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Postcomm Approves IDRS Ltd To Run A Redress Scheme For Licensed Postal Services - July 3, 2008
[Press Release.]Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services in the UK, today approved IDRS Ltd's application to run a redress scheme for postal services. This follows extensive consultation with postal operators and stakeholders which began on the 30 April 2008.
The redress scheme will consider complaints about licensed products and services provided by licensed postal operators if a customer and a company are unable to resolve a complaint between themselves. It will provide resolution and redress for complaints while maintaining the principle that the primary responsibility for resolving consumer complaints sits with the postal operator.
The new arrangements will come into effect on the 1 October 2008. It will be funded by licensed postal operators. IDRS and licensed postal operators will now discuss and agree the details of the redress scheme. All documents can be found on the redress scheme in postal services - approval criteria page.
New Research Helps Pinpoint Mail’s True Environmental Impact - New Pitney Bowes White Paper - July 3, 2008
Pitney Bowes Press Release
In a marketplace increasingly focused
on environmental impact, the mailing industry is developing innovative new ways
of doing business while lessening its environmental footprint. As the mailing
industry adapts to environmentally friendly practices, its ability to pinpoint high
carbon-emitting areas in the life-cycle of mail will help advance its environmental
stewardship and sustainability goals. An assessment of the environmental impact
of mail is an important first step in identifying those areas.
In a newly-published White Paper, mailstream technology leader Pitney
Bowes Inc. (NYSE:PBI) offers a first attempt to quantify and address the
environmental impact of mail. Titled “The Environmental Impact of Mail: A
Baseline,” the new White Paper is available on the Pitney Bowes website at
www.pb.com/mailimpact.
“Pitney Bowes, and the overall mailing industry, measures its business
success on a financial, social and environmental scale to ensure sustainability,”
said Paul Robbertz, vice president of environmental health and safety at Pitney
Bowes. “This new research will be instrumental in helping companies and the
overall mailing industry understand mail’s true environmental impact.”
Key findings on mail’s environmental impact include the following:
• Mail is a small component of most consumers’ carbon footprint. Running a
single refrigerator for a year, for example, is roughly equivalent to the
creation and delivery of 5,000 letters.
• Mail is made from an increasingly renewable resource: trees. Sustainable
forests and their related products are increasing in developed countries,
despite growth in population and economic activity.
• The mailing industry has adopted many initiatives to reduce mail’s carbon
footprint, but must foster stronger partnerships and establish robust sets of
data to further understand and expand the environmental sustainability of
mail.
“Although mail’s environmental impact is low in comparison with other
everyday human activities, Pitney Bowes is committed to supporting the mailing
industry in moving to even more sustainable practices,” said Robbertz. “We
believe that this new research will be the foundation of future studies, initiatives
and collaboration that lessen the carbon footprint of the mailing industry.”
White Paper: “The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline”
Postcomm Publishes Proposed Complaint Handling Regulations - July 2, 2008
[Press Release.]Following consultation in January 2008 on complaint handling standards, Postcomm has today published its proposed complaint handling regulations.
The proposed regulations come from key issues raised by stakeholders in response to the consultation, suggestions from the industry working group for licensed postal operators (facilitated by Postcomm), and relevant best practice.
The key elements of the regulations are:
- definition of complaint – a common definition provides consumers and companies with some clarity and assurance that companies are operating on the same basis, and assists with cross industry comparison. The BS ISO definition has been adapted for use by Postcomm to work within the context of the complaint handling standards regulations;
- requirement to have a complaint handling procedure - the complaint handling standards set out the information which must be included in the complaint handling procedure but do not prescribe the specific processes or timescales to be followed;
- requirement for complaints to be recorded on receipt and updated on any subsequent contact - this helps to address consumers’ concerns about having to repeat details more than once, provides a clear starting point for redress, and a way for licensed postal operators to identify underlying problems;
- requirement to signpost the complaint handling procedure – to ensure a consumer is aware of the complaint handling procedure when they make subsequent contact to the licensed postal operator indicating their complaint is not complete;
- requirement to deal with consumer complaints in an efficient and timely manner – licensed postal operators will be required to maintain adequate resources to enable them to handle and process consumer complaints in an efficient and timely manner;
- requirement to signpost consumers to the redress scheme – when the specified time period has expired or deadlock has been reached a licensed postal operator must send the consumer key information about the redress scheme;
- requirement to have appropriate arrangements in place with the new NCC for any complaint referrals – this will ensure there are appropriate arrangements in place for effectively managing referrals of complaints from vulnerable consumers from the new NCC to licensed postal operators; and
- requirement to publish complaints data – licensed postal operators must publish specific complaints data annually . Postcomm will review these annual reports and will formally review the regulations in 2010/2011.
The consultation will be open for four weeks and will close on 31 July 2008. Postcomm will then make the regulations prescribing the complaint handling standards before seeking the Secretary of State’s approval. It is Postcomm’s intention that the complaint handling standards regulations will come into effect on 1 October 2008.
Swiss Postal Regulators Support Opening Up The Market - July 2, 2008
[Worldradio.ch.]The Swiss Postal Regulation Authority has given its seal of approval to the cabinet’s plans to open up the postal market. Post Reg says getting rid of Swiss Post’s monopoly will probably not result in cheaper services, but it says there will be some benefits. The Swiss government wants competitors to be allowed to deliver some letters from next April, with a complete market deregulation in three years’ time.
Poste Italiane And Egypt Post Start Cooperative Program - July 2, 2008
[Press Release.]CEO of Poste Italiane, Massimo Sarmi, and President and CEO of Egypt Post, Alaa Fahmy, are scheduled to starts off a cooperative program for the development of Egypt’s national postal system as established by the agreement signed last March. This agreement between Poste Italiane and Egypt Post allows for the activation of joint projects aimed at improving the quality of Egypt’s postal system and heightening innovation through the introduction of new services. It also specifies that Finmeccanica will be acting as technological partner which will provide the technological platforms with which the Egyptian postal system will operate.
Experts involved in the project were divided into five comparable work groups in order to study the development of products and services (with particular focus on financial services), through the optimization of the logistics network (in reference to the monitoring and control over phases of collection, sorting, shipping, and delivery), the development of ICT services and their application in the logistics network, the expansion of real estate assets, and projects involving human resource training. The work groups are overseen by a Steering Committee formed by Poste Italiane, Egypt Post and Finmeccanica. The CIO structures of Poste Italiane and Egypt Post are also working on a joint project in order to activate a secure connection (SVPN) that will allow the work groups to exchange data and information through secure and reliable lines of communication.
Upon their arrival in Cairo, the Italian delegation, led by Massimo Sarmi, will be received by the President and CEO of Egypt Post, Alaa Fahmy; Tarek Kamel of the Egyptian Communications State Department; the Secretary General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, Ahmed Gueli; and the Italian Ambassador for Egypt, Claudio Pacifico. Sarmi and a group of experts from Poste Italiane and Elsag Datamat plan to meet with the Egyptian task force to establish project guidelines and identify the macro-areas of intervention.
As stated by the CEO of Poste Italiane, Massimo Sarmi, “Egypt is a country of strategic importance for economic and commercial relations with the Mediterranean and Arab world. For this reason, signing the agreement to collaborate with Egypt Post constitutes a particularly significant step for Poste Italiane and its international image and reputation. In addition, through this agreement and the partnership with Finmeccanica, Poste Italiane will also be able to play a role in supporting economic, technological, and social development in this area.”
Poste Italiane and Finmeccanica know-how will allow them to provide Egypt Post with solutions for optimal organization in postal services, automation and distribution of mailing and delivery, security systems, hybrid mail, applications for the peripheral network of Egyptian post offices, innovation in the ICT sector, and human resource training.
According to the document signed, the cooperative work between Poste Italiane and Egypt Post shall be carried out through periodic, bilateral consultation and specialized work groups that will share technical info and spread highly advanced solutions throughout Egypt, in applying these improvements to their postal system. Poste Italiane will be offering its expertise and experience in order to help update and develop mechanized postal systems, with the goal of providing Egypt with innovative technology and technical support in optimizing logistic processes.
Postal Services Operated In Competition - Statistical Information 1Q 2008 by ANACOM - July 2, 2008
Report
New Express Couriers Joint Venture in Australia - July 1, 2008
[Press Release.]New Zealand Post announced today that it has formed Express Couriers Australia Pty Limited (ECA), a 50:50 joint venture with Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN), for the ownership and operation of express courier businesses in Australia. Effective 1 July 2008, the arrangement builds on the success since 2005 of a similar joint venture in New Zealand between DPWN's express unit DHL Express, and New Zealand Post.
The New Zealand Post-DHL Express structure in Australia encompasses six complementary businesses in metropolitan and regional markets in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The businesses include Couriers Please, Parcel Overnight Direct and Northern Kope Parcel Express, three businesses under New Zealand Post ownership. The other businesses to make up the joint venture are: PEP Transport, VicFast Couriers and Hills Transport.
The new structure is called Express Couriers Australia Pty limited (ECA). It will be governed and managed separately from the shareholders' other Australian interests. The six businesses will be interconnected to form an express courier network with coverage of more than 80% of Australia's populated area, although within their markets the businesses will continue to operate as stand-alone operations.
New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive John Allen said formation of the ECA network is "a very positive step for both shareholders, for each of the businesses involved, and for their customers".
"Australia has a large and growing market for express courier and freight services," Mr Allen said. "We are giving this group of successful businesses the networking capabilities to build their competitive offering to customers and continue growing over the long term."
Mr Allen said the structure gives New Zealand Post 50% ownership of a substantial business group in Australia, alongside DHL the world's leading express and logistics provider. Total shareholders' investment in ECA is around A$140 million. New Zealand Post and DHL Express have completed a series of transactions between them and with other parties to form ECA.
Mr Allen said these transactions result in a one-off gain to New Zealand Post of A$20 million to A$25 million, subject to earnings expectations, which will be included in the 2007-08 financial results.
ECA will be governed by a Board of equal representation from New Zealand Post and DHL Express.
Mr Allen said it is very much "business as usual" for the six businesses within ECA. "They are brands of real strength in their respective territories, with a combined customer base of over 65,000 and total annual revenues above A$200 million. With the formation of ECA, the businesses are positioned to support each other's development over the long term," he said.
Mr Allen said the ECA concept grew out of the New Zealand Post-DHL Express joint venture in New Zealand, Express Couriers Limited (ECL) and their joint assessment of the growth prospects in Australian markets.
Deutsche Post To Receive €1 Billion Repayment After Court Ruling - July 1, 2008
[Press Release.]Deutsche Post World Net will receive a repayment of around 1 billion euros after the European Court of the First Instance in Luxembourg today overturned a 2002 decision by the European Commission.
The European Commission in 2002 ordered Deutsche Post to repay 907 million euros in purported state aid and interest. Deutsche Post in 2002 appealed the decision and will now receive a repayment.
Responding to the decision, Deutsche Post said the court had confirmed the company's legal position.
The company expects to receive the cash inflow in several weeks' time and would prefer to earmark the amount for returning to shareholders, pending clarity regarding other cash-relevant issues.
Interview: Dutch 'Not Backtracking' On Mail Opening - July 1, 2008
[EurActiv.com.]
Speaking to EurActiv, Dutch state secretary for economic affairs Frank Heemskerk rejected allegations that his country was "backtracking" on liberalising its postal market, saying he was committed to the fight for a level playing field across Europe.
Following warnings last week by the EU's internal market and competition commissioners that they would "not hesitate" to launch infringement procedures against member states that are "backtracking" on their pledges to liberalise their postal markets fully, Heemskerk insisted: "We are not backtracking, so I don't feel targeted."
According to him, full opening of the Dutch mail market originally planned for 1 January 2008, but postponed due to Dutch objections to the introduction of a German minimum hourly wage for postmen simply cannot take place until three conditions are met.
"The first condition is a formal one, which is that the Dutch Senate has not approved the postal law yet so it cannot be introduced yet," he said.
The two other criteria include "a level playing field in Europe, in particular in the major markets such as Germany and the UK" and "fair" labour conditions.
In Germany, "the postal market may be formally open but in practice it's not," he said, urging the German government "not to take a protectionist approach but to open up their market to newcomers".
Asked whether it is contradictory to oppose the introduction of a German minimum wage while, at the same time, seeking to enforce a similar practice in the Netherlands, the minister said the situation was "totally different".
"The question is: 'What's the level of the minimum wage and how do you introduce it?'" he said, adding: "The minimum wage in the Netherlands, for example, is much, much lower than the wages being paid by TNT," the main Dutch postal operator.
But he stressed that "there are indications that newcomers are even paying below the minimum wages and that's against the law. So, I want to have 100 percent certitude that they do not pay below minimum wage," he explained, pleading for unions and employers to find agreement on "a gradual, step-by-step growth model" where newcomers improve the wages they pay as the market is opened and they increase their market share.
Recognising that market opening could make it more difficult for some governments to provide a universal service to citizens, he downplayed the issue in his densely populated country, where the universal service obligation is instead seen as being "too lucrative" rather than a burden.
"It's up to the member states to solve the way they do the universal service. As long as it's not a barrier to entry, we are open to such support measures," he concluded.
Full Interview
USPS Announces Reorganization - July 1, 2008
[Forbes.]The Postal Service on Monday announced a reorganization that officials expect to streamline agency operations.
The change will create two "focal points" for the agency, one to deal with shipping and mailing services and the other to work with customers and others outside the post office.
Robert F. Bernstock has been hired as president of the newly created Shipping and Mailing Services Division, Postmaster General John Potter said.
Bernstock has served as president and chief operating officer of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., senior vice president and general manager of the Dial Corp., president and chief executive of Atlas Commerce and executive vice president of Campbell Soup Co.
His division is responsible for about $70 billion in annual business for the post office and consolidates portions of the agency involved in air and ground shipping.
Bernstock "is not shackled with a mail background," allowing him to bring an outside business perspective to the agency, Potter said in a telephone interview.
David Shoenfeld, formerly senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Federal Express, will assist Bernstock as senior vice president for mailing services.
The second focal point, Customer Relations, will combine consumer and business customer relationships, external and internal communications and pricing under Stephen Kearney, a current postal officer.
Kearney is a 28-year veteran of the Postal Service, serving most recently as vice president for pricing and classification.
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