February 28, 2001 -- The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) have issued a press release in which it says “enough is enough” and  demands “time out” on postal rate hikes.

February 28, 2001 -- The Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) has reported that "the Spanish national mail company Correos y Telégrafos supports the plan of the French La Poste, which aims at the speedy establishment of an alliance of south European mail companies."

February 28, 2001 -- CEP also has reported that "in an interview with the German financial daily ‘Handelsblatt’, Deutsche Post board member Mr Hans-Dieter Petram confirmed that the major acquisitions carried out over the last few years were financed with the help of proceeds from the sale of real estate. He dismissed the accusation from competitors, who claim that Deutsche Post used profits achieved from the protected letter sector in order to finance its acquisitions."

February 28, 2001 -- CEP noted as well that "according to the German daily ‘Berliner Zeitung’ (27.02.2001) several German states demand an end to the letter monopoly held by Deutsche Post AG...The conference of ministers for economic affairs urges the federal government to allow the postal letter monopoly to expire in accordance with the legal stipulations.’ Any delays would be ‘to the detriment of competition and customers."

February 28, 2001 -- Bloomberg News has reported that "FedEx Corp., according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, had a restraining order extended that prevents Fritz Cos. from giving trade secrets to United Parcel Service Inc. The extension granted Friday by Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Rita Stotts ends March 7. FedEx sued San Francisco-based Fritz on Feb. 5, claiming it provided UPS with trade secrets and other confidential information on FedEx while the two were in discussions that led to the UPS acquisition. FedEx claims the disclosures violated a confidentiality agreement Fritz signed when FedEx considered buying some of the company's assets."

February 28, 2001 -- According to CEP, "the Deutsche Post subsidiary Deutsche Post Global Mail based in Virginia/USA has reportedly restructured its international operations. The news agency Reuters reported on Monday this week that all the company’s UK and Ireland business would be combined with immediate effect in Deutsche Post Global Mail (UK) Ltd. The London based Herald International Mailings will be one of the companies to become incorporated into the new firm. All American acquisitions, i.e. Global Mail Ltd., Quick Mail, SkyMail, IPC and Yellowstone are to be combined in Deutsche Global Mail Ltd."

February 27, 2001 -- United Parcel Service (UPS) representatives will brief the Postal Rate Commission on a petition UPS has filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT). The petition seeks review of a DOT staff action granting a foreign forwarding license to DHL Worldwide Express. The briefing will take place at the PRC's offices at 1333 H St., NW, Ste. 300, Washington, DC on March 1, 2001 at 10:00 a.m.

February 27, 2001 -- The UK Mail Summit will launch on May 15, 2001. This is an opportunity for major UK mail users to learn about the likely effects of deregulation on their businesses. Representatives from many sectors of the mail industry will explain their roles and listen to feedback from the players with whom they will need to interface. Alan Johnson, MP, will open the Summit by explaining the Government's position and then we will hear from the major UK postal regulator, consumer association and Royal Mail itself. The emphasis of the day will be on listening to the customer and the Chairman will be John Ivers, Chairman of the UK Mail Users Association. There will be presentations by Graham Corbett, Chairman of PostComm, Peter Carr, Chairman of CCPS and Richard Dykes, Managing Director, Royal Mail Letters. Triangle Management Services, the organizers, are looking for more speakers although most are now confirmed. For more details on the program you can visit our web-site on www.triangle.eu.com

February 27, 2001 -- -- The small-business group NFIB [National Federation of Independent Businesses] has signed an agreement with FedEx Corporate Services, Inc., a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, to provide service and discounts on shipping to NFIB's 600,000 members. This strategic alliance will reward small-business members with significant discounts on FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home delivery services. What ever became of the Postal Service's plans to better service the needs of small businesses? Informed sources have told PostCom the USPS has persistently refused to approach the needs of this market more innovatively.

February 27, 2001 -- The British newspaper, The Guardian, has reported that "the [U.K.] Post Office is expected to announce that it has chosen an ambitious young web-hosting firm set up by Netscape founder Marc Andreessen to run its entire internet operation. Loudcloud, which is based in Silicon Valley and is preparing a flotation on the Nasdaq stock exchange, will take charge of all of the Post Office's web operations including hardware, software, hosting and disaster recovery."

February 27, 2001 -- According to the European Intelligence Wire, U.K. post offices are closing at an accelerating rate.

February 27, 2001 -- Also from the European Intelligence Wire, "Finland Post has taken control of the direct marketing, printing and mailing services company Atkos Printmail in order to build the company's international profile. Electronic messaging and business services, Finland Post's fastest growing businesses, will be the key drivers behind the expansion of Atkos. Finland Post says it aims to increase the company's efficiency by focusing on core businesses and operations. The postal operator has also revealed plans to install customer Internet terminals at 300 of its countrywide post offices, enabling customers to bank and shop online."

February 27, 2001-- According to the South China Morning Post, "the Hong Kong Direct Marketing Association wants postal authorities, including Hongkong Post, to add more value to customer services, especially in handling direct and bulk mail."

February 27, 2001 -- The New Zealand Herald has noted that "the new bank to be set up by New Zealand Post is the most controversial thing in banking since Winston Peters hammered into the restructuring of the BNZ. One thing is for sure, politicians of the right don't want it to be their bank should they come to power."

February 27, 2001 -- Boston.Com has reported that "members of the Maine state congressional delegation are among those asking the U.S. Postal Service to investigate sexual harassment problems and working conditions for women at offices in Maine. At least five lawsuits have been filed since 1998, three of them at the agency's Forest Avenue facility in Portland and two in Biddeford. The cases have resulted in jury awards and settlements of more than $2.6 million."

February 27, 2001 -- The agenda for the Postal Service's Board of Governors meeting is posted on the USPS' web site.

February 27, 2001 -- The Industry Standard  has reported that "America's growing reliance on e-mail, online bill-paying and other electronic communications is undercutting projected growth in Postal Service revenue. Last year, the agency lost money for the first time since 1994. Even bigger losses, up to $3 billion, are expected this year. But perhaps the worst news for the Postal Service is the growing number of private-sector competitors that are aiming to shut down its online plans."

February 26, 2001 -- A recent study by Pitney Bowes Inc. reveals the affect of the New Economy on household mailing and messaging trends.

February 26, 2001 -- -- Information Builders has been named by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a consultant for PostalOne! -- an electronic partnership between the USPS and its large-volume mailers. Information Builders will consult on the development and enhancement of the PostalOne! database. The PostalOne! database provides services that include the exchange of mailing information, electronic documentation, and postage payment. Consisting of three distinct services -- presentation, business logic, and data tiers using Web technology as the implementation medium -- PostalOne! will reduce staging, waiting, and transportation times, while expediting the flow of mail from mailer to the recipient.

February 26, 2001 -- -- Billserv, Inc. has signed a multi-year agreement with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to provide an EBPP [electronic bill payment and presentment] solution that will enable the SFPUC to distribute more than one million bills annually to its customers via the Internet. More mail that will be gone.

February 26, 2001 -- The competition to posts use of EBPP is not limited to the U.S. Dow Jones has reported that "Telecom Corp. of New Zealand is setting up a powerful rival to state-owned postal concern New Zealand Post Ltd.'s electronic bill payment service eBill - which enables a raft of household bills to be viewed and paid via a single Web site. The Telecom initiative means New Zealanders should be able to receive and pay a wider variety of bills over the Internet.

February 26, 2001 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "antitrust regulators recommended that the European Commission block a proposed joint venture between TNT Post Groep NV of the Netherlands and the British Post Office, saying the venture could give the companies a stranglehold on international business mail from the two countries, according to people familiar with the situation." See also the story in the Journal of Commerce.

February 26, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that "faced with the combined challenge of the Internet and international competition in a deregulated market, La Poste  - to give it its French name - has redefined its business strategy and is redoing its image."

February 26, 2001 -- According to PostMag.Com, "in the next ten years the executive and management structure of the USPS will experience almost a complete turnover. A full 85% of executives and 75% of managers and supervisors will be eligible for retirement. This can either be catastrophic, if handled poorly, or one of the greatest opportunities that any organization could have."

February 25, 2001 -- According to the Wilkes-Barre (PA) Citizens' Voice, "numerous patrons of the Wilkes-Barre Post Office are steaming over a lack of customer service. Wilkes-Barre is a major postal hub. And there are seven (count them) work stations at the front counter. Yet, on most days, only one or two postal employees are available to handle walk-in customers. There are never more than three clerks working and three would be a rarity."

February 24, 2001 -- The Los Angeles Times has reported that "neither rain nor sleet nor snow will keep the U.S. Postal Service from delivering the mail, and under a new policy, the agency will also be delivering the advertising messages of big companies willing to pay the price. Stung by budget deficits and growing competition from e-mail and private delivery companies, the postal service is accelerating its aggressive campaign to sell advertising space on the sides of its delivery trucks, collection boxes, priority envelopes and in post office lobbies. Stamps are not for sale, but the covers of stamp booklets are up for grabs. The postal service might even allow advertisers to include their message on postmarks, such as the 'Happy Who-lidays' postmark that was tested last Christmas to promote Universal Studios' 'The Grinch.' Critics lament the trend toward commercializing government property and wonder where it will all end. But postal officials say the marketing deals could reap as much as $200 million a year, reducing the need to hike prices of first-class stamps."

February 24, 2001 -- Traffic World has reported that "GoLogistics.com has  rolled out its third-generation B2B exchange technology. The exchange enables LTL shippers to identify and purchase excess capacity of more than 5,000 pounds on a spot basis."

February 24, 2001 -- According to the Journal of Commerce, DHL Worldwide Express expects business in Taiwan to increase by as much has 10 times over the next decade, which it says will prove the worth of its heavy investment.

February 24, 2001 -- The United States Postal Service has awarded four national environmental service contracts that will dramatically reduce costs, increase efficiency, and assure standardized delivery of services necessary to support environmental compliance activities.

February 23, 2001 -- Here's an interesting item. Amazon.com has been shipping millions of 1-cent stamps to customers to "sow good will among customers" following the USPS rate change. Noting that many people would be buying penny stamps to go with 33-cent stamps they have on hand, Amazon said "It's all about making the lives of our customers easier, and this is an easy way to do that." This is NOT a new idea. In fact, Ted Gerarden of the Office of the Consumer Advocate had proposed something similar as part of the R2000 rate case. While no one was particularly keen on having USPS (mailers') dollars diverted for this purpose, Amazon's subsequent effort obviously shows that the idea has some commercial merit.

February 23, 2001 -- As the British newspaper The Guardian has noted, while "you may think of the [British] Post Office as the people who get your letters from A to B each day... the new Post Office has ambitions to be much more. It wants you to pop in and do your banking, buy a pension, sort out your last-minute travel insurance or even collect goods you have bought over the internet. The PO has been desperate to find money-making opportunities since being told that it will lose pounds 400m a year from 2003, when the social security system is fully computerised and benefits and pensions are paid direct into bank accounts."

February 23, 2001 -- CheckFree(CKFR) i-Solutions, the leading provider of interactive e-billing and e-statement software applications, and Honolulu Board of Water Supply (HBWS), the largest water utility in Hawaii, today announced that electronic billing and payment is now available to over 150,000 HBWS customers. HBWS utility customers in Oahu can save time while increasing control over bill payments by receiving and paying their monthly electric bills online.

February 23, 2001 -- Kasten Chase, a provider of high-assurance data security systems, today announced that it has licensed its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for an initial term of five years, with a renewal option for an additional five years, to the International Post Corporation (IPC) of Brussels.

February 23, 2001 -- The Financial Times has reported that according to Russian Communication and Information Minister Leonid Reyman, while postal reforms have been successful in some countries, like Germany, the Netherlands and Canada, "it would be premature to speak about concrete time of the postal reform in Russia." It must be, as he said, "determined after the concept, worked out and approved on the expert level, is submitted to the government."

February 23, 2001 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "the European Union is expected to fine Deutsche Post World Net for predatory pricing in the German parcel delivery market."

February 23, 2001 -- -- Stamps.com has announced that revenue in the fourth quarter of year 2000 was $5.3 million, an increase of 26 percent over the third quarter of year 2000, while total revenue for fiscal year 2000 was $15.2 million.

February 22, 2001 -- CargoWeb News has reported that "United Parcel Service admitted it sent 200,000 customers shipping software, which automatically divert their web browsers to the UPS home page. The express company admitted this is irritating and completely wrong. UPS sent a new version of the WorldShip system. UPS is now offering the 200,000 customers to uninstall the software, and to fix related PC problems. A new version of WorldShip, being launched in March, will offer customers the choice to make UPS their home page or not." Everyone makes mistakes. See also the story as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

February 22, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that the head of FedEx Corp., the largest overnight delivery company, said Wednesday that Germany's postal service and DHL International Ltd. should abide by a U.S. law that limits foreign ownership of a U.S. airline to 25%.

February 22, 2001 -- Dow Jones also has reported that "FedEx chairman Smith has said a recent agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to move Express and Priority Mail will be 'a lucrative opportunity for FedEx.' Under the seven-year deal unveiled last month, FedEx will provide air transportation for the Postal Service's faster-moving mail. Expected to take effect in August, the pact will generate about $6.3 billion in revenue."

February 22, 2001 -- DM News has reported that the Direct Marketing Association came out yesterday against a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to develop a Presidential Commission on Postal Service. The organization said such a commission would simply be studying an issue that has already been a topic of much analysis on Capitol Hill over the past five years. Instead, the DMA is calling for the immediate reintroduction of existing postal reform legislation. Specifically, it is calling on Congress to revisit the Postal Modernization Act of 1999, which did not make it to the floor in the 106th Congress. This bill would modernize the legislative and regulatory environment that surrounds the postal service. The bill would also give the postal service the business flexibility to compete in the rapidly changing communications and delivery environment.

February 21, 2001 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register a proposed rule to amend the packaging standards in Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) M020 to help ensure that packages maintain their integrity during transportation and postal processing. DMM M020 will prescribe general standards for preparing and securing all packages and will incorporate standards that pertain individually to packages on pallets, packages in sacks, and packages in trays.

February 21, 2001 -- The report for the U.S. Postal Service's accounting period five of postal fiscal year 2001 is posted on this site.

February 21, 2001 -- Bill McAllister writes in the Oakland Tribune, "be careful, America, that person delivering your parcel could be, gasp, a German government agent. It may sound absurd, but that in essence is what the country's two leading parcel delivery firms are telling the federal government. In a rare display of unity, rivals United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. have asked the Department of Transportation to effectively ban DHL Worldwide Express from operating in the U.S. because its corporate parent is partly owned by Deutsche Post AG and, thus, the Federal Government of Germany."

February 21, 2001 -- The latest postal issue update (International Mail Issues) is available for PostCom members on this site.

February 21, 2001 -- If pictures can speak a thousand words, then this editorial cartoon from the Daily Oklahoman says it all.

February 21, 2001 -- The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to clarify the government's procedures for firing or disciplining some employees who have been disciplined before. The court said it will hear the U.S. Postal Service's argument that it can base its firing of a letter carrier on the fact that she had been disciplined before, even though the worker was still challenging the prior discipline.

February 20, 2001 -- Jose Maria Bergareche, managing director for almost 20 years, has replaced Alejandro Echevarria as the new chief executive of Spanish postal services group Correo.

February 20, 2001 -- According to China Daily, "facing mounting pressure from foreign and domestic private companies, the [Chinese] State Postal Bureau (SPB) has asked its affiliates to improve efficiency to hold their market share."

February 20, 2001 -- "The Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act" has been introduced anew in the 107th Congress. According to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Constance Morella (R-MD), "postmasters suffer from a dysfunctional 'consultation process' whereby Postal Headquarters may unilaterally mandate local Post Office operational changes.....If the Postmasters and Postal Headquarters are unable to reach an understanding, the Act provides for a neutral outside party to resolve the disagreement. If enacted, the Postmasters Fairness and Rights Act would foster better mail services by allowing Postmasters greater input in operational decision-making, improving Postmaster morale, and making it possible to attract and retain exemplary Postmasters. This legislation had 238 cosponsors last year."

February 19, 2001 -- United Parcel Service (UPS) really knows how to make good on the adage: "All politics is local."

February 19, 2001 -- The Sunday Times has reported that the Irish Government is set to announce a deal between An Post, the Irish post office, and banks to encourage people to pay their bills electronically.

February 19, 2001 -- Cargoweb News has reported that "ICargo, an online marketplace for airfreight forwarders and carriers, has shut down because it ran out of funds."

February 19, 2001 -- Reuters has reported that "postal deliveries across Britain could be thrown open to competition under plans to license hundreds of local mail operators, the Independent reported on Monday. The shake-up will see Britain follow the example of Sweden, where towns have two or three mail companies, and will allow a number of national players to begin long-distance postal deliveries. The new private operators, who will be able to have their own stamps and mail boxes, are expected to undercut the Royal Mail on price because of smaller overhead costs. Graham Corbett, chairman of the Postal Services Commission, will get the power to license rivals on March 26 when Consignia [GBPO.UL], formerly the Post Office, becomes a publicly listed company. The efficiency of the Post Office has been increasingly called into question as the number of man days lost due to industrial action rises." See also the story in The Independent.

February 19, 2001 -- The Washington Post has a very nice piece on retired Postal Rate Commission chairman Edward Gleiman.

February 19, 2001 -- The news from postal accounting period five is in. Income was $26.2 million or 67.9 million better than plan. Total revenue was 5,229.7 million and expenses $5,202.9 million both were slightly better than plan. Looks as if the rate increase has relieved some of the pressure on USPS finances.

February 19, 2001-- According to PostalMag.Com, "if the Postal Service is not restructured in order to compete effectively on both a domestic and international stage then we are certainly witnessing the beginnings of the sunset of this great institution. Maintaining it in its neither-one-nor-the-other status is not an option. This will lead to a continuation of the legal and political mishmash we see today. We must do one of two things – return it to being a full government department or begin the process of privatization."

February 19, 2001 -- This is President's Day in the United States, a federal holiday.

February 18, 2001 -- When it comes to postal reform, check out what the National Association of Letter Carriers has to say.

February 16, 2001 -- PostCom has asked President Bush to organize a commission to study and make recommendations on the future of the nation's postal system.

February 16, 2001 -- British Industry and Trade Minister Alan Johnson has announced immediate measures to encourage new entrants to the Post Office network.

February 16, 2001 -- The Worchester Telegram has reported that "two local postal employees found that wider is better when sorting mail, and changed the way the service pushes paper through its system. Robert J. Gatautis of Royalston and Paul F. Wrightson of Sterling were recognized yesterday at the U.S. Postal Service's Central Massachusetts Processing and Distribution Center for their mechanical innovation developed here and adopted nationally."

February 16, 2001 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Federal Express Corp. stepped up its battle against encroaching foreign competition Wednesday when it urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to hold a public hearing to determine who controls DHL Airways, the U.S. arm of DHL Worldwide Express. FedEx contends that Deutsche Post World Net exercises ultimate control over DHL Airways despite a recent reorganization of the DHL network designed to comply with U.S. law, which limits foreign owners to 25 percent of the voting rights in a U.S. air carrier."

February 15, 2001 -- A copy of PostCom's summary of the January meeting of the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee is posted for PostCom members on this site.

February 15, 2001 -- Kewill Systems plc (London: KWL), a  provider of business-to-business electronic commerce supply-chain management solutions, specializing in e-Fulfillment, announced today it has added same-day shipping service compliance functionality to its Kewill.Net solutions through a partnership agreement with NowEx, a national network of premier same day delivery providers. Under the terms of agreement, Kewill has integrated NowEx's compliance functionality into its Kewill.Ship for Windows and Clippership shipping applications. Designed for small- and medium-sized enterprises, these applications feature multi-carrier compliance (UPS, FedEx, DHL, U.S. Postal, Airborne, BAX Global and Emery Worldwide), electronic manifesting, tracking and bar code labelling functionality.

February 15, 2001 -- The latest in a series of technical background discussions, this one dealing with the Planet Code program  (TechNotes 02-01), has been posted on this  web site for PostCom members.

February 15, 2001 -- The minutes of the meeting of PostCom's Postal Operations Committee has been posted on this web site for PostCom members.

February 15, 2001 -- A summary of an MTAC workgroup on the PLANET Code program has been posted on this web site for PostCom members.

February 15, 2001 -- A summary of an MTAC workgroup on the preparation of flats using alternate packaging has been posted on this web site for PostCom members.

February 15, 2001 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, the Postal Service is well on its way into the face of the "perfect storm."

February 15, 2001 -- WindowBook has announced that its MAIL.DAT viewer and editor are now available. For further information, check out http://windowbook.com/DAT-MAIL/index.htm

February 15, 2001 -- The Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) has reported that "the Dutch TNT Post Group (TPG) is evidently close to concluding a trend setting co-operation agreement in the European letters market. KEP News has information that the Dutch TPG together with the Schweizerische Post are going to form the joint venture EuroPost Ltd. After the negotiating partners reached an agreement, they intend to make an announcement to that effect in the following days. With this step TGP in particular would be able to maintain its position as an important supplier in the competition with the other European postal companies, especially in the letter business. Market observers think that the Schweizerische Post would integrate its PrimeMail joint venture in the new union, in order to secure access to the important German letters market. PrimeMail was founded in the autumn of last year together with the German Hermes General Services (KW 47/00). The joint venture, with its head office in Hamburg, offers area wide delivery of letter and catalogue consignments in Germany, Switzerland and all over the world."

February 15, 2001 -- The Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) also has reported that "Deutsche Post AG will probably raise prices in the middle of the year. All products, with the exception of letter services, will be affected by this measure. It is said that the average price increase should range from between 4% and 6% in magnitude."

February 15, 2001 -- According to CEP News, "UPS is currently holding co-operation talks in Italy with Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE), the largest supplier of private postal services in the world."

February 15, 2001 -- Here's an interesting twist. CEP News has reported that "Deutsche Post AG must increasingly say goodbye to its dearly won privileges has been demonstrated on the North Sea island of Juist. For the local administration has decreed that in the future the Post will have to deliver parcels and letters on horseback or by bicycle, instead of by electric car. The car ban applied just as much to the private postal service, which had been organised in the meantime, as to the competitors in the former monopoly service. Up to now the post with its electric cars has been acting against the express will of the community."

February 15, 2001 -- A complete copy of the European publication noted above, the Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) is posted on this web site as a courtesy provided to PostCom members. Our thanks go to the MRU Consultancy GmbH for this courtesy.

February 15, 2001 -- According to the Europe Intelligence Wire, "Deutsche Post AG, the German post office, is to have its postage rates examined by the country's postal and telecommunications regulatory body RegTP, which says that competition in the postal sector is developing only slowly. Almost two-thirds of turnover in the German postal sector is accounted for by Deutsche Post, despite extensive deregulation. In the delivery of letters, where Deutsche Post still has a monopoly for letters weighing less than 200 grams and bulk mail under 50 grams, it has a market share of over 98 per cent. The German government has prolonged the exclusive right for the abovementioned categories of mail beyond 2002, arguing that there is little competition on the postal markets of other EU countries. However, RegTP will examine closely whether postage prices charged by Deutsche Post are cost-orientated."

February 15, 2001 -- GovCon.Com has noted that "the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Headquarters Purchasing has announced a requirement to provide marketing expertise to the USPS, Core Business Marketing organization in designing, developing and bringing new products to market. The required support is to provide market analysis, market research, product management, and return on investment analysis. Core Business Marketing requires approximately three man-years of support to develop new products and enhancements to existing products, analysis of product performance metrics, market analysis, and research. It is envisioned that the personnel would work on site at the USPS Roslyn facility....Interested parties are invited to submit a proposal for the above requirement to U.S. Postal Service, Headquarters Purchasing, Room 4541, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20260-6230, attention Lynda Zelnick." 

February 15, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that "New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton said Thursday his minority government has secured the parliamentary support of the opposition Green Party to establish a government-owned retail banking service, known as the 'Kiwi Bank' or 'People's Bank.'"

February 15, 2001 -- Michael Killen writes in the latest issue of the online postal e-zine, PostMag.Com that "management teams of today’s Postal Authorities (Posts) have two choices. They can create their own futures by competing effectively with the private sector for a slice of the trillion-dollar information conveyance and processing market. Or, they can have their futures handed to them on a plate. In the first scenario, Posts can grow at 10%-12% per year. In the second, growth falters as Posts take a backseat to private concerns and find themselves serving the last houses on the smallest roads in the smallest towns."

February 14, 2001 -- Reuters has reported that "the state-owned French post office La Poste joined the big league of European parcels and express transport groups on Wednesday by securing its long-planned full control over Germany's Deutscher Paket Dienst....The French postal operator will now be able to decide on DPD strategy more freely and is likely to move rapidly to end the 9.5 percent DPD holding of the rival British Post Office [GBPO.UL] through its subsidiary German Parcel, industry experts forecast."

February 14, 2001 -- Velocity Express' Package Intercept Program is considered a growth vehicle by the company. Velocity Express is a subsidiary of United Shipping & Technology and the largest nationally integrated supplier of same-day delivery and logistics services in North America. The Package Intercept Program involves the creation of a central delivery and drop-off point for all packages into and out of Class `A', multi-tenant buildings and incorporates a dedicated external messenger operation into its intercept centers as an added convenience for building tenants. "Package Intercept Programs provide numerous benefits to both building managers and tenants,'' Joseph Gallo, Vice President of Business Development, Velocity Express, says. "Benefits include increased security, the reduction of building traffic, a single point of contact for all inbound and outbound packages, a dedicated staff of uniformed clerks, services which can be customized to address specific tenant needs, greater tenant satisfaction. Overall, it's an attractive building amenity.''

February 14, 2001 -- ShopperBox Networks, Inc., a company specializing  in the deployment of secure 24-hour self-service stations that enable efficient pickup, delivery and return of parcels within densely populated communities, has announced the signing of an agreement with DHL Worldwide Express. This agreement enables DHL to significantly improve their efficiencies and customer service by making deliveries and pickups directly at the ShopperBox.

February 14, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that "due diligence on failed New Zealand postal company National Mail Ltd. (A.NML) hasn't produced an offer from the unnamed potential buyer, but the company is considering other options." The company's assets could be sold individually rather than as a single package. The assets of the company include motorcycles, mail sorting equipment, a letterbox network in Auckland and Wellington, and the National Mail brand.

In the meantime, Dow Jones also has noted that according to New Zealand Finance Minister Michael Cullen, "no final decision has been made by the government on New Zealand Post Ltd.'s proposal to establish a retail banking operation. The postal services provider, fully-owned by the government, has received senior ministers' approval to establish a banking operation."

February 14, 2001 -- According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Japanese Ministry of Posts plans to cut postal rates for large-scale customers who mail items such as newspapers and magazines in bulk. By reducing rates, the ministry will aim to rebuild its operations, which are suffering a slowdown in parcels due to harsh competition from door-to-door parcel delivery services. A new fee structure will be presented to the Postal Services Council meeting, which begins Wednesday. The ministry expects new rates in place by as early as March.

February 14, 2001 -- AFX has reported that TNT Post Group NV is in "advanced discussions" for a joint venture with the Greek post office Elta. At this point, it's unclear as to whether this includes taking an equity stake in the postal company or its courier subsidiary. The Greek government has put a 25 pct stake in the company up for sale, with the sale of a 50 pct stake in the courier unit Tachymetafores also under consideration.

February 14, 2001 -- According to PostMag.Com, it's now time for American postal reform.

February 13, 2001 -- PubliCARD, Inc. has announced that its Infineer smart card readers will be used in a pilot project launched by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for the secure electronic filing of patient information, as part of the U.S. Postal Service's new Constructive Key Management® (CKM®) enabled NetPost.Certified service. NetPost.Certified, the electronic equivalent of Certified Mail, was unveiled by the USPS last month.

February 13, 2001 -- And this...from The Wall Street Journal:

Help Wanted The United States Postal Service is sorting through first-class applicants to find its next postmaster general.Benjamin Franklin, the first occupant of the post, was appointed by the Continental Congress in 1775. Today, the Postal Service handles more than 200 billion pieces of mail a year. The 72nd postmaster general will need the skills of a talented chief executive. The new hire will be based in Washington and earn a salary capped by law at $161,200. "The individual should have significant leadership experience, ideally as a chief executive, and has to have a political sensitivity, because of the multiple constituencies [involved]." It should be an individual who is able to find business solutions for a company whose market is changing dramatically." He should be prepared to deal with "the continued upgrade in automation; the more competitive marketplace."

PostalNews.Com is running a poll on who people think will be the next PMG. Visit and vote.

February 13, 2001 -- SmartBuy has sealed a deal with Australia Post, the Down Under postal service for an "exclusive three-year" fulfillment agreement with Post Logistics, a division of Australia Post. SmartBuy is operating as the "e-tail" arm of electronics chain Tandy Australia; Australia Post will handle warehousing and distribution for all SmartBuy clients, including Tandy. Post Logistics will provide SmartBuy partners, including Tandy, with warehousing, inventory management, automated pick-and-pack fulfillment and cross-docking. Products from Tandy - which might be stored at a Tandy warehouse or a supplier's facility - will be packed together at the Australia Post warehouse with the customer getting a single delivery.

February 13, 2001 -- Concerned mailers have been asking what will happen to bound Printed Matter ("BPM") Rates in light of the PRC decision, issued Friday, that recommends an increase in those rates by $30 million; and when it will happen. According to PostCom general counsel Ian Volner, the answer is as follows: "1. The Governors will definitely accept the proposed new BPM Rates, no matter what else they may do with the case. The only question is when the new BPM Rates will become effective. 2. Implementation of the new BPM requires action by the Governors. They COULD convene a special meeting (and could meet by telephone) before the March meeting and put the rates into effect shortly thereafter; they generally give 10 days notice of the rate change. If the Governors take this step, the new BPM rates could be in effect before the end of February. 3. It is more LIKELY that the Governors will take action on the new BPM rates at its March meeting. In that case, the new rates would take effect about 10 days after the Governors' meeting."

February 13, 2001 -- In the State of South Carolina, "Credit-card holders would be protected from questionable late fees under a Senate bill bankers and industry groups call "harmful" to business. The bill, called the Postmark Prompt Payment Act, would guarantee consumers that if they make payments on time, they can't be assessed late fees. Every piece of mail processed by the U.S. Postal Service gets stamped with a date, or postmark. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, would make the postmark the official date the bill was paid, regardless of when it is received by the creditor or when the payment is processed." "If the companies are going to charge the amounts of money they do for late fees, then the public has to be protected when they meet their obligations," Leventis said. Expect to see more of this if the U.S. Postal Service allows delivery service standards and performance to slip.

February 13, 2001 -- Il Sole 24 Ore has reported that the Italian treasury has allocated 1,400 billion Lira over the last three years to Poste SpA, the Italian postal service, to compensate for price reductions in its services. However, the company claims that the amount was not sufficient to cover all costs and that losses of 1,800 billion Lira have been accumulated over the last three years. Last year, Poste received 480 billion Lira from the government as a contribution to provide postal services at a price accessible by everyone. Over the last three years, the treasury has also allocated 3,000 billion Lira to restructure the company. The European Commission has launched an inquiry to establish whether subsidies provided by the government can be considered state aid.

February 13, 2001 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported that "Deutsche Post AG, the German post office, has withdrawn around 200 complaints against the awarding of licences to private delivery companies in the area of same-day deliveries. The administrative tribunal at Cologne has confirmed the awarding of licences to these companies.According to legislation, Deutsche Post has a monopoly on letters weighing up to 200 grams, but rival companies are permitted to deliver letters in this category if they render a superior service, and the administrative court has ruled that a higher quality service is offered by the rival companies in same-day deliveries. Deutsche Post continues to contest the awarding of licences to rivals collecting mail until 5.00 p.m. which is then delivered before midday the following day."

February 13, 2001 -- Neopost Inc. (www.neopost.com), a provider of mailing, document handling and logistics systems, today introduces the IJ25 digital postage meter, the first stand-alone postage meter to comply with the United States Postal Service's Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP) for simultaneous metering and barcode generation. The IJ25 features a built-in modem that securely resets postage, eliminating the requirement for a PC currently associated with all other IBIP-compliant meters.

February 13, 2001 -- "There's no question," The Wall Street Journal has reported, "that the Internet is slowly displacing some of the old ways of moving things from here to there, now that almost anyone can send documents instantly and practically free with a few clicks, rather than overnight using an expensive delivery envelope. All of the major package deliverers have lost document-shipping business to e-mail and fax machines in recent years.But the giants are fighting back, using the Internet itself and racing into new businesses ideally suited for the e-commerce revolution. For starters, they're retooling their operations to become major movers not just of packages and envelopes, but of information."

February 13, 2001 -- FedEx Corp. closed its acquisition of American Freightways for about $1.2 billion and launched FedEx Freight, made up of American Freightways and its co-operating unit Viking Freight.

February 13, 2001 -- Metrologic Instruments Inc.  a manufacturer of laser, holographic and vision-based identification equipment and systems, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Adaptive Optics Associates, Inc. ("AOA"), today introduced a new camera-based identification system, iQ(TM), at the ProMat trade show in Chicago, Illinois. iQ180 is the only all-in-one parcel information acquisition and analysis system available for the high-speed parcel, postal and material handling industries. iQ180 provides bar code reading of linear and two-dimensional barcodes, OCR-compatible image-lift, dimensioning, singulation, conveyor belt position and velocity measurement, and label-to-parcel tracking from a single overhead-mounted housing measuring only 20" x 20" x 8".

February 12, 2001 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "Deutsche Post AG will be allowed to keep its government-protected monopoly on domestic mail delivery past its scheduled expiration at the end of next year, Germany's economics minister said, giving extra shelter to the company's most profitable business.German Economics Minister Werner Mueller said the government had decided to delay the expiration indefinitely since fellow European Union member states hadn't yet agreed on a coordinated timetable to deregulating national post offices."

February 12, 2001 -- Uruguay's National Postal Administration (NPA) signed an agreement Friday with Federal Express (FedEx) to distribute part of the country's overseas mail.

February 11, 2001 -- FedEx Corp. has sued Fritz Cos., alleging that the freight handler provided larger rival United Parcel Service Inc. with trade secrets and other confidential information on FedEx's business. FedEx alleges that Fritz gave the secrets to UPS while the two were in discussions that culminated in UPS' pact to buy Fritz for about $441 million in stock. Read more from Fritz.

February 10, 2001 -- The Postal Rate Commission has issued its second recommended decision in the matter of Docket No. R2000-1. Here are some of the highlights of the Postal Rate Commission's Second Recommended Opinion. The Postal Rate Commission has: (1) rejected the Postal Service's request for reconsideration of the contingency reserve;  (2) accepted  the Postal Service's challenge for the reduction recommended in supervisory costs; (3) rejected the USPS' contention that a field reserve fund should have been considered separately from its original proposed contingency reserve request; (4) corrected the calculation errors made in its first recommended decision concerning Bound Printed Matter rates (these corrections will have the effect of increasing BPM rates by about five cents per piece and two cents per pound); (5) decided not to change the rates it recommended for Nonprofit Rate Mail; (6) challenged the Postal Service either to reopen the record to correct any underestimation of revenue need, or to file with dispatch an emergent request for new higher rates.

February 10, 2001 -- How goes the horse race for the next PMG? Usually reliable sources say the betting is that the next PMG will be an insider. Who's on the consideration list? Word has it that the most likely candidates are Deputy PMG John Nolan, Chief Operating Officer Jack Potter, Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser, and Senior Vice President for Operations Patrick Donohoe.

February 10, 2001 -- Direct Newsline has reported that "while total direct sales during 2000 increased only slightly for the J. Crew Group, from $278.5 million to $284.8 million, the company had a dramatic channel shift. In fiscal 1999, Internet sales were only 23.4% of J. Crew's total direct sales, amounting to $65.2 million. Twelve months later, they had jumped to 37.7%, or 107.3 million. Catalog sales made up the balance of direct sales in each year. Retail sales jumped from $333.6 million to $406.8 million, an increase of 22%, during the same time period. But fiscal 2000 included an extra week: Discounting the additional seven days, the company's retail revenue increased 10.8%. Makes you wonder what'll happen when the USPS raises catalog rates by 20% in the next rate case.

February 10, 2001 -- According to Sacramento, CA officials, "a $44 billion deal for FedEx Corp. to transport mail for the U.S. Postal Service could have a major impact on the growing air cargo industry in Sacramento County."

February 10, 2001 -- GlobalSources.Com has reported that "Fedex Express, the air-parcels subsidiary of US cargo and logistics company Federal Express, could link up with mainland airlines to increase its penetration of the China air-express market. David Cunningham, FedEx Asia-Pacific president, told iBusiness that a deal with Chinese carriers was a ``possibility'' now that the US Department of Transport had allowed rival United Parcel Service (UPS) to fly between China and the US."

February 10, 2001 -- The Financial Times has reported that "the UK Post Office is giving a big boost to the government's unsettled plans for stakeholder pensions by launching a comprehensive stakeholder product as soon as the rules allow, on April 6. Standard Life will manage the Post Office stakeholder, which will be made available through 18,000 branches. People who were unable to access low-cost pensions through their employers would be able to invest for their retirement through their local Post Office, said Basil Larkins, the Post Office's head of network banking."

February 10, 2001 -- ZdNetUK has reported that "the [British] Post Office has launched a one-stop-shop to support firms involved in e-commerce and home shopping services. The Post Office, to be rebranded as Consignia, said it is making a £14m investment in an effort to become the leading logistics and delivery service for online firms."

February 10, 2001 -- Business2.0.Com has notedt that "electronic mail is eroding the amount of traditional mail being delivered, leaving that great British institution, the Post Office, facing testing times. It recently posted half-yearly losses of £80m and faces the closure of some 5,000 branches by 2003 due to changes in welfare payments. So far, Government plans to turn it into a non-profit-making 'universal bank' for the poor and socially excluded are proving problematic. However, the PO still has some tricks up its sleeve. The increase in Internet shopping has seen a proportional rise in the number of goods being shipped, and while electronic marketing is on the increase, many dot-coms are still relying on good old direct mail to get their message across."

February 9, 2001 -- Just when you thought you've read as much bad news about the Postal Service that you can stand, along comes veteran postal watcher  Alan Robinson with his latest report on the USPS' financial standing.

February 9, 2001 -- The Postal Service is revising U.S. Postal Service Standard 7A, Mailboxes, City and Rural Curbside, which governs the design of curbside mailboxes.

February 9, 2001 -- Spanish postal services group Correos y Telegrafos has announced a net profit of 2.4m euros (Pta407m) in the year 2000, the first profit it has ever made.

February 8, 2001 -- Again from Europe comes the report that a PR agency has been hired to give the new Consumer Council for Postal Services, which had been set up to champion the rights of all the users of postal services in the UK, a "corporate identity, literature and website...that emphasises its independence." Just goes to show you...bureaucratic misstepping is not a strictly American phenomenon. A "corporate identity(!)"....Gimme a break!

February 8, 2001 -- According to European sources, "Deutsche Post AG, the German post office, plans to contract out some of its transport activities. Deliveries to customers are to continue to be carried out by Deutsche Post employees, while the contracting out will take place in the transportation of parcels to distribution and collection depots (already, over 80 per cent of this area of activity is contracted out)."

February 8, 2001 -- The (London) Telegraph has reported that "five months after a company chairman began complaining about the effect postal delays were having on his multi-million pound business, the Royal Mail has apologised and sent compensation: four first-class stamps." He wasn't amused.

February 8, 2001 -- "For decades, Postal Authorities (Posts) have delivered the mail, even if it meant slogging through rain, sleet, hail, or snow,'' said Michael Killen, chairman and founder of Killen & Associates. "Today's Posts must overcome a vastly more formidable challenge than the elements. Their very existence will depend on their ability to compete with private carriers that aren't saddled with regulatory limitations on their rates.''

February 8, 2001 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that UPS Logistics Group has taken on an expanded role in handling product returns for Sprint PCS under a new three-year contract. The logistics unit, a subsidiary of United Parcel Service, will operate and manage the Sprint PCS National Returns Processing Center.

February 8, 2001 -- Here's a first. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has announced the appointment of a woman, Leme Xhema, to lead the Kosovo's Post and Telecommunications Enterprise (PTK).

February 7, 2001-- Okay...enough is enough! As PostCom President Gene Del Polito says in his open letter to the members of the Association for Postal Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Association has come to the conclusion that we've all waited long enough for the postal reform process to take. It's now time to call on President Bush and the Congressional leadership to establish a Presidential Commission on the future of America's postal system.

February 7, 2001 -- The news coming from the Postal Service Board of Governors meeting is posted on the Postal Service's web site.

February 7, 2001 -- A copy of the European publication, the Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) is posted as a courtesy provided to PostCom members. Our thanks go to the MRU Consultancy GmbH for this courtesy.

February 7, 2001 -- The Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) has reported that "the U.S.Postal Service is looking for international collaborators. Mr Robert Edwards, the business development director, told Reuters news agency that the company’s interest is currently focussed on Europe and Asia. Mr Edwards said that the growing internationalisation of the economy was making it impossible for U.S. Postal Service to continue its business on a purely domestic level. Apparently, the company is particularly interested in co-operating with CEP service providers in London, Paris and Frankfurt. According to Mr Edwards, U.S. Postal Service is at present involved in ‘aggressive negotiations’ with a number of European suppliers, and he expects several alliances to be concluded by the end of April this year. The Asian markets of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore as well as the Australian market were also said to be of interest to the company. Both the co-operation with the Indian CEP service Overnite Express (2000 turnover: 9.3m euros), which was made known last Friday, and the recently announced collaboration with Korean Air and Hanjin Express in South Korea, were described by Mr Edwards as a first step in this direction."

February 7, 2001 -- The British newspaper, The Guardian, has reported that the European commission has questioned and attacked the British government's commitment to open up the postal sector to competition and abolish the Post Office's monopoly. The paper said that "the EC wants the Post Office and its European counterparts to lose their monopoly in 2003 on the delivery of all letters weighing more than 50 grams. It has run into opposition from the European parliament and countries such as Britain which favour a more gradual liberalisation."

February 7, 2001 -- More on the imminence of another postal rate increase from CBS Marketwatch.

February 7, 2001 -- At the U.S. Postal Service...the wheels appear to have fallen off the place. Postal observers have reported that the Postal Service has run out of cash, that a rate case probably will be filed in June, that it'll be a whopper, and that it will be followed shortly thereafter with another. According to one postal observer, "the Governors have lost the right to run the place. We're at the point where the federal government may have to consider seriously a $5-15 million bailout. Congress will have to give back the OBRA money it extracted in better times." 

February 7, 2001 -- InfoWorld has reported that Staples, the office supply store, has announced that Web kiosks are now available in all of the company's 954 physical locations. The kiosks make the Staples.com Web site available to in-store customers of the office-supply vendor, a strategy that offers a number of benefits. Many other retailers, including the Kmart Web site, Bluelight.com; Virgin Megastores; Service Merchandise; L.L. Bean; Borders Books; and the Gap are also seeing the advantage of this convenient information resource. Whatever happened to postal kiosks?

February 7, 2001 -- A billion here...a billion there. According to the Industry Standard, the new "magic number" seems to be a billion. CEOs nationwide are trumpeting that this cut, or this innovation, or that whatever will result in about a billion dollars of enormous benefits. You know, sort of like the benefits that were supposed to come from breakthrough productivity. As it turned out, it was more like broken productivity.

February 7, 2001 -- Lawyers for DHL Worldwide Express Inc. and DHL Airways Inc. have called the two U.S. rivals' arguments that the Department of Transportation remove their license irrelevant. One lawyer noted UPS's and FedEx's dominance in the U.S. delivery market. The attorneys said they are confident the complaints will be dismissed.

February 7, 2001 -- An outspoken European Union commissioner has accused British Department of Trade and Industry minister, Alan Johnson, of obstructing moves - backed by the prime minister - to open up Europe's postal services to greater competition. DTI sources dismiss the accusations pointing out that the UK supports liberalisation but has concerns over the question of providing a "universal service" - ensuring that consumers and businesses can continue posting mail to 27 million addresses nationwide at uniform and affordable prices.

February 7, 2001 -- The United States Postal Service renewed its commitment to increasing customer satisfaction in Chicago by signing a ``Customer Bill of Rights'' at each of its 50 local post offices. Known as "Customer 1st,"' the agreements are based on feedback from thousands of Chicago postal customers who completed surveys indicating how the Postal Service can better meet their needs for mail service and mailing products. They are: the right to be served by knowledgeable employees, the right to pleasant, courteous service, and the right to be served at a clean facility.

February 6, 2001-- The Associated Press has reported that "just a month after higher stamp prices took effect the U.S. Postal Service, facing massive losses, is considering another rate boost that could result in higher prices early next year. The postal board of governors ordered the agency's management to begin preparing a rate case as soon as possible to ensure the continued financial viability of the Postal Service." Read more from Reuters.

February 6, 2001 -- As Traffic World has noted, "when a liberal who regulates the price of postage stamps wants to privatize the U.S. Postal Service and the postmaster general agrees, well, that's going postal without a firearm. Similarly amazing is that the congressional Republican leadership, obsessed with the "p-word," has no plan in the legislative hopper to privatize mail delivery. It seems traditional points of view stand on their head when it comes to the mail."

February 6, 2001 -- Slow Down? What slow down? That's the question Traffic World has asked as it noted that "after complaining that the holiday shipping season fell far below expectations, United Parcel Service still managed to rake in money for the fourth quarter and full year in 2000. While the company isn't predicting that 2001 will be as favorable, UPS is banking on the economy picking up in the second quarter to aid overall earnings."

February 6, 2001 -- As Traffic World has reported, "when United Parcel Service announced its basic freight rate increase at the tail end of last year, it seemed pretty straightforward. A more detailed analysis of all the increases, however, shows exactly how the $30 billion small package giant aims to lead shippers to give it exactly the type of freight it wants in its system."

February 6, 2001 -- FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. has opened new FedEx Home Delivery terminals in 85 cities to meet increasing demand for the unique residential-only delivery service.The openings of the new terminals mark the largest single-day facility expansion in the FedEx Ground network.

February 6, 2001 -- According to DHL, "Germany and other European countries have opened their markets fully to U.S. freight forwarding companies, and UPS has already attained a strong position throughout Europe. Indeed, the German market is so open to international competition, said DHL, that UPS has apparently been conducting 'cabotage' air services -- shipping packages between points within Germany -- a right that is denied to foreign carriers in the United States."

February 6, 2001 -- ValiCert, Inc., a provider of trust solutions for online business transactions, and TecSec®, Inc., a developer of Cryptographically Enforced Access Management(TM) (CEAM(TM)) technologies, have announced that their combined security solutions have been selected to provide a security framework component for NetPost.Certified(TM), a new, Internet-based certified mail service recently announced by the United States Postal Service (USPS). NetPost.Certified consists of the USPS Electronic Postmark and Certificate Authority integrated with commercial technologies that will enable government agencies to receive highly secure e-Filings.

February 6, 2001 -- How will paper survive in an electronic world? The answers to that question will be the focus of this new one-day seminar:the World PaperCom Alliance Conference 2001, to be held on February 20 at the National Press Club in Washington. For a registration form, visit the PaperCom website: www.papercom.org/conference

February 6, 2001 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Danzas has acquired the international logistics business of Deca Express SA in Chile."

February 5, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that "cargo air carrier DHL Corp. [has] urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to dismiss complaints filed by its larger rivals, United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) and FedEx Corp. (FDX) that claim DHL fails to comply with U.S. regulations regarding foreign ownership. DHL said its rivals' assertions are "both factually and legally groundless." Reuters has reported that DHL Airways has called "complaints by rivals a grab for market share."

February 5, 2001 -- The body responsible for monitoring competition policy in Australia has criticised the Australian Federal Government for slow progress in implementing the policy in six industry areas. The National Competition Council assesses the performance of federal, state and territory governments in deregulating industries, and pays out billions of dollars to them when progress is made. In its latest review, the council has criticised the Commonwealth for its performance in rail, broadcasting, postal services, pharmacy regulation, road transport and public sector superannuation. 

February 5, 2001 -- TELUS Enterprise Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TELUS Corporation, will offer Canada Post's EPOST online mail delivery services to TELUS business customers. EPOST, the world's first electronic post office, is a web-based service that provides a secure location where customers can receive and process their mail, including e-bills. TELUS Enterprise Solutions has signed an EPOST E-Business Solution Partner agreement, enabling it to offer clients EPOST's online mail service as a new delivery channel.

February 5, 2001 -- According to  PostMag.Com, the bid by Fedex and UPS to ground DHL "clearly demonstrates that both FedEx and UPS fear the entry of the German giant into the US market."

February 5, 2001 -- The Finnish postal company Finland Post Ltd has increased its stake in the printing, direct marketing and mailing services company Atkos Printmail Oy, jointly owned with the Finnish-Swedish IT group TietoEnator Corporation.

Finland Post increased its holding from 49% to 80% in order to strengthen its operations within value added mail services.

February 4, 2001 -- The Houston Chronicle has reported that "Houston Postmaster Lorenzo Ortiz has said the [Houston] post office greatly reduced late-afternoon mailbox pickups in business districts here, in part, to cut costs on the heels of a rate hike. He acknowledged that the post office stopped picking up mail from boxes after 5 p.m. to scale back on the workload of mail collectors as it prepares to, eventually, decrease the number of such workers....Downtown and Galleria area businesses are...up in arms because they were not notified about the reduction in pickups at office buildings and street boxes" Expect more of the same elsewhere around the nation as the U.S. Postal Service grapples with its fiscal woes.

February 4, 2001 -- The French newspaper, La Tribune, has reported that "La Poste (the French postal service) and the French federation of mail order businesses (FEVAD), have signed an agreement which obliges the post office to keep to set times for distribution of mail advertising produced by the federation's members. If it fails to meet the stipulated deadlines, the post office will have to pay all or part of the costs of the mailing." Now THAT'S a neat idea!

February 4, 2001 -- Africa News has reported that "the South Africa Post Office is expected to ask government to continue its subsidies beyond March, having indicated that it will report another loss this year. The organisation's continuing financial plight is also reflected in a request to renegotiate the management contract signed last year with New Zealand Post International, now called Transend Worldwide." Maybe the USPS should ask the American government for a subsidy.

February 3, 2001 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "KoreaPost, the country's postal service organization, will commission civilian express companies to provide mail delivery services in an attempt to cut costs and improve the quality of service. The delivery service has been monopolized by the state-run Postal Service Development Corp. As a first step in that direction, KoreaPost chose Hyundai Logistics Co., through an open bid, as one of the service providers. KoreaPost said it will select additional service providers for its 21 major service zones by 2003. It plans to expand the competition system to 1,954 minor delivery zones. The post headquarters hopes it can cut 387 million won (US$307,386) in costs by introducing the market system and spurring voluntary management innovations at Postal Service Development Corp."

February 3, 2001 -- Dow Jones has reported that Dutch postal, logistics and express company TNT Post Groep NV (TP) has sold its 43% stake in Mail2000 to the management of the Washington-based company for an undisclosed sum. TPG acquired the stake in June 1998.

February 3, 2001 -- The United States Postal Service (USPS) and IBM have announced an agreement to offer USPS employees IBM NetVista desktop PCs and ThinkPad laptops, as well as a range of options from the IBM PC catalog. As part of the three-year contract, USPS employees will be able to choose products from a catalog of more than 2,000 hardware, software, and third-party products. The offering will be made available to the USPS' 800,000 employees in more than 38,000 locations across the United States including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Guam, will be offered through a Corporate Employee Purchase Program.

February 2, 2001 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that "Signature Confirmation will be available at the retail counter and to commercial customers with domestic Priority Mail and Package Services which includes Parcel Post, Parcel Select, Bound Printed Matter, Library Mail and Media Mail.The service will cost $1.75 per piece for customers who purchase it at a Post Office. An electronic rate of $1.25 is also available for shippers capable of sending and receiving shipping information electronically. Fees are in addition to postage."

February 2, 2001 -- Finland Post Ltd plans to increase its holding in Atkos Printmail Oy, a joint venture company currently owned by the Post (51 %) with TietoEnator Corporation (49 %). After the transaction the Post will hold 80 % of Atkos Printmail, which provides printing, mailing and direct marketing services.

February 2, 2001 -- The U.K. online e-zine, Revolution, has reported that "the Post Office [now known as Consignia] has unveiled its package of services for e-tailers. Services include warehousing, fulfilment, customer relationship management, direct marketing and internet security and the aim is to offer an end-to-end solution for e-tailers, as well as high-street retailers and manufacturers. Exploiting the Post Office's trusted brands – Royal Mail, ParcelForce Worldwide and 18,000 Post Office branches – the service also includes the management of returns and customer service. In addition to what the company is calling a one-stop shop for e-tailers, a trial is underway enabling consumers to nominate their local Post Office branch as an alternative address for the delivery of parcels that require a signature."

February 2, 2001 -- Even the Thais have caught postal reform fever. The Financial Times has reported that the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) places to spend close to 2 billion baht to computerize its 1,200 post offices nationwide. Under the plan you will be able to pay most of your bills over the counter, including for mobile phones, credit cards or insurance, while the post office may also be in charge of delivering goods ordered over the Internet. With another 2.3 billion baht investment, it will set up 13 distribution centres that will co-ordinate deliveries from e-commerce sites. The moves are intended to prepare the state-run postal business for privatisation and to compete with both international couriers and privately-run counter service operators. Meanwhile, back in the States, the Vinnie Barbarinos who oversee our nation's postal system are still walking Capitol Hill asking: "Postal reform? What postal reform? Who needs postal reform? What? Where?"

February 2, 2001 -- Today marks the retirement of two-term Postal Rate Commission Chairman Edward Gleiman. Ed leaves the Commission after a long and distinguished career of public service. Ed recently received the Association for Postal Commerce's highest honor, the J. Edward Day Award, for his extraordinary service to the postal community and the nation. For those who have known and worked with Ed over the years, during his tenure as a staffer on Capitol Hill as well as Chairman of the Commission, he'll be missed. We wish him well.

February 2, 2001 -- The Royal Mail (U.K.) has apologized to people and businesses following the four-day strike that left a postal backlog in Nuneaton. When the protest at the Church Street Post Office ended, on January 11, the Royal Mail immediately set about clearing the backlog.  A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "The only problem we have had is with advertising mail which comes in bulk and we expect this to be back to normal today."

February 2, 2001 -- Federal Times has a report on the Postal Service's dismal outcome for quarter one of postal fiscal year 2001.

February 2, 2001 -- Compaq Computer Corp. has signed an agreement with the US Postal Service to offer Presario Internet PCs and a variety of Internet services options to 800,000 postal employees in more than 42,000 locations across the United States including Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Guam. In addition, Compaq will create a custom portal through which postal employees can securely access the USPS Intranet.

February 1, 2001 -- As The Wall Street Journal has noted, "America has become the newest -- and potentially the nastiest -- battleground in the continuing transformation of the world's major postal agencies. Across Europe, once-sleepy postal operations are becoming aggressive private-sector competitors, spending heavily to move into the backyard of UPS and FedEx. American parcel-delivery trucks have rumbled across the cobbled streets of Europe for more than two decades. Now, European carriers say they want to find out if transparent borders work in both directions." And...the latest to come piling on is...the Teamsters Union.

February 1, 2001 --  A copy of the European publication, the Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) is posted as a courtesy provided to PostCom members. Our thanks go to the MRU Consultancy GmbH for this courtesy.

February 1, 2001 -- The Courier-Express-and Postal Market News (CEP News) has reported that "the German mail order company Quelle is increasingly benefiting from internet trading. Last year customers ordered 332m euros worth of goods online, Quelle AG reported last week, a figure which represents a 330 %+ increase compared to the previous year. Around 9 % of Quelle‘s mail order turnover is now internet generated. The Christmas trade brought over 1.2 million customers onto the company‘s web site. Quelle AG, which is based in Fürth, expects a steady growth for this year. Over 511m euros, i.e. approx. 15 % of the net mail order turnover, are to be achieved online."

February 1, 2001 -- European news sources have reported that "Osterreichische Post AG, the Austrian postal service, has announced a joint venture with DPD, the German postal company [not Deutsche Post], in which it will set up a subsidiary which will operate in central and eastern Europe. The company is to be called DPD South East Europe, and also includes French company La Poste. The company will begin by setting up business in Hungary, before expanding to Slovakia and Slovenia. La Poste will increase its stake in DPD from the current 50.64 per cent to 85 per cent. DPD already operates in Austria, and Osterreichische Post currently owns 30 per cent of DPD Austria."

February 1, 2001 -- Postal guru Alan Robinson told the Federal Times, that while advertising mail showed the fastest growth last quarter, "the growth this quarter was related to the election. It’s a one-time event."

February 1, 2001 -- The Dayton Daily News has reported that "Emery Worldwide Airlines will stop flying U.S. Priority Mail sooner than previously announced, resulting in job losses at Dayton International Airport, a company spokeswoman said. The service will end April 23 as a result of Emery's continuing pricing dispute with the U.S. Postal Service over its Priority Mail contract."

February 1, 2001 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "a spokesman for DHL Worldwide Express accused United Parcel Service and FedEx Corp. of protectionism." The charge was prompted by recent complaints filed by the U.S. carriers with the Department of Transportation against DHL. UPS has urged DOT to revoke a freight forwarder's license granted to DHL last November, while a separate motion by FedEx asks DOT to revoke DHL's aircraft operating license in the United States. DHL spokesman Guy Collette maintained that only 23% of DHL Airways, the DHL arm that operates its U.S. aircraft, is owned by DHL International Airways, which is based in Brussels. "DHL is completely in line with the law," said Collette, who added that FedEx has tried but fail in the past to prove that DHL fails to comply with U.S. ownership requirements. DHL has only 0.2% of the U.S. small package market.

February 1, 2001 -- According to The Wall Street Journal, "on the strength of its successful initial public offering in November, Deutsche Post AG is set to enter the DAX 30, the leading index of German blue-chip stocks, when the index is reweighted this month."