WORLD POSTAL NEWS

WORLD POSTAL NEWS

POSTAL NEWS
No.10 -2018
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Caisse des Depots looks at takeover of French. postal service: report. January 25, 2018. 2. Teamsters Tell UPS No Drones or Driverless Trucks. January 24, 2018. 3. The UPS Store Achieves Top Ranking In Franchise 500. January 19, 2018. 4. Chunghwa Post’s mail business turns profitable. January 18, 2018. 5. PT Pos welcomes plan to establish logistics holding. January 11, 2018.
1. Caisse des Depots looks at takeover of French postal service: report
January 25, 2018

PARIS (Reuters) - French public sector lender Caisse des Depots (CDC) is looking at taking control of the French postal service La Poste as part of a review under new president Eric Lombard, French newspaper Les Echos reported.
The newspaper said La Poste, which owns a bank with a balance sheet of 230 billion euros ($286.95 billion), has long wanted to merge with insurer CNP Assurances (CNPP.PA) to diversify its range of businesses.
CDC has a 41 percent stake in CNP Assurances and Lombard considers that if La Poste takes control of CNP Assurances, the under CDC supervision, the state would secure and consolidate dividends, the paper reported.
La Poste already has an 18 percent stake in CNP via Sopassure, a joint holding with French cooperating lender BPCE. BPCE also controls French bank Natixis (CNAT.PA). CDC said in a statement to Reuters that all options were possible, including the “status quo.”
“Nothing is decided. For La Poste, CNP Assurances, as for other our investments, we will take into account three criteria: the long-term interest of the company for its employees, general interest and the economic interest for Caisse des Depots,” CDC said in the statement “To sum it up, if an operation is done, it needs to make sense for the institution it (CDC) manages.”
Source : Reuters
2. Teamsters Tell UPS No Drones or Driverless Trucks
January 24, 2018
The Teamsters union wants to prohibit United Parcel Service Inc. UPS -0.59% from using drones or driverless vehicles to deliver packages.
That was one of the labor union’s initial demands as it kicked off high-stakes contract talks with UPS this week. The Teamsters also want the parcel giant to eliminate late-night deliveries and add another 10,000 workers to the ranks, among other things.
The two sides are starting to negotiate one of the largest collective bargaining agreements in the U.S., which covers around 260,000 UPS employees and expires in July. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ National Negotiating Committee this week submitted to UPS an 83-page document updating the prior agreement.
Both sides declined to comment on the specifics of the proposal.
UPS spokesman Steve Gaut said the company is focused on negotiating a contract that provides the company the flexibility required “to remain a highly competitive provider of reliable service,” especially as smaller and new delivery companies encroach on its turf.
The talks are starting amid a changed landscape in the delivery world since the two sides last hammered out an agreement. Over the past five years, online sales have surged, adding extra business for parcel-delivery companies
like UPS, FedEx Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service as they deliver billions of packages to homes.
The surge has also been expensive for the companies, as they have spent billions of dollars to add warehouses, “sortation centers” and technology to handle the increasing volume. At the same time, the labor market for warehouse and delivery workers has tightened, forcing wages higher in many cases.
The Teamsters document addresses a number of work rules and conditions. For instance, it wants to ban deliveries after 9 p.m., including during the peak delivery months of November and December when drivers were sometimes delivering packages later into the night. It wants to prohibit UPS from using drones, driverless vehicles and other new technology to transport, deliver or pick up packages.
UPS, like Amazon.com Inc. and others, has been testing drone deliveries and said there are opportunities for new technologies to help reduce costs. In February 2017, the company conducted a test in rural Florida with a drone that delivered a package from the roof of a truck while the driver continued along a route for a separate delivery.
The Teamsters document also pushes for safeguards that allow workers to refuse to work in unsafe conditions and overloaded trucks. “It is the company’s responsibility to hire and maintain a sufficient workforce to service its customers without unreasonably burdening its employees,” the document notes. “Management has consistently failed to fulfill its obligation.”
The proposals represent the starting point for the Teamsters, cobbled together after months of discussions among local unions. The language will be negotiated over the coming months.
“UPS will negotiate in an environment of mutual respect and looks forward to rewarding employees for their contribution to our success,” Mr. Gaut said.
The Teamsters’ opening salvo omits the thornier topics of wages and benefits, which are typically negotiated during the latter stages of the discussions. The union, whose president is James P. Hoffa, replaced its lead UPS negotiator last fall.
Source: Teamsters.Org
3. The UPS Store Achieves Top Ranking In Franchise 500
January 19, 2018
The company ranks fourth among franchise brands measured for qualities such as system growth, support and brand strength.
The UPS Store, Inc., the nation’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers, is once again ranked among the top franchise brands according to Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Franchise 500 list. The company is ranked fourth– but first in its category - for the second year in a row – its highest ranking in the 28 years of inclusion on the list.
The Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list is an exclusive collection of premiere franchise brands across 17 distinct business categories. To be included in the list, franchise brands are evaluated on several factors, including size and growth of the system, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. The UPS Store has consistently
appeared on the list by focusing on growing and evolving the brand to provide exceptional franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs.
“The UPS Store strives to be a trusted franchise partner and it’s an honor to be recognized among top franchise brands,” said Chris Adkins, vice president of franchise development for The UPS Store. “Our inclusion in this ranking is a reflection of our dedication to providing the best support and opportunities for our franchisees.”
The UPS Store recently widened its offering of franchise opportunities, to include a store-in-store model, featuring small-footprint stores inside existing high-traffic retailers, such as pharmacies, hardware and grocery stores. Other non-traditional locations, such as university and hotel centers, allow franchisees flexibility to serve the community as well as specialized groups, such as students and hotel guests.
About The UPS Store
With 5,000* locations in North America, The UPS Store network comprises the nation’s largest franchise system of conveniently located retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers. The UPS Store® locations in the U.S. are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of The UPS Store, Inc., a subsidiary of UPS (NYSE: UPS). Services, pricing and hours of operation may vary by location.
Source : UPS. Press room
4. Chunghwa Post’s mail business turns profitable
January 18, 2018
Chunghwa Post’s cross-border e-commerce and logistics service has helped boost mail delivery revenue, the postal company said on Tuesday, with its small-package delivery business growing about 10 percent annually over the past few years.
Statistics from Chunghwa Post showed the company generated an after-tax surplus of about NT$10.6 billion (US$358.6 million) last year, which exceeded its statuary surplus by NT$1.5 billion.
Of the surplus, NT$530 million came from mail delivery, NT$9.78 billion from postal savings and remittances, and NT$295 million from life insurance.
The company’s mail business has finally turned profitable after it accumulated a deficit of NT$9.5 billion over the years, Chunghwa Post president Chen Shian-juh said.
“The surplus was mainly caused by the increase in postage rates for mail and packages in August last year, but we also saw our revenue in the small-package delivery business rise due to the booming e-commerce market across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
The nation saw an about 4 percent decline each year in the delivery of traditional mail, he added.
However, the business of small-package delivery has grown about 10 percent annually in recent years, he said, adding that growth in this category was 15 percent last year.
The company’s cargo-to-post service is helping some of the small to medium-size businesses in Taiwan develop an online shopping market in China, Chen said.
“The postal system is an established delivery network worldwide, and issues like cargo going through customs and filing custom tax reports would be solved much more easily if the cargo was delivered through the postal system,” he said, adding that the company could also customize its delivery service to meet the demands of business owners.
As part of the government’s New Southbound Policy, Taiwan has signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore and Vietnam regarding cross-border logistics service partnerships, the company said, adding that similar agreements could be signed with Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia this year.
Source : Taipei Times
5. PT Pos welcomes plan to establish logistics holding
January 11, 2018
State-owned postal service firm PT Pos Indonesia president director Gilarsi Wahju Setijono has expressed support for the State-owned Enterprises Ministry's plan to establish a state-owned logistics holding firm.
Previously State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno said the logistics holding SOE would be supported by a number of SOEs like the National Logistics Agency (Bulok) and PT Pos Indonesia as well as subsidies of airport operators.
Gilarsi said such a firm would be competitive as it would benefit from the shared use of logistics infrastructure owned by each firm.
He said, as an example, that the holding could make us of the the planned cargo village infrastructure development set to be constructed by state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
“The firm would benefit from the shared use of such a facility. That is why we have to collaborate,” Gilarsi said in Jakarta on Wednesday, referring to the facility to be developed on a 90-hectare plot of land and scheduled to begin operation in 2019.
Exchange of know-how, competence and resources owned by the companies that would join the holding firm would be another advantage.
However, he said the holding firm should consider the different business characteristics of each firm.
He gave the example of PT Pos, which is focused mainly on last mile deliveries, which uses small vehicles. "It is different from the firms that deliver bulky items by using big trucks," he added. (srs/bbn).

Source : The Jakarta Post

POSTAL NEWS
No.11 -2018
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. Singpost Net Profits Up 37%. February 2 , 2018. 2. CWU Reaches Deal With Royal Mail. February 1, 2018. 3. Lockheed Martin to improve PostNord sorting capabilities. February 1, 2018. 4. Posti Pilots The Smart Letterbox Global First In The Use Of NewNetwork Technology.January 26, 2018. 5. Delivery robots: Swiss Post satisfied with outcome of tests in Dübendorf. January 26, 2018. 6. Postal unions in Pakistan agree to form federation. January 24, 2018.
1. Singpost Net Profits Up 37%
February 2, 2018 |
Singapore Post (SingPost) has reported that its revenues for the third quarter (Q3) ended31 December were up 11.7% to S$412.8m, while net profit rose 37.2% to S$43.0m. In a statement issued today (2 February), Paul Coutts, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Good execution across the Group saw us capture the benefits of a festive peak season in which eCommerce volumes made new records globally. During the quarter, revenue from eCommerce-related activities rose 26.4% to S$247.8m, hitting 60.0% of total revenue. We will move ahead with our strategy to become a leading postal and eCommerce logistics company to realise the full potential of our transformation.”
Postal revenue was up by 15.8% and operating profit rose 4.0%. International mail revenue rose 37.7% to cross S$100 million, driven by higher cross-border eCommerce deliveries, including those for the Alibaba Group’s Double-Eleven event in November 2017.
Logistics revenue grew 1.5%. SP Parcels and CouriersPlease increased last mile delivery volumes in Singapore and Australia respectively, while Famous Holdings saw higher freight forwarding volumes.
Operating profit declined 44.8%, which SingPost said was “due to higher line haul and handling costs, as well as lower contribution from Quantium Solutions, which continued to face competitive pressures in Hong Kong, even as utilisation rose at the Regional E Commerce Logistics Hub in Singapore”.
E Commerce revenue rose 19.7% in the quarter and more than halved its operating loss. Jagged Peak recorded a 43.9% increase in revenue, reflecting the US festive peak retail season.
Source : Post and Parcel
2. CWU Reaches Deal With Royal Mail
February 1 2018
Leaders of the Communication Workers Union yesterday endorsed the terms of an agreement reached with Royal Mail Group covering pay, pensions and working conditions. The deal, which was unanimously agreed by the CWU’s Postal Executive, will now be recommended to the union’s 110,000 postal members in a forthcoming national ballot.
The agreement has been reached after months of talks and removes the risk of strike action in Royal Mail Group. As well as a three-year pay deal and two-hour cut in the working week worth 12.33% overall
(when linked to the shorter working week), the agreement includes the introduction of a potentially ground-breaking new pension scheme for all Royal Mail employees, which will provide the UK’s first collective defined contribution pension and a guaranteed cash lump sum.
Commenting on the agreement, Terry Pullinger Deputy General Secretary (Postal) said: “This agreement represents the successful outcome of months of talks and is testament to the strength of membership support reflected in the union’s huge vote for strike action in October last year. The success of our campaign has delivered a substantial pay rise, a shorter working week and a pioneering new pension scheme that will secure our members’ future employment, standard of living and retirement security.”
“In the face of the tough challenges Royal Mail faces from gig-economy competitors, unfair regulation and automation, we have reached a settlement that builds a bridge from our current agreements to the future, is progressive and reflects leading-edge solutions in a challenging modern setting. It will also ensure that any future change is managed through a process of evolution not revolution that will protect the interests of all members. The CWU therefore welcomes the company’s commitments to re-establish
the principles of security, maintain industrial stability and restore our mutual interest culture while protecting the future of a great public service.”
Source : CWU –UK
3. Lockheed Martin to improve PostNord sorting capabilities
February 1, 2018
Nordic postal operator PostNord has extended its automated sorting system contract with aerospace and technology developer Lockheed Martin, which will include an upgrade to its existing sorting systems.
Lockheed Martin has supplied and supported PostNord’s automated sorting system for more than a decade and will now replace its Common Read Platform with its Next Generation Sortation Platform (NGSP), a flexible business-rule driven workflow engine, which will lower costs and increase operational flexibility.
Emlyn Taylor, managing director of Lockheed Martin UK System Solutions, said, “Our automated sorting technology helps companies in the postal sector transform their operations, improving efficiency and competitiveness during the rise of e-commerce based mail volumes.
“We are pleased to extend our relationship with PostNord and play a role in transforming how the company delivers to its customers.”
This contract extension also includes the supply of Lockheed Martin’s Minerva technology: a system that makes use of sophisticated artificial intelligence routines to improve recognition performance for e-commerce packets.
Christian Edfjäll, strategic system manager at PostNord, said, “PostNord is really excited to collaborate with Lockheed Martin on this solution, which will help us greatly to improve the processing of these items.
“We look forward to continuing that relationship to bring even bigger improvements as Minerva is developed.”
Source : Postal and Parcel Technology International
4. Posti Pilots The Smart Letterbox – A Global First In The Use Of New Network Technology
January 26, 2018
In cooperation with Telia, Posti is developing a new type of smart letterbox that is first in the world to utilise the new NB-IoT technology. The smart letterbox can, for example, report when it should be emptied.
"With a billion addressed mail items each year, this information conserves the environment and saves costs. For instance, if the time needed to process each item sent via Posti would take just a second longer than today, annual expenses would increase by 13 million euros. If we are able to save even 30 seconds of working time on unnecessary letterbox visits, the total benefit is significant," says Sami Reponen, Chief Process Officer at Posti.
NB-IoT is an international network technology that can be used to affordably connect a large number of devices. The smart letterbox provides information in real time on its use and possible vandalism.
In the three-month pilot project, Posti and Telia will boost the intelligence of five letterboxes in Helsinki and Oulu. If the trial is successful, the next goal is to turn all 5,000 boxes nationwide into smart letterboxes.
"We installed the first sensor just before Christmas, and the results have been promising. Posti's test group is also able to continuously monitor the use of the letterboxes with mobile phones," explains Mikael Sundholm, Project Coordinator at Telia.
Posti aims to achieve significant logistical benefits with the trial. "The management of
logistics flows is a crucial issue to us. Posti operates some 3,300 vehicles around Finland, and their daily mileages add up to six times the world's circumference. Moreover, Posti's trucks travel a daily distance equal to four and half trips around the world," Reponen counts.
Real-time data is particularly useful to Posti during peak seasons, such as Christmas or Valentine's Day, during which the smart letterboxes can be emptied according to need. The innovative project has its roots in Posti's key strategic goal to improve current services with digitalisation and develop the digital monitoring of letters and other addressed mail.
Going forward, data from the smart letterbox sensors will be connected directly to Posti's reporting system. "The goal is that each mail carrier and driver receives the necessary information on a continuous basis and that we are able to centrally monitor the movements of mail in real time", says Reponen.
Source : Posti. Finland
5. Delivery robots: Swiss Post satisfied with outcome of tests in Dübendorf
26-01-2018
January 26, 2018
Swiss Post and its partner discountlens.ch are satisfied with the outcome of the delivery robot test runs in Dübendorf. The robot covered 800 kilometres without any accidents or incidents. Key findings were gained by Swiss Post and manufacturer Starship from almost 200 runs. Swiss Post is
set to conclude the delivery robot tests at the end of January.
Following on seamlessly from the successful deployment of the delivery robots with Jelmoli in Zurich city center, Swiss Post has now conducted tests in conjunction with the online contact lens provider discountlens.ch in Dübendorf in the Canton of Zurich. During their deployment between mid-October 2017 and January 2018, the delivery robots completed almost 200 runs covering 800 km without experiencing any accidents or collisions. As in previous cases, the robots, although essentially autonomous, were accompanied by a human assistant. The goal of the test runs was to gather experience with further partners into how the technology can be incorporated into a wide variety of logistics processes. Andreas Hungerbühler, Managing Director of discountlens.ch, is pleased with the results: “The needs of our customers are changing. They are more mobile and want goods ordered today to be with them as quickly as possible. This is whydiscountlens.ch is testing new delivery concepts, such as delivery by robot. Customers responded very positively to the new technology and wanted to try it out.” The box-like robot caused quite a stir and was constantly being photographed by passers-by. Near to kindergartens,the children almost took it prisoner and followed it at every turn, watching it closely. Some cyclists were hesitant about sharing the road
with it, but soon learnt how to deal with its cautious driving style. Development of the technology
During the pilot phase, Swiss Post managed to gather important findings on using delivery robots with human assistants, which meant the tests in Dübendorf concluded on a positive note. If the robots are to be put to future use on Swiss pavements without supervision, it is important to run tests autonomously. But due to the legal framework in Switzerland, this is not currently possible. This is why Starship Technologies, the manufacturer of the delivery robots, aims to gather findings from fully autonomous operation at a variety of locations around the world. “We are happy to see Starship taking this step,” says Claudia Pletscher, Head of Development & Innovation at Swiss Post, commenting on the decision of the Estonian start-up. “We will be able to benefit from Starship’s experiences at a future point in time.
”Swiss Post is testing new applications in parallel until the law in Switzerland changes to allow test runs to be performed without human supervision in public spaces.
“We are concentrating at present on autonomous robots that can transport goods within buildings” continues Claudia Pletscher.
Source: Swiss Post
6. Postal unions in Pakistan agree to form federation. January 24, 2018
Today is a historical day for postal unions in Pakistan. 5 postal unions (NOPE, APPDEWU, PPODGEU, APPCOEU and APPLEU) agreed to form a federation of postal workers in Pakistan by 31st March 2018.
5 unions agreed to get their strength together to achieve the common goals for postal workers in Pakistan.
UNI Apro and UNI Pakistan Liaison Council have been supporting the meetings to increase the unity of postal unions. The federation will be inaugurated by end of March for decent work of 30,000 postal workers in Pakistan. The new federation will work together to increase the bargaining power and union density.

Source: UNI Global Union