According to the Manila Times, Filippinos are bemoaning the deterioration of their mail service.
October 18, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. said it doesn't oppose a request by the U.S. Postal Service to offer reduced postage rates to a unit of Capital One Financial Corp. that is the country's largest producer of first-class mail. In a filing with the federal Postal Rate Commission, UPS said it 'does not object to the granting of that experimental authority,' which would include per-piece discounts on certain solicitations sent by the Falls Church, Va., credit-card giant. Negotiated service agreements could help the Postal Service hold onto some of its highest-volume customers by providing flexible prices and services targeted for each customer. Private-sector competitors like UPS and FedEx Corp., Memphis, Tenn., routinely offer substantial discounts to their biggest shipping customers."
October 18, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Deutsche Post World Net said today that a published report regarding its plan to acquire a larger share of DHL Worldwide was 'nothing new. We always said we wanted full control of DHL by the end of the year, said Uwe Bensien, a Deutsche Post spokesman." [See the article in Financial Times Deutschland to which these comments refer.]
October 18, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "late and lost mail cost businesses more than £450m last year, according to research commissioned by Postwatch, the postal watchdog. The report, published today, provides estimates for the first time of the financial burden that delays and service problems place on Royal Mail's business post users. Companies send about 86 per cent of mail. Royal Mail failed to meet targets set by Postcomm, the regulator, in almost all categories of mail services last year. National Economic Research Associates, the economic consultants in charge of the research, estimated the cost to companies of this failure at £156m in 2001-02."
October 18, 2002 -- A new study indicates that e-mail addresses are changed at the rate of 31 percent annually, causing 53 percent of those consumers to lose touch with personal and professional contacts, as well as preferred Web sites.
October 17, 2002 -- Forbes has reported that "UK state postal firm Consignia has begun exclusive negotiations with U.S.-based computer services firm Computer Sciences Corp for a 1.5 billion pound ($2.33 billion) contract. CSC has teamed up with BT and computer services firm Xansa to provide a range of services during the 10-year contract, Consignia said. The companies will maintain Consignia's 42,000 desk-top computers and manage and develop its computer server, mainframe and networks, among other things.".
October 17, 2002 -- According to Ananova, in reaction to the decision by Consignia to give Computer Sciences Corporation a 10-year contract to supply Information Technology services, the Communications Workers Union has denouced the deal as one that inflames an "already volatile" situation. The union is planning to ballot thousands of workers for industrial action in protest at the planned sell-off of the operation which delivers cash and stamps to post offices." See also The Telegraph.
October 17, 2002 -- According to The Star (Malaysia), "Pos Malaysia Berhad has moved into providing booking services for hotel rooms to help boost the tourism industry. It yesterday launched an electronic booking service under which holidaymakers to the Genting group of hotels can pay for their rooms at 186 designated post offices throughout the country."
October 17, 2002 -- Huddersfield.co.uk has reported that "watchdogs today vowed to make a close examination of every post office closure. The pledge came after MPs backed the proposed closure of up to 3,000 urban post offices. Judith Donovan, the regional watchdog's chairwoman, said: 'We accept that in some urban areas there are too many post offices competing for the same customers. "We will not object to the closure of an individual post office as long as it is clear customers can still access postal products and services."
October 17, 2002 -- CargoWeb News has reported that "TNT Express announced the global roll-out of 'PACS', a pre-arrival clearance system that will speed up the clearance of international shipments through Customs by up to eight hours, developed in partnership with Fujitsu."
October 17, 2002 -- The Cincinnati Business Courier has reported that "a fight between the nation's largest package carriers and DHL Airways could threaten DHL's $200 million hub under construction at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. At issue is the ownership of DHL Airways. Federal law prohibits airlines operating within the United States from having more than 25 percent foreign ownership, and Atlanta-based United Parcel Service and Memphis-based FedEx Corp. have charged DHL Airways with exceeding that limit. UPS and FedEx fear that Deutsche Post will subsidize DHL Airways, allowing the airline to carry freight at lower rates than either UPS or FedEx can match as part of a strategy to claim a share of the U.S. market."
October 17, 2002 -- Borsen-Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "a Berlin-based court has rejected the lawsuit which the federation of Germany's wholesale and export industry has filed against Deutsche Post, Germany's postal services operator.`The federation claims that the operator's postal fees are too high and asks Deutsche Post to pay back parts of the postal fees it charged its members. The lawsuit is part of a lengthy row between the federation and Deutsche Post regarding the two-year extension of the latter's monopoly for standard letters. The monopoly expires at the end of 2002."
October 17, 2002 -- The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) is recommending the U.S. Postal Service take steps to improve management of its investments in information technology. The General Accounting Office called on the mail service to develop a plan that strengthens its capabilities for IT investment management.
October 17, 2002 -- According to the Journal of Commerce, "a top UPS executive expressed optimism that negotiations between the United States and Hong Kong that begin today will produce a long-sought aviation accord."
October 17, 2002 -- Irish Times has reported that "five hours of talks aimed at breaking the nine-week- old dispute between An Post and the Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) ended in deadlock yesterday. Arbitrator Mr Phil Flynn met representatives of An Post and the IPU in Dublin yesterday in an attempt to end the dispute, which has disrupted postal services in rural areas since last August."
October 17, 2002 -- TruckingInfo.Com has reported that "Prophesy Transportation Solutions, Bloomfield, Conn., has introduced Version 2.1 of ShipperMail, a management system for bulk mail and small parcel shippers. According to Prophesy, new features include an enhanced rating structure designed to allow piece rating for customer charges and user-defined piece weight breaks."
October 17, 2002 -- Canada NewsWire has reported that "Innovapost, a joint venture formed by Canada Post Corporation and CGI Group Inc., today announced that it has reached agreement with Accenture, a leading global management consulting and technology services organization, that will see Accenture become a minority preferred shareholder. Accenture will continue to provide Innovapost with application development services. Additionally Innovapost will work with Accenture to benefit from Accenture's relationships with postal administrations around the world."
October 17, 2002 -- ComputerWorld has reported that "in June, Gartner surveyed 101 companies that send bills to consumers electronically and 336 companies that send bills to other businesses electronically. Companies surveyed represented the telecommunications, insurance, credit card and utility industries. Gartner found that, on average, the companies saved $13.1 million annually, thanks to decreased call center costs, faster dispute resolution and lower paper-based payment processing costs."
October 16, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service has posted in the Federal Register:
October 16, 2002 -- The Washington Post has noted that "a concrete stump in Bethesda where a mailbox used to be now stands as a monument to a new kind of residential rage: 'Where's my mail?' someone spray-painted on it. This "open letter" is aimed at the U.S. Postal Service, which in the past two months has been removing hundreds of mailboxes and mail chutes from street corners and buildings in the D.C. area, Chicago, New Orleans, Denver, South Bend, Ind., and dozens of other cities."
October 16, 2002 -- According to the Roanoke Times, "the debt-ridden U.S. Postal Service's plan to cut costs and increase its reliance on automation for mail sorting seems destined to affect postal employees in the Roanoke Valley. The ostal ervice pledges customer service won't suffer. A union official begs to differ."
October 16, 2002 -- As Stuff.NZ (New Zealand) has noted, "posting powdered foodstuffs overseas is not the smartest thing to do in the existing climate of international terrorism"
October 16, 2002 -- BBC News has reported that U.K. "MPs have backed the proposed closure of up to 3,000 urban post offices. The government plans to make £210m available to compensate sub postmasters for the cost of closures, and to improve the remaining post offices."
October 16, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Ministers faced unease from Labour backbenchers, as well as sharp criticism from the Tories, as MPs yesterday debated the proposed 210m pounds taxpayer subsidy to close a third of urban post offices."
October 16, 2002 -- Deutsche Post Global Mail, the largest shipper of U.S. business mail internationally and the largest cross-border mailer worldwide, has completed the relocation of its U.S. headquarters to Fairfax County. The company held a grand opening reception today for company and political dignitaries.
October 16, 2002 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada) has reported that "Canada Post issued formal notification in September to parcel shippers using EST (Electronic Shipping Tools) of important changes to the software application, notably the two-part standard barcode can be generated automatically on labels produced by thermal, laser and inkjet printers in October. Customers who use EST Quick Ship and elect to print the barcode are required to enter the complete destination postal code. A “reminder” message on the software and printed manifest will also indicate the rate provided is an ESTIMATE only. Customers using piece/kilo pricing will now need to provide an itemized listing and actual weight per piece on the manifest."
October 16, 2002 -- Ascribe News has reported that "Consumer Action and the Office of the Consumer Advocate asked the U.S. Postal Rate Commission (PRC) to regulate Postal Service forays into unauthorized commercial ventures. They also asked that the Postal Service be required to turn over development and revenue figures for such products and services, so that a judgment can be made as to whether they contribute to higher rates for monopoly mail and other regulated postal services. The Postal Service contends that it does not need the approval of the PRC to offer non-postal products and services."
October 15, 2002 -- AFX (Europe) has reported that "the U.K. Post Office is in talks with convenience store chains about installing facilities that will allow the full range of mail services to be available outside normal working hours."
October 15, 2002 -- According to AdResource, "direct mail is going to stick around for a while as research from the Direct Mail Information Service (DMIS) indicates that marketers are not ready to abandon the medium for Web-based ads yet. In fact, like postal rates, the amount of direct mail seems to be rising."
October 14, 2002 -- CargowebNews.com has reported that "the Federal Court of Justice ruled in favour of Deutsche Post in remailing proceedings agiant TNT Post (TPG) in The Netherlands."
October 14, 2002 -- According to Business Day (South Africa), "officials from a range of courier companies, or express parcel companies as they prefer to be known, headed off for Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) at the weekend to participate in the first roadshow meetings being held on the new postal regulations. They have a lot to get off their chest. Many are concerned about the effect of the new rules on their businesses and the industry as a whole. 'If the regulations are implemented as they stand, it will lead to many small companies going out of business and only the large entities are likely to survive,' says one industry official."
October 14, 2002 -- All Africa Global Media has reported that "the Nigerian Postal Service has said that it is set to provide a changing market environment aimed at increasing competition from new providers of both traditional and technology-driven communications that would facilitate and stimulate cultural, economic and social development of the nation."
October 14, 2002 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "thousands of [British] postal workers are to be balloted on strikes in a row over the 'blatant privatisation' of their jobs. The Communication Workers Union says the threat of industrial action is aimed at stopping Consignia selling the cash handling operation to Securicor. Voting among the workers - who deliver stamps and cash to post offices - will start at the end of the month and the ballot result will be known in mid-November. Strike action could start at the end of next month, posing a huge threat to the finances of thousands of post offices in the run-up to the busy Christmas period." See also the Glasgow Daily Record.
October 14, 2002 -- Doing research about posts around the world? Need access to their annual reports? Then check out the compilation of links put together by PostInsight.Com.
October 14, 2002 -- For a list of meetings scheduled by the National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada), check the NAMMU.org web site.
October 14, 2002 -- According to GoMemphis.com, "Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and chief executive of FedEx Corp., wants to dispel the myth about what's driving the growth of the company's express and ground businesses--to dispel the notion that one is growing at the expense of the other."
October 14, 2002 -- Escher Group Limited, a leading provider of peer-to-peer messaging and data management solutions, today announced that Post Denmark will be upgrading to the WebRiposte(TM) platform for its counter automation system. WebRiposte is Escher's Web-enabled, peer-to-peer, distributed messaging solution that includes content distribution and storage. Post Denmark will be using WebRiposte to develop an Internet-based Bulk Mails(TM) application. This new functionality can run seamlessly alongside existing Riposte(R) applications, but more importantly, it can be deployed over the Web for use by Post Denmark's 8,000 commercial customers.
October 14, 2002 -- Jiji Press (Japan) has reported that the Japanese "Postal Services Agency plans to cut all postal workers' seniority-based basic wages by 10 pct after a new public corporation is established next April to take over the agency's services. While reducing the seniority-based portion of the salary, the agency plans to raise the merit-based portion."
October 14, 2002 -- The Polish News Bulletin has reported that "some 96.65 percent of priority mail sent in August reached addressees within the one-day deadline, according to quality control results of Poczta Polska postal administration. The figure is an improvement from 93.79 percent in July. The result is similar to those achieved by European Union postal administrations, and above EU standards. The post performed best in local deliveries, but the performance rate never dropped below 90 percent. 180 individuals took part in the quality check, assigned by the post with the task of corresponding with one another. Poczta Polska is trying to improve quality and introduce new services before the market liberalisation suiting EU norms."
October 14, 2002 -- DI-VE.com (Malta) has reported that "in an effort to enhance the quality of the service, and ensure that all postal items are delivered in a better condition, Maltapost has this week introduced new and secure delivery boxes. The change from the old delivery sacks to the new trays will help to avoid damaging the product, and improve efficiency since the letters would have already been sorted at the central mailroom, before arrival at the branches."
October 13, 2002 -- The Duluth News-Tribune has reported that "The Bush administration has nearly completed a "super-critical list" of potential terrorist targets that, if struck, would cause the greatest damage to the United States in terms of lives, money, national defense and public confidence. The report will cover 13 'critical infrastructure' categories, including agriculture, food, water, public health, emergency services, government, defense industrial base,information and telecommunications, energy, transportation, banking and finance, the chemical industry, and postal and shipping operations.
October 13, 2002 -- According to the New York Times, Fedex "the company, which moves documents and packages by ground as well as by air, has at least partially insulated itself from the vagaries of the national economy. FedEx is not immune to the threat of recession. Still, a range of analysts and investors say they believe that FedEx's fundamentals are sound."
October 13, 2002 -- Scotland On Sunday has a profile on Allan Leighton, the Chairman of Royal Mail (formerly Consignia).
October 13, 2002 -- The BBC has reported that "the [British] government has agreed to inject £450m to support the UK's rural post office network, a report has said. The cash, paid over three years, is aimed at ending the spate of closures which saw 441 rural post offices shut in 2000.`And it comes as Royal Mail and post office operator Consignia attempts to stem losses which hit £1.1bn last year."
October 12, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that "FedEx Corp. is rolling out two new products with the aim of simplifying the returns process for catalog and online retailers, and improving the consolidation of product components from different locations."
October 12, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "FedEx Corp. said its FedEx Express unit expects the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to rule on its appeal of a class-action judgment in 12 to 18 months. The class-action lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in San Diego against FedEx Express, alleging that customers who had late deliveries during the 1997 Teamsters strike at United Parcel Service Inc. were entitled to a full refund of shipping charges under a money-back guarantee, regardless of whether they gave timely notice of their claim."
October 12, 2002 -- Japan Times has reported that "the posts ministry will propose requiring all municipalities to establish by spring at least one post office run by a new public corporation. The new post office would take over state-run postal services. Currently, there are some 25,000 post offices in Japan, with one or more in each of about 3,200 cities, towns and villages. As a result of deregulation, postal services will start competing with private companies in the spring. The proposed ordinance will permit the closure of unprofitable post offices as long as there is one in each municipality."
October 12, 2002 -- AGI (Italy) has reported that "Communications Minister Gasparri is trying to 'promote' Poste italiane, the Italian Postal Company. A report in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 'Controls on the quality of the postal service' states 'In the first 6 months of the year the company has respected the service rates predicted.' Between January 1 and June 30 2002 the results for normal and priority mail were above those requested within the quality criteria within the contract for schedules. For normal mail the quality criteria had requested that 90 percent was delivered within 3 days of being sent, 97 percent within 4 days and 99 percent within 5 days. The Post were able to deliver 93 percent in 3 days (3 percent more than was requested), 97.8 percent within 4 days (0.8 percent more) and 99.2 within 5 days (0.2 percent more). For Priority mail the criteria was that 80 percent was deliver within a day of posting, 98 percent within 2 days and 99 percent within 3 days. The Post were able to deliver 86.6 percent the following day, 98 percent within 2 days and 99.5 percent within 3 days."
October 12, 2002 -- According to the Federal Times, "the U.S. Postal Service expects a new business agreement with credit-card company Capital One Services Inc. to be a financial boon if it is approved by the Postal Rate Commission."
October 12, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that British "ministers' hopes ofa universal bank moved a step closer to reality yesterday when a dozen high street names signed contracts with the Post Office to provide access to basic bank accounts at post office branches. The move will also bring some comfort to Consignia, which runs the Post Office, that it will not lose too many customers when state benefits start to be paid electronically next year."
October 12, 2002 -- The Financial Post (Canada) has reported that "Canada Post Corp. has plans to establish same-day courier operations in cities across the country, a move that has angered many of the small companies and bike messenger services that dominate the rush delivery business."
October 12, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express is ramping up its march on the U.S. domestic market with plans to roll out ground service early next year and moving its U.S. sales operations to Florida. DHL has begun pilot tests of a new ground service in the United States, with a full launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2003, according to Randy Clark, DHL's senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas. The ground service will position DHL, a unit of German-based Deutsche Post World Net, to compete head-to-head with archrivals FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service. At the same time, U.S. sales, marketing and operations functions are moving from DHL's San Francisco headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, Fla."
October 12, 2002 -- Die Welt (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, is believed to be examining the possibility of cost reductions, which may include job cuts as a result of office closures. Verdi, the trade union, says the uncertainty is causing anxiety among workers. Both Verdi and the management have come out to deny rumours that the closure of around 1,000 post offices has been decided. By law, the company has to keep at least 12,000 of its 13,000 offices open, which would allow for up to 1,000 to close. The offices employ around 23,000 staff."
October 12, 2002 -- The Polish News Bulletin has reported that "BillBird has declared that it signed deals with a number of major retailers, like Hypernova or Leclerc, which will allow shoppers to pay their phone or electricity bills at the supermarket check-out. The transaction will take about 8 seconds and cost not more than ZL1.85, which is cheaper than the postal charge for the service."
October 12, 2002 -- Business Line (India) has reported that an "Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) facility will be set up in all Speedpost centres in the State. IVRS would help customers know the whereabouts of parcels sent by Speedpost."
October 12, 2002 -- Business Day (South Africa) has reported that "the [South African] postal regulator has released draft regulations compelling all operators in the postal sector, including courier companies, to register, while reenforcing a cap on price increases for the SA Post Office. The regulations, which emanate from the 1998 Postal Services Act, will help enforce the SA Post Office's monopoly over all postal items weighing less than 1kg, which has long been flouted by other operators. An inspectorate is to be established to ensure the monopoly is adhered to and fines administered. The regulations could, however, raise the ire of courier companies, which have long viewed the move towards registration with suspicion and have complained about the extent of the SA Post Office's monopoly."
October 12, 2002 -- According to Occupational Health & Safety, "NIOSH has said that health hazard evaluations performed at the request of the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and top officials for Congress found no airborne contaminants above occupational exposure limits being released from irradiated mail."
October 11, 2002 -- El Pais (Spain) has reported that the "chairman of Spanish post office Correos, said yesterday that the group expects to close 2003 with a profit of 41.1m euros. This is 14.9 per cent higher than the profit predicted for 2002."
October 11, 2002 -- Bloomberg has reported that "Deutsche Post AG, Europe's largest postal service, won a lawsuit against a German credit card company, forcing the credit card company to pay higher rates. Deutsche Post sued the company for mailing to German customers from the Netherlands, where the postal rates are lower than German domestic rates."
October 11, 2002 -- MaltaMedia has reported that "in an effort to enhance the quality of the service, and ensure that all postal items are delivered in a better condition, Maltapost has this week introduced new and secure delivery boxes. The change from the old delivery sacks to the new trays will help to avoid damaging the product, and improve efficiency since the letters would have already been sorted at the central mailroom, before arrival at the branches."
October 11, 2002 -- AllAfrica.Com has reported that "workers of Ghana Post (GP) have called on the management to review the company's operations to enable it to compete favourably in the growing technological market."
October 11, 2002 -- New Breed, a national distribution services and supply chain consulting company, announced today that it has been awarded a new contract with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to warehouse and distribute mail transportation equipment.
October 11, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that "UPS's Eskew sees logistics golden age coming, bringing good corporate governance with it."
October 11, 2002 -- Business Report (South Africa) has reported that South African "Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has published draft laws to regulate the postal services sector and open up opportunities for new postal operators. The regulations released yesterday by the Postal Regulator, whose main function is to ensure universal access to postal services, also call on existing operators to register and pay licence fees. The local postal industry has been monopolised by the SA Post Office (Sapo), which has been both the operator and regulator at the same time. There have also been international operators in the market such as DHL and Sun Couriers."
October 11, 2002 -- According to Forbes, "it has been said that the people who made money during the California gold rush weren't the miners who found precious nuggets, but the merchants who sold them their pants. So who is the equivalent in the most recent gold rush, the dot-com boom? The winners may be the 371,000 employees of the United Parcel Service, who own the majority of the delivery firm. Buried under the rubble of dead dot-com business plans is the fact that online sales have, on the whole, grown over the past five years. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of online shopping households in the United States grew from 5 million to more that 36 million, and online sales jumped from $2.4 billion"
October 11, 2002 -- A trend to watch: Government Computer News has reported that "the Treasury Department plans to issue digital-certificate-embedded smart cards to 7,000 Treasury employees across the country beginning next month"
October 11, 2002 -- Eyefortransport.com has reported that "Purolator Courier, Canada's overnight courier company, has introduced a new and improved U.S. Deferred Service offering ground transport shipping from all points in Canada to all points in the U.S.A. The enhanced service provides Purolator's customers with more choices than ever before when shipping packages to the United States, ensuring seamless transport of goods southbound from Canada for less money. 'Our customers deserve quality delivery to any point in the U.S. at the best rates possible,' says Bob Johnson, President and CEO of Purolator Courier Ltd. 'Purolator Courier's U.S. Deferred Service is now the most cost-effective and reliable ground service around for those less-than-urgent shipments heading south of the border.'"
October 11, 2002 -- CW360 has reported that "Wal-Mart Stores [which has one of the best logistics management systems in the nation] is asking its 16,000 suppliers to switch to an Internet-based system for exchanging data, such as purchase orders and invoices. The retailing giant is expected to call on IBM to migrate suppliers' systems."
October 11, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express Inc.has said it doesn't expect the China postal monopoly's dispute with it and other express delivery companies to result in lasting restrictions on its business in the country. In fact, DHL has over the past week announced investments totaling $400 million for cargo operations in Hong Kong, which DHL Chairman and Chief Executive Uwe Doerken said were intended largely to serve the booming China market."
October 11, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "air cargo carriers are continuing to add extra flights between Asia and the U.S. to accommodate demand from shippers looking to avoid the jam-up at West Coast ports. UPS Airlines is adding six extra flights per week, raising its total to 41. The airline division of United Parcel Service normally operates 30 flights a week from Asia to the U.S., but it had already added five flights to handle peak-season traffic. UPS Freight Services is also making contingency plans to pick up ocean freight on vessels caught in the West Coast bottleneck once the goods are unloaded. The forwarding arm of UPS is tapping into relations with less-than-truckload carriers and railroads. It's also looking at the possibility of shipping the goods by air to their final destination."
October 11, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that Britain's "postal regulator moved yesterday to defuse the row with Consignia over proposals for tough price controls, by hinting they were only an opening gambit in negotiations."
October 11, 2002 -- InternetNews.com has reported that "evidence continues to mount suggesting that the Internet is chipping away at traditional forms of media consumption and communications, according to a new study by GartnerG2. Based on a recent consumer survey, the Stamford, Conn.-based research group found that the Internet and e-mail changed consumers' offline activities for a significant percentage of users. In the communications arena, more than half of consumers said they use postal mail less than they had previously, before the Internet."
October 11, 2002 -- Canada Post has issued a reminder that effective Oct. 21, Newfoundland and Labrador will be recognized by the postal symbol NL. The change complies with a request from the provincial government and falls in line with an amendment to the federal Constitution Act that changed the province's name last December.
October 11, 2002 -- China's State Post Bureau (China Post) will set up the country's largest logistics company by the end of the year, the Beijing Business Today said. The newspaper quoted China Post as saying the new logistics company will use China Post's 14,000 vehicles, 10 aircraft and 15 ships to offer logistics services and explore new profitable markets outside of the traditional postal services.
October 11, 2002 -- The following from Direct Newsline can give some indication of what the fall mailing season is likely to yield:
Another good story to check is the one that was published in USA Today, which noted: "Catalog retailers don't just have their fingers crossed this year. They've rushed out holiday catalogs early. Not because they're merry. Rather, they're leery."
The Postal Service's projections for Standard Mail volume growth may be overly optimistic.
October 11, 2002 -- The Interagency Mail Policy Council, of the General Services Administration will hold its Annual Educational Forum December 10, 2002, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Department of Commerce, main auditorium located at 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington DC 20230. The forum is an information sharing and collaborative all day training session for all interested in promoting the effectiveness and efficiency of mail. This year's forum is focusing on "Leadership". The keynote speaker will present a session on "Remind Me Why I Took This Job". For more information, contact Derrick Miliner at 202 208-4706 or email at derrick.miliner@gsa.gov.
October 11, 2002 -- The Albuquerque Tribune has reported that "since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the amount of U.S. mail carried by FedEx Express has nearly doubled and service has improved, but the Postal Service continues to work to get mail back on commercial airlines. Last year, FedEx Express, the overnight air express unit of FedEx Corp., and the Postal Service formed a $7.2 billion, seven-year alliance; the bulk involves FedEx transporting about 3.1 million pounds of express, first-class and priority mail a day. Before FedEx, the Postal Service used multiple cargo carriers to move mail from airport to airport. Since FedEx began the air transport contract in August 2001, the Postal Service has twice added more mail volume to the FedEx contract on a short-term basis. FedEx now carries closer to 7 million pounds of mail a day; the Postal Service ships about 8 million pounds a day by air."
October 11, 2002 -- The Zambia News Agency has reported that the Zambian "government has commended ZAMPOST for its resolve to reduce delays in mail deliveries and improving the quality of services to its clientele.
October 11, 2002 -- AllAfrica.Com has reported that "to facilitate easy detection of bombs and metals including prohibited items, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has installed a multi-purpose screening machine at the International Mail Processing Centre (IMPC-Air), Ikeja, Lagos.
October 11, 2002 -- AllAfrica Global Media has reported that "a fund is being set up to help improve postal services in the rural areas of Kenya. The Universal Service Fund will encourage mail delivery operators to take their services to unserved and under-served areas."
October 11, 2002 -- Le Monde (France) has reported that "the management of La Poste, the French state postal service operator, has signed an agreement with trade unions to allow its employees access to trade union information via the company's own intranet."
October 10, 2002 -- Business Line (India) has reported that "the Postal Department has relaunched the postal identity cards, which can be used by members of public for use in several post offices for easy access to certain postal services requiring identification like money transfer.The ID card will be issued in the jurisdictional post offices at a cost of Rs 6 and will be useful for the travelling public not only as an identity card but for receiving postal articles."
October 10, 2002 -- The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs has confirmed the renomination of PRC member Ruth Goldway to a second term, and the nomination of Tony Hammond, who will complete Ed Gleiman's term. The commission's roster now stands at four: George Omas, Chairman; Danny Covington, Vice-Chairman; Ruth Goldway; Tony Hammond; and one vacancy.
October 10, 2002 -- Eyefortransport.com has reported that "Airborne, Inc. is enhancing International Express, its door-to-door, time definite global service, by more than doubling maximum weight and increasing maximum size measurements. Effective immediately, Airborne Express will accept International Express shipments weighing up to 150 pounds per piece, with a maximum girth of 130 inches. Previous limits were 70 pounds per piece, with a maximum girth of 108 inches."
October 10, 2002 -- According to BruneiDirect.com, "the [Brunei] Communications Minister Pehin Dato Awang Haji Zakaria said the government through the Postal Services Department continues to upgrade the quality of the postal services and to bring the benefits closer to the public."
October 10, 2002 -- FedEx Corp. has signed an agreement with Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. to open cargo collection centers at its retail gas stations. Under a revenue sharing agreement signed Tuesday, FedEx will initially open 100 centers in eight cities by Dec. 1.
October 9, 2002 -- Not only do worldwide mail services deliver nearly 445 billion letters every year, they are also increasingly tied to newer means of communications such as electronic transactions, the head of the United Nations postal agency said today in commemorating World Post Day. Thomas E. Leavey, Director General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), noted that the role of postal services today go far beyond the physical delivery of mail. Products ordered over the Internet can be delivered through the postal network, while more posts are also providing Internet services through their own outlets by setting up Internet "cafes" or kiosks in post office lobbies.
October 9, 2002 -- The Hindu (India) has reported that "the [Indian] postal department would introduce the electronic post (e-post) in the North Eastern region by the end of this year. The e-post facility would bridge the gap between Internet users and non-internet users, the North Eastern circle Chief Post Master General, P. K. Chatterjee told reporters at his office here. Chatterjee said a message sent by the sender through E-post would be downloaded and a printout delivered by hand to the concerned addresses like other letters."
October 9, 2002 -- According to the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, "current levels of productivity at the Postal Service are not high enough to justify the postal wage premium. Substantially faster increases in productivity would be hard to achieve given the constraints under which the organization now operates, but if they could be managed, they would reduce the need for reductions in compensation. While the Postal Service has become more productive over time, its productivity growth has been less than the average in the private sector. A general reason why government enterprises are usually less efficient than private sector businesses is that managers in the two sectors face fundamentally different incentives. Postal productivity is further held back by constraints Congress has imposed, work rule restrictions, and adversarial labor-management relations. Although the recent cost control efforts are commendable, the workforce reductions are modest compared to those achieved by some foreign postal services, and there is concern that Congress may block some of the agency’s initiatives to lower its costs. Consequently, future postal rate increases are likely.
October 9, 2002 -- In yet another paper, the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation has asked: "Is expansion into other product lines the answer to the Postal Service’s problems? Or would a larger Postal Service merely spread its problems to a broader sector of the economy?
October 9, 2002 -- Following the great success of last year's first edition the Hamburg based MRU has now published a new volume of "The Top 101 of the European CEP Market". The work containing 170 pages describes the European CEP market's leading companies showing key figures of 2001, 2000 and 1999 as well as the companies' standard and specific services. Ranking tables offer the opportunity for direct comparisons - both on national and on international level. The survey is directed to CEP service providers who want to gain information on behalf of their competitors or potential partners as well as to consignors and companies acting as suppliers for the KEP industry. Those will find their main clients in the new edition: "Our aim is to provide the most up-to-date and highly detailed guide for the European CEP community", said MRU MD Horst Manner-Romberg. "Within this fast-grown and vast industry this study provides a detailed overview and a guide for orientation." The study is available for Euro 249 (net value). Subscription price until October 31, 2002: Euro 229. Orders may be sent by fax (+49.40.2272 5810) , email (top 101@m-r-u.de ) or via MRU's homepage at www.m-r-u.de
October 9, 2002 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
CEP News is without a doubt one of the best newsletters you can find that focuses on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. For more information on a subscription to CEP News, contact the publisher.
October 9, 2002 -- News from the October meeting of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors:
October 9, 2002 -- The Memphis Commercial Appeal has reported that "since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the amount of U.S. mail carried by FedEx Express has nearly doubled and service has improved, but the Postal Service continues to work to get mail back on commercial airlines. 'We would like to get back to the original design,' Paul Vogel, the Postal Service's vice president of network operations management, said after the Postal Service's Board of Governors meeting Tuesday at The Peabody. That design means trucks carrying 50 percent of the mail volume, while FedEx and commercial airlines evenly split the remainder. However, since the terrorist attacks, security concerns have restricted the cargo that airlines can carry, including mail. Vogel said the airlines get about $450 million in revenue for carrying mail, or about half the amount earned before Sept. 11."
October 9, 2002 -- The Financial Times has reported that:
October 9, 2002 -- DHL Worldwide Express has bought a 30 percent stake in the cargo unit of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways in hopes of forming a regional powerhouse to grab a bigger share of the soaring Asian airfreight market.
October 9, 2002 -- AFX has reported that "the [Japanese] Postal Services Corp, to be created in April, is expected to adopt a performance-linked bonus and promotion system for its workforce of some 300,000.
October 9, 2002 -- Time magazine has reported that "Americans now make more payments electronically — by credit or debit card or via the Internet — than by paper checks. In 1995 consumers wrote 49.5 billion checks. By 2000 that number had dropped 14% to 42.5 billion. Meanwhile, online bill payment is now used by some 12 million households, up from 10 million in 2001. What's driving the shift? Over the past year, electronic payment got a boost when the anthrax attacks elevated fear of using the mail, says Bill Nelson of the Electronic Payments Association. The hike in postal rates also hurt snail mail."
October 9, 2002 -- Shipping Times has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc aircraft mechanics ratified a new contract with the world's largest delivery company that raises pay as much as 40 per cent over five years."
October 9, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "the United States should press for opened aviation markets around the world, but it doesn't necessarily have to aim for complete open skies, said Mike Eskew, chairman and chief executive of United Parcel Service."
October 9, 2002 -- Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy) has reported that "the Italian post office Poste closed the first half of 2002 with net losses of 99m euros, compared with a deficit of 42m euros in the same period last year."
October 9, 2002 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Pitney Bowes Inc, the US manufacturer of mail processing machinery, currently shows turnover of 135m euros in Germany, of which 100m euros generated by subsidiary Pitney Bowes Deutschland GmbH and roughly 35m euros by German services subsidiary Pitney Bowes Management Services Deutschland. Pitney Bowes Deutschland GmbH has a 35 per cent share of the German market for document management equipment and a 21 per cent share of the market for franking machines."
October 9, 2002 -- According to The Herald (U.K.), "following its decision to pull out of standard deliveries to focus on express services, with the loss of 6700 jobs from a workforce of 11,700, sales at Consignia's parcel operation have been running well ahead of budget. In the last six months Parcelforce achieved sales of £110m, against a target of £83m."
October 9, 2002 -- Escher Group, Ltd., a leading provider of peer-to-peer messaging and data management solutions, today announced that it is working with Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH, a leading supplier of IT products and services for the retail-banking and retail industries that has successfully entered the postal market, to develop peripheral drivers that are compatible with Escher's WebRiposte(TM) counter automation platform.
October 9, 2002 -- As Pacific Business News has noted, "from tens of millions for stronger cockpit doors to hundreds of millions for terrorism insurance that used to cost less than those little packets of peanuts, U.S. airlines are spending a lot of money they don't have for security-related expenses, and they want Washington to foot the bill instead."
October 8, 2002 -- In a postal geek's world, says postal commentator Gene Del Polito, nothing beats a good conference dealing with postal regulatory and economic issues.
October 8, 2002 -- MaltaMedia has reported that "customers using Maltapost's services at any branch office on Wednesday 9th October will be offered a unique opportunity to win a return flight ticket for two persons to any Air Malta destination in Europe. The competition is being organised as part of Maltapost's celebration of World Post Day, commemorating the founding of the Universal Postal Union on 9th October 1874. This day will in fact be celebrated throughout UPU's 189 member states all over the world."
October 8, 2002 -- Dow Jones has reported that the State of New York will "buy a midtown Manhattan building from the United States Postal Service and convert it into a new glass-covered Pennsylvania Station under an agreement reached Monday. Gov. George Pataki and the Postal Service have arranged a deal that would transform the James A. Farley Building on Eighth Avenue into a major transportation terminal, serving riders of Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit and the subway system. The state is expected to buy the 1.4-million-square-foot Farley building for about $230 million."
October 8, 2002 -- Smart Money has reported that "Morgan Stanley reduced its ratings on United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. (FDX) to underweight from equal-weight Monday, saying the two largest package-delivery companies have the least upside potential among the air freight and trucking companies the firm analyses."
October 8, 2002 -- Escher Group Limited, a leading provider of peer-to-peer messaging and data management solutions, today announced that Austrian Post will be upgrading to the WebRiposte(TM) platform for its counter automation system. WebRiposte is Escher's multi-channel, peer-to-peer, distributed messaging solution that includes content distribution and storage. Post AG will be using WebRiposte to integrate Internet-based applications from partner businesses into their postal counters environment.
October 8, 2002 -- Group 1 Software has announced regulatory approval by Canada Post Corporation (CPC) of Group 1's SortStream Canada postal presort solution. Canada Post has SERP-recognized SortStream Canada for all categories of mail, providing mailers the highest attainable postal discounts. As a significant enhancement, SortStream Canada is now CPC-recognized to support palletization, also referred to as monotainers, for direct marketers presenting mass mailings in Canada.
October 7, 2002 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada) has reported that "the long anticipated kick-off meeting to table and discuss the issues and timelines surrounding new Quebec addressing requirements is scheduled for 10:00AM, Thursday, October 10, for all NAMMU members and other interested parties, at Gaz Metropolitain in Montreal. Members have been encouraged to invite the appropriate specialists from their organizations and several members are bringing their software development suppliers. The national Address Management team from Canada Post will be accompanied by the local co-ordinators in Quebec to ensure comprehensive coverage and continuity in follow-through at the Chapter level. This is a joint meeting of Quebec City and Montreal chapters, co-chaired by Andree Harbour, Quebec City Chapter Director and Jean Gaumond, Montreal Chapter Director. There is no charge for this session but you must register in advance: andree.harbour@spgdag.ca or mobourbonnais@gazmet.com
October 7, 2002 -- Datamonitor has reported that "TNT Express, a division of TPG, has signed five years' agreement with Postlog, the express division of Portuguese postal service CTT Correios, to provide co-branded worldwide delivery products. The deal is part of TNT's wider partnership strategy; the company aims to enhance its brand awareness and to build a stronger global network. "
October 7, 2002 -- CargoWebNews has reported that "Deutsche Post's ceo Klaus Zumwinkel put an end to the speculation circulating over the weekend in a letter to his employees." See also the Financial Times.
October 7, 2002 -- Bloomberg has reported that "Deutsche Post AG Chief Executive Klaus Zumwinkel has spent $5 billion on acquisitions since 1998 to reduce dependence on the domestic mail business. So far, the company still makes more money from delivering postcards than from flying urgent documents to their destination on time. Europe's largest postal service expects its mail business to be four times more profitable this year than either its new express or goods-transport businesses."
October 7, 2002 -- Other postal news from around the world:
Die Welt (Germany) has reported that "Europost AG, the German postal service provider affiliated to Dutch-based TPG Post Group, is developing letter delivery services in Germany. Europost, in which Otto-Versand subsidiary Hermes also holds a 29 per cent stake, has 40m euros at its disposal for the first stage of the development programme. Until the full deregulation of the letter delivery market, expected in 2007, the company will be restricted to certain categories of letters, such as mass printed material weighing more than 51 grams, as rival Deutsche Post still has an extensive monopoly on the delivery of light mail."
The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "the Tories yesterday warned that they were poised to pounce on the government if the radical restructuring plans ministers have approved for Consignia fail to turn the company around."
October 7, 2002 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "Postcomm, the [British] postal services regulator, has attacked Consignia for claiming proposed new regulations would force the loss of 5,000 jobs.
October 7, 2002 -- According to DM News postal commentator Cary Baer, "it’s obvious that electronic bill presentment and payment are increasing. It also seems that the economic downturn is not ending so soon. The recession in all forms of advertising, including direct mail, continues unabated. Therefore, the [Postal Service's FY 2003]`forecasted mail volume increase for next year may be too optimistic. To meet the FY 2003 forecast, the postmaster general may need to make a deeper cut with his scalpel. The cost-cutting route to prosperity may not end for some time."
October 7, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "the Communication Workers Union is expected to call for the removal of Graham Corbett, chairman of the postal regulator, as the disagreement over stamp prices continues. Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, is also expected to seek the support of Conservatives by claiming pricing proposals are a threat to villages.
October 7, 2002 -- Arab News has reported that "FedEx in the Saudi Kingdom has agreed to collect marked US absentee ballots and send them at no charge via its express mail service to the United States. FedEx will deliver the completed ballots to the US Postal Service for onward posting to the local voting offices in the various states."
October 7, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "Distribution Fulfillment Services Inc., the logistics arm of the Spiegel Group, switched its small package surface shipping last month from United Parcel Service to the U.S. Postal Service. DFS handles fulfillment and distribution for Eddie Bauer, Spiegel and all other Spiegel Group ventures except for Newport News. Bill Terry, senior manager, domestic logistics at DFS, would not discuss how much DFS spends on small package shipping or how much it expects to save by the switch, saying only that the number of packages involved "is a very large volume." Newport News is the only Spiegel marketer that will not switch."
October 6, 2002 -- The Federal Times has published a profile on Steve Lenoir, President of the National League of Postmasters.
October 6, 2002 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "Consignia has warned that the proposals of regulator Postcomm to introduce price curbs could seriously hamper the provision of postal services in rural regions of Scotland."
October 6, 2002 -- According to goMemphis.com, "when it comes to labor unrest, Memphis-based FedEx Corp. tends to benefit. For example, take the Teamsters-United Parcel Service Inc. contract talks this past summer. Before those talks reached a resolution in July, nervous shippers diverted 140,000 to 150,000 packages a day to FedEx Ground just in case. Will the ongoing labor dispute that has shut down 29 West Coast ports since Sunday net the same for FedEx?"
October 6, 2002 -- Bloomberg.com has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. may add flights between Asia and the U.S. to meet an increase in demand as the U.S. West Coast port shutdowns drag on."
October 6, 2002 -- United Parcel Service (UPS) has signed an air carrier agreement to participate in the U.S. Customs Service's Trade Partnership Against Terrorism initiative (C-TPAT). C-TPAT is a joint government-business initiative designed to build cooperative relationships that strengthen overall supply chain and border security. Through this initiative, Customs can provide the highest level of security through close cooperation with the ultimate owners of the supply chain -- importers, carriers, brokers, warehouse operators and manufacturers.
October 6, 2002 -- Federal Computer Week has reported that "nearly 90 percent of locally elected officials use e-mail and the Internet daily to solicit constituent opinions, promote policies and facilitate debates, according to a new national report."
October 6, 2002 -- Traffic World has reported that "the topic of security took center stage at the recent Air Cargo Forum in Hong Kong, with all participants agreeing that the worse-case scenario of banning freight from the bellies of aircraft would cripple the airline industry irrevocably."
October 6, 2002 -- Deutsche Post has inaugurated the “Deutsche Post World Net USA Scholarship Fund” - set up as a non-profit foundation - to provide scholarships for young people adversely affected by the horrific events of 9/11. Deutsche Post World Net contributed $500,000 on behalf of the 16,000 employees of DHL Worldwide Express, Danzas-AEI, Global Mail and PB Capital in the United States." See the report by Traffic World.
October 5, 2002 -- JoongAng Ilbo (Korea) has reported that "the Korean Minister of Information and Communication announced Friday that 1,000 new postmen would be employed between now and next year to ease workloads and speed up service. The government's goal was to immediately reduce overtime hours to an average of 70 hours a month through outsourcing and employing part-time workers."
October 5, 2002 -- According to The Independent (U.K.), "Allan Leighton used to be one of the most talented chief executives in the land, but joining the Royal Mail seems to have turned his head. All the history of utility price regulation demonstrates that despite the howls of protest that greet every review, the regulator has invariably hugely underestimated the organisation's scope for cost cutting and efficiency gain. The Post Office has never been subjected to proper competition. It is a bloated, badly managed organisation and a last bastion of unjustified union militancy in a fast changing world. It deserves and needs the kicking it is getting."
October 5, 2002 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "air cargo rates have risen sharply in the past five days, as the lockout of West Coast ports coincides with the seasonal increase in shipments, placing a premium on available capacity."
October 4, 2002 -- One of the best examples of the reach and power of direct mail has been the "Child Find" initiative undertaken by Advo, Inc. in conjunction with the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. The program has been the brain-child of Advo Governmental Affairs Senior Vice President Vincent Giuliano, who was given the Association for Postal Commerce's highest honor, The J. Edward Day Award, in recognition of his extraordinary service to the nation. For those who have never seen it, a copy of Reunion has been posted on this site. It recounts some of the fantastic outcomes that have resulted from this extraordinary program involving the placement of missing children's pictures on the face of a detached address card used with the distribution of mailed, printed advertising.
October 4, 2002 -- The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing next week to confirm the renomination of PRC member Ruth Goldway, and the nomination of Tony Hammond. The hearing will be held October 8 at 9 a.m. in Dirksen 342.
October 4, 2002 -- Save American Airmail, a coalition to stop cuts in rural mail service, has been launched by eight regional airlines and three regional airline associations. The group will fight the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) decision to terminate the ASYS-R regional airmail contract in May 2003. Save American Airmail is already working with members of Congress through direct advocacy and grassroots action.
October 4, 2002 -- The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will conduct its monthly meeting in Memphis, TN at the Peabody Hotel, 149 Union Avenue, on Monday and Tuesday, October 7-8, 2002. While the Monday meeting is in closed session, the public is welcome to observe Tuesday's meeting. Tuesday's open session is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Continental Ballroom.
October 4, 2002 -- As USPSNewsOnline has noted, "the new 'Buy Stamps Here' decal helps consumers identify non-postal locations coast to coast where postage stamps are sold. Postage stamps are now available at nearly 60,000 convenient locations — like grocery stores — across the U.S. in addition to the 38,000 post offices and contract stations where they are traditionally sold. Widespread availability lets consumers buy stamps when and where they need them."
October 4, 2002 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that:
October 4, 2002 -- The Globe and Mail (Canada) has reported that "Canada Post plans to launch a large-scale on-line auction of its undeliverable merchandise -- everything from digital cameras to leather coats -- on eBay.ca after successful tests generated healthy sales. The postal service every year is left with 'literally tons' of undeliverable goods, including stolen wallets and purses that are dumped in mailboxes after being stripped of the money, said John Lee, general manager of retail and e-commerce sales at Canada Post. Under federal regulations, Canada Post must hold on to these items for seven months -- in the case of jewellery for one year -- and then dispose of them if they're unclaimed."
October 4, 2002 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published its "Fiscal Year 2003 Annual Performance Plan." Reading it is worth your while.
October 4, 2002 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "the chairman of the Royal Mail warned last night that it could go bust after the postal regulator announced 'shocking' price curbs which will cut the company's revenues by almost £500m. Allan Leighton, the ex-Asda boss who now runs the postal system, described Postcomm's proposals as a 'disaster' and said he would have no option but to appeal to the Competition Commission unless the regulator backed down."
October 4, 2002 -- The Communication Managers Association (CMA) section of Amicus, Britain's largest private sector union, has today said that the price control proposals announced by the Postcomm postal regulator could mean up to 10,000 redundancies for Royal Mail over and above the 30,000 previously announced and threaten the future financial viability of the company.
October 4, 2002 -- The postal industry regulator today proposed higher stamp prices and compensation for late delivery and lost mail. Richard Colwill, Times Online Business Editor, follows the ensuing uproar and explains why Consignia is in such a mess.
October 4, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express was awarded a contract by the Hong Kong Airport Authority to operate an express cargo terminal at the territory's largest airport. That would strengthen DHL's competitive position vis-à-vis its two biggest competitors in the global market, United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp."
October 4, 2002 -- According to e-Marketer, "as banks offer more transactional services online, more customers take advantage of them. As a result, while some areas of e-commerce stagnate or slump, online banking experiences strong growth."
October 4, 2002 -- Czech Happenings has reported that "the current government will not sell postal services operator Ceska posta into private hands in its term of office."
October 4, 2002 -- The Daily News (Sri Lanka) has reported that "Director General of Information Department, Ariya Rubasingha said 'Entering the postal code will be a necessity in future'. Speaking at a press briefing on Universal Postal Day, Director General said that it will minimise the delay in delivering mail to respective post offices."
October 3, 2002 -- According to the Financial Times, "for a company that began life providing a monopoly mail service, Germany's Deutsche Post World Net has come a long way in transforming itself into one of the world's leading e-logistics service providers."
October 3, 2002 -- Jiji Press (Japan) has reported that "a new Japanese public corporation that will take over the state-run postal services will set numerical business targets to boost its efficiency. The new corporation, to be created in April 2003, will aim to cut costs in all business areas."
October 3, 2002 -- News shorts from other sources around the web:
October 3, 2002 -- Forbes has reported that "the head of United Parcel Service Inc. said that the company was adding cargo flights between the United States and Asia because of a labor dispute that has shut America's western seaports."
October 3, 2002 -- DM News has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers formed a joint task force to study the postal service's transformation plan."
October 3, 2002 -- Dupont Daily News has reported that "the French post office network, La Poste, recently began offering “Distingo Suivi a Bulles,” a collection of protective mailers made with an outer shell of DuPont™ Tyvek® brand protective material and specifically designed for shipping CDs, DVDs and videotapes."
October 3, 2002 -- Reuters has reported that "Dutch mail, express and logistics company TPG NV said on Thursday it had signed a five-year agreement with PostLog, the express division of Portuguese postal service CTT Correios, to provide co-branded worldwide delivery products. Announcing the move in a statement, TPG gave no financial details for the deal which extends a relationship between the two companies."
October 3, 2002 -- U.TV (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail has warned that its chances of recovery could be 'fatally damaged' despite being given the go-ahead to increase the price of stamps by 1p." See also the report by Ananova.
October 3, 2002 -- Business A.M. (U.K.) has reported that the British "postal regulator has proposed to allow struggling postal operator Consignia to raise prices of first and second class stamps by one penny - but there was a sting in the regulator's tail. The regulator, Postcomm, proposed a 3% increase in average prices from April next year, which would allow the Royal Mail to raise the price of first class stamps to 28p and second class stamps to 20p each. The move, called for by Consignia in April, would bring in an extra £170m a year for the struggling 365-year-old postal service, which unveiled a full-year loss of £1.1bn in mid-June." See also the report by the Associated Press.
October 3, 2002 -- In a letter to Sen. Hollings (D-SC), Department of Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta said that DHL has complied fully with all U.S. requirements regarding the laws governing ownership of an airline. Therefore, the complaints lodged against DHL by UPS and Fedex are without merit.
October 3, 2002 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that British "households will be eligible for compensation running into tens of millions of pounds for lost or delayed letters under a scheme expected to be unveiled today by the postal regulator. Postcomm is expected to announce that Consignia will have to pay domestic customers up to £14 for each delayed letter and up to £27 compensation for any letter lost or destroyed in the post. Consignia recently admitted losing up to half a million letters a week and industry estimates suggest the compensation scheme could cost it £60m a year unless its performance improves dramatically."
October 3, 2002 -- Computing Magazine (United Kingdom) has reported that "Consignia plans to use online auctions for half of its GBP 1.5bn annual purchasing budget. The former Post Office's decision marks one of the largest commitments to the ecommerce technology yet seen in the UK. The company, which lost GBP 1.1bn in its last financial year, says auctions could result in annual savings of 10 per cent - some GBP 75m."
October 3, 2002 -- According to InformationWeek, "investment and dot-com are almost mutually exclusive terms, but FedEx Corp. is spending money on FedEx.com and says the funds are yielding notable cost savings. FedEx.com is saving the company $25 million each month, CIO Robert Carter said at a FedEx investors meeting Tuesday in New York. The site gets an average of 2.3 million package-tracking requests a day, which adds up to savings for the company because no FedEx employees need be involved. It estimates that it costs 4 cents to track a package online, compared with $2.14 when customer service gets involved."
October 3, 2002 -- Tradeshow Week magazine has predicted attendance at trade shows this year will run around 56 million, a far cry from the estimated 140 million folks who attended such networking events in 1999. Exhibit spending tends to lag attendance changes because of the planning required, but it has already fallen in most industries. Trade show exhibit space dropped 1.4 percent last year -- its first decline in more than a decade -- and is expected to fall an additional 2.5 percent this year. A bad sign for the National Postal Forum.
October 2, 2002 -- The Direct Marketing Club of New York has named PostCom President Gene Del Polito as the recipient of its prestigious 2002 Mal Dunn Leadership Award. Mr. Del Polito will receive this honor at the DMCNY meeting that will be held on October 10. For more information on the luncheon, check out http://www.dmcny.org.
October 2, 2002 -- Ireland Online has reported that "the Socialist Party is warning that the Nice Treaty paves the way for the wholesale privatisation of water, electricity, gas and postal services."
October 2, 2002 -- The Associated Press has reported that according to a report released Tuesday by the General Accounting Office, "Amtrak employees and private lenders would be repaid a small fraction of the $8.3 billion the railroad owes them if it were to be liquidated, according to a new report. The nation's other railroad workers and employers would end up paying more taxes into retirement and unemployment insurance funds."
October 2, 2002 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:
October 2, 2002 -- According to Hoovers Online, "Sandy Springs-based UPS is no longer just a delivery method for business customers. For some, it is filling many more roles ranging from warehousing and inventory management to order processing and service repairs. It's part of UPS Chairman and Chief Executive Mike Eskew's still unfolding plan to use the company's transportation engineering expertise to embed UPS more deeply in all areas of commerce, from finance to customer service -- even computer repairs."
October 2, 2002 -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "United Parcel Service has joined a list of companies suing an Internet advertising firm whose 'pop-up' ads appear on some customers' screens without company permission. Some of the offending ads, according to UPS, were for archrival FedEx."
October 2, 2002 -- The Russian Communications Ministry has made a decision to shut down international exchange outlets of the Russian express mail operator EMS Garantpost Moscow.The outlets of the Russian-French joint venture EMS Garantpost will be shut down in line with a plan of measures within a concept of the restructuring of Russian federal mail service, which was approved by the government. The plan, in particular, provides for putting into order places and outlets of international mail exchange, which are structural divisions of state institutions and state unitary enterprises. According to the Communications Ministry decision, all mail addressed via EMS Garantpost will be sent through the federal state unitary enterprise Mezhdunarodny Pochtamt (International Post Office).
October 2, 2002 -- Pravda (Russia) has reported that "the American postal service sent letters to Afghanistan after September 11 attacks. The letters were addressed to Osama bin Laden. NTVRU.Com reported that those letters were detected and their further shipment was delayed. However, the US Ministry for Justice did not allow to open the envelopes, because there was no reasonable evidence for that. The fact that the letters were addressed to the prime suspect was not considered as reasonable evidence, though. As a result, all those letters were mailed to Afghanistan with other letters and packages. The US Congress toughened the legal norms in the field of struggle with the international terrorism later. Now such letters can be opened and read. Who knows, what can be found there."
October 2, 2002 -- Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "German Parcel, the German express delivery subsidiary of Dutch-based logistics group General Logistics Systems (GLS), is to be renamed GLS Germany as part of a major expansion strategy across Europe. GLS is a subsidiary of Consignia, the UK's postal services operator. Management announced yesterday that it aimed to integrate its 18 different subsidiaries under the GLS brandname. GLS is determined to increase annual turnover to 1.5bn euros and Ebit to 59m euros by 2005. The group intends to invest 147m euros across Europe by financial year 2005/2006. Roughly 50 per cent of the investments will be used for an ambitious expansion programme in Germany."
October 2, 2002 -- According to The Woodlands Villager, "personal letters are soon to be extinct. A child born today will probably never have cause to write a letter. E-mails are pretty much taking over the world. They're just a whole lot easier to write and to send."
October 2, 2002 -- The Business Line (India) has reported that "the courier companies are worried over the impact of the proposed Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 2002, on their business prospects. The proposed amendments, they fear, will monopolise express delivery of letters and documents with the Department of Posts, hitting their business. The proposed changes in the Post Office Bill are "regressive" and make little sense at a time when the trend is towards ensuring a level-playing field for all market players, according to Mr Sandip Shah, the immediate past President of the Express Industry Council of India (EICI)."
October 2, 2002 -- Senior executives from across the $900 billion mailing industry today endorsed the concept of a Presidential Postal Commission to spur reform in the nation's postal system. The call came from the newly formed Mailing Industry CEO Council, an outgrowth of the Mailing Industry Task Force.
October 2, 2002 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that "Russia's telecommunications and postal industry posted R171bn in sales in January-August, up 13.2 per cent on the year. Sales to households rose 27.7 per cent on the year to R75.5bn, while sales to companies were up 4.7 per cent on the year to R95.5bn.
October 2, 2002 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "the shutdown of West Coast ports has resulted in a lot of new inquiries from freight forwarders about the availability of space on flights to and from Asia. But so far, the lock-out of union longshoremen by terminal operators has produced little additional business, as forwarders and shippers wait to see how long the stand-off between labor and management goes on.
October 1, 2002 -- According to Dow Jones, "the lockout of longshoremen at West Coast ports could result in "massive bankruptcies" for California's truckers if the standoff isn't settled soon. The California Trucking Association, or CTA, which represents 2,500 trucking companies in California, and is the second-largest transit association in the U.S., is considering requesting that local and federal governments declare a state of emergency for their industry, said Stephanie Williams, vice president in charge of legislative affairs for the Sacramento-based trade group."
October 1, 2002 -- Retailer J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has said it expected September sales at department stores open at least a year likely fell in the low single digits on a percentage basis as seasonal items like sweaters sold weakly in the latest week. Same-store sales at Eckerd drugstores track at the low end of the forecast range calling for 6 percent to 8 percent growth. Catalog sales were expected to be down about 20 percent." Not a good sign for postal forecasting.
October 1, 2002 -- On the Motley Fool message board, it was noted that "after extensive study and consideration, UPS has decided to consolidate the Midwest Region. At this time, the plan is for the Midwest Region's districts to begin reporting to North Central Region on January 1, 2003. As with other consolidations that we have experienced, a region consolidation team is being formed to facilitate the process. This consolidation will help UPS save costs and remain competitive. The plan is to make this process a seamless transition for customers. They should understand - as well as UPS does - that this is part of UPS's continuous improvement process."
October 1, 2002 -- In her testimony to a Senate postal oversight panel, U.S. Postal Service Inspector General Karla Corcoran noted that "The Postal Service is a governmental entity that is required to act in a businesslike manner. While fulfilling its public role of providing universal service, it also must compete with private industry and foreign posts. Being a governmental entity, the Postal Service must be accountable to the public, who fund the Postal Service through the purchase of products and services. To survive, the Postal Service needs to articulate how it will balance providing public service with commercial enterprise in implementing strategies to meet future service and delivery challenges. This objective cannot be achieved without continuity of vision. However, in the past five years three different Postmasters General have introduced their own distinct vision of the Postal Service's future, and implemented operational changes consistent with their vision, which affected the costs and revenues of the Postal Service. The Postal Service needs a clearly defined, long-term strategy to achieve an appropriate balance between public service and commercial enterprise that transcends short-term changes in senior management."
October 1, 2002 -- ABC News has reported that "U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers will propose legislation to provide the airline industry with temporary terrorism insurance and ease some security restrictions to help carriers boost revenue, a congressional committee said on Monday. Spearheaded by Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican and chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, a draft version of the plan offers a measured response to industry appeals for help to ease its serious financial problems."
October 1, 2002 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has announced that it is to continue operating its loss-making digital signature subsidiary Signtrust. It had been due to withdraw entirely from the business, as announced at the end of May, but will remain in operation."
October 1, 2002 -- The Independent has reported that "the British Government came under attack yesterday for deliberately attempting to run down the post office network, particularly branches in rural areas. Ministers were accused of dithering over financial assistance to prevent further rural closures and also of drawing up plans to make it as difficult as possible for benefit claimants to continue receiving payments through their local post office."
October 1, 2002 -- AFX news service has reported that "French union officials said air, rail and telephone services in France are to be disrupted Thursday when workers strike to protest government privatisation plans they fear will lead to job losses and benefit cuts. The stoppage is to affect both of Paris's airports, Air France, the postal network, Electricite de France, Gaz de France and France Telecom. More than 60,000 workers from those companies are to hold a march through the centre of Paris as part of the coordinated strike, which was called by the country's biggest unions."
