July 31, 2006 -- The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "Japan Post Corp., a holding company that will oversee four companies to be created through privatization of postal services in October 2007, revealed its basic business plan on Monday. The plan lists many business expansion projects, including those for the postal banking unit tentatively named Yucho Bank and the postal insurance unit tentatively called Kampo Life Insurance. In the plan, only Japan Post Corp.'s enthusiasm for new business projects sticks out rather than original purposes of postal privatization: streamlining of government enterprises and improving the efficiency of postal services." See also Mainichi Daily News. See also the Wall Street Journal.

July 31, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has abandoned a proposal to transfer mail processing operations from Rockford to a Chicago suburb, U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo announced Monday after a monthslong battle against the possible move."

July 31, 2006 -- According to The Times, "You almost certainly have come across them: envelopes with no name and no address, stuffed with invitations to have your house defiled by plastic double glazing or to buy a timeshare in Ibiza. It is the postal equivalent of spam: saved the expense of having to address the letters individually, the advertisers that send them can carpet-bomb vast areas with the stuff. There is a big difference, however, between spam and unaddressed junk mail. While the Government and internet providers have joined forces to clamp down on the former, ministers have shown no interest whatsoever in tackling the latter. Until now, the Royal Mail has imposed its own voluntary limit of three unaddressed items per household per week. But that has now been abandoned without a whimper of protest from ministers."

July 31, 2006 -- According to the Motley Fool, "The U.S. postal business seems to be passe -- but not for Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP). In fact, with its software tools for consumers and businesses, Stamps.com has put together a fast-growing enterprise. In the second quarter, Stamps.com posted a 42% increase in revenues, to $20.2 million. Net income nearly doubled to $4.2 million, or $0.17 per share. This includes a $696,000 charge for expensing stock options. Free cash flow was about $4.3 million in the second quarter, and the company has about $117 million in the bank."

July 31, 2006 -- PennySaverUSA.com, the Web site of the shopper publications of Harte-Hanks, has entered into a relationship with the Association of Free Community Newspapers (AFCP), a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 2,000 free-circulation community papers and shoppers reaching more than 45 million homes, that would designate PennySaverUSA.com as the association’s vendor of choice for Web services and online classifieds aggregation for its members. As part of the agreement, AFCP will market and support the PennySaverUSA.com Web site (http://www.pennysaverusa.com) where individual AFCP members can receive Web classified services and list their own classifieds online, laying the groundwork for a nationwide network of local classified advertising online.

July 31, 2006 -- BÖWE BELL + HOWELL has announced the availability of a new release of the company’s flexible document enhancement tool that enables customers to take best advantage of the capabilities of their mailing equipment and software solutions. TransFormer® release 8.1, part of the BÖWE One™ solution suite, adds new functionality to make it easier than ever for users to encode data for unique document identification, prepare files for dynamic finishing, and regenerate files as needed for closed-loop processing. For further information on BÖWE BELL + HOWELL, visit www.bowebellhowell.com.

July 31, 2006 -- The latest issue of the Universal Postal Union Direct Mail Advisory Board Update has been posted on this site. For readers of this Update, and for old ones who missed a few editions: past DMAB Updates are regularly posted on the UPU-DMAB website, in English and French. For the English ones, check http://www.upu.int/direct_mail/en/news.shtml.

July 31, 2006 -- According to Interfax, "China's Telecommunications Law and Postal Law are on the agenda to pass legislation by the end of 2006, recent legislation work report from China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII) revealed."

July 31, 2006 -- The Financial Times has noted that "Logistics rivals shrug off UPS pessimism over economy."

July 31, 2006 -- TNT, the Dutch postal group, on Monday raised full-year guidance for its core mail and express units, and said it would complete the disposal of its contract logistics division in the current fiscal quarter. There had been speculation that the company would announce the sale on Monday, but people close to the process told the Financial Times that it still had “some way to run”.

July 31, 2006 -- According to the Daily Mail, "The biggest shake-up in Britain's postal service for more than 165 years has 'the makings of a mega-disaster', consumer groups will warn today. In just three weeks' time, new rules will affect the price of approximately one in five items sent in the post with a stamp. For the first time, people sending anything through the post will have to think about the size and thickness, not just the weight. But experts warned last night that hardly anybody knows about the radical shake-up which they believe is 'as big as decimalisation' in 1971."

July 31, 2006 -- NewKerala has noted that "India's postal network is the biggest in the world with one lakh fifty five thousand post offices, Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Shakeel Ahmed said here today."

July 31, 2006 -- The Post.ie has reported that "The state is losing money by operating the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB), new figures show. The shortfall would have been higher if the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) had not frozen An Post’s management fee, which was unchanged on the previous year despite a 14 per cent increase in the bank’s deposit base. The NTMA is currently in talks with An Post to cut the amount it pays to the state postal operator each year.>

July 31, 2006 -- According to the Japan Times, "The bank and the insurance company to be created through postal privatization next year will try to expand their operations to match those of their private-sector rivals, informed sources have said. Japan Post will be split into four stock firms -- savings, insurance, mail and over-the-counter services -- on Oct. 1, 2007, under a holding company. Japan Post Corp., which will be turned into the holding firm."

July 31, 2006 -- Khaleej Times has reported that "Emirates Post is engaged in the construction of new post office buildings and customised buildings worth more than Dh190 million for its expanding business activities in the UAE. The new post offices with modern design and facilities will help Emirates Post use technology more efficiently to adopt global best practices in postal operations, said a top official of Emirates Post."

July 29, 2006 -- The Yakima Herald has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has delayed a decision on cutting back its Yakima operations in light of congressional skepticism about the purported savings and effect on mail service, postal officials said Friday. Last week, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., included language in an appropriations bill that directs the postal service not to move outgoing mail operations from Yakima to Pasco until an independent review is conducted. The bill has not yet passed the full Senate or House, but Ernie Swanson, a spokesman for the postal service in Seattle, said it's likely to. "So we're holding off," he said. A decision has been delayed indefinitely, he added. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, has twice written postal service officials to express concern that the consolidation would cost Yakima its postmark and hurt service in rural areas."

July 29, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "A contest between the Maine and New Hampshire-Vermont postal districts has netted $111,760 for breast cancer research. The two districts have been competing for two months to see which could sell the most breast cancer research stamps compared to total stamps sold. Six cents from the sale of each stamp goes toward research. Maine won the friendly competition, with breast cancer research stamps representing 4.2 percent of its stamp sales. The district for New Hampshire and Vermont had 3.8 percent."

July 29, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "The economic expansion downshifted in the second quarter amid fresh evidence that prices and wages are accelerating, a potentially noxious mix for a Federal Reserve trying to contain inflation without triggering a recession."

July 29, 2006 -- Les Echos has reported that "La Poste, the French post office, announced yesterday that the price of a stamp to send a letter weighing less than 20g within France will rise to the European average for domestic postage on October 1. At that point, it will cost 54 euro cents (up 1 euro cent on the current rate)."

July 29, 2006 -- The Charlotte Business Journal has reported that "Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP said Thursday that James Miller, former director of the Office of Management and Budget and former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, joined the firm's Washington office as a part-time senior adviser. A nationally recognized economist, Miller will focus primarily on commercial issues, including litigation, the firm said in a release. Miller is chairman of the board of governors of the U.S. Postal Service and serves on the boards of Washington Mutual Investors Fund, the Tax-Exempt Fund of Maryland, the Tax-Exempt Fund of Virginia, the J.P. Morgan Value Opportunities Fund, Independence Air and Clean Energy, the release said."

July 28, 2006 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• A new GAO report says the Postal Service does not measure and report its delivery performance for most types of mail, resulting in limited transparency with regard to its overall performance in timely mail delivery. GAO says the USPS must modernize its delivery standards, implement delivery performance measurements for major types of mail and improve the transparency of delivery performance standards, measures and results, noting “these outdated standards are unsuitable as benchmarks for setting realistic expectations for timely mail delivery, measuring delivery performance, or improving service, oversight and accountability.”
• PostCom met with GAO officials to discuss service standards and delivery performance measurements for newly-released GAO study. PostCom also followed up with a letter restating many of our members’ issues, objectives and concerns, a letter the agency used in its report.
• The Postal Service attached a very lengthy response – seven appendices along with its five-page letter – to the GAO’s new report on service standards and delivery performance measurements, considerably larger than the USPS’ typical opinion. Although PostCom urges members to read the Postal Service’s 54-page response in its entirety, we’ve included a brief summary synopsis of the familiar topics – such as the Transformation Plan and the Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations – and issues – visibility, modern service standards and the value equation between service and price – addressed by the USPS.
• In a series of articles, PostCom will provide highlights of the action in the R2006-1 rate case. This first article focuses on responses from the Postal Service to PostCom’s interrogatories. PostCom will provide periodic updates as the case proceeds. A recent status report on postal reform legislation by the National Association of Postal Supervisors is causing concern that UPS is trying to influence language on single-piece parcels in a yet-to-be-finalized bill in Congress.
• A recent status report on postal reform legislation by the National Association of Postal Supervisors is causing concern that UPS is trying to influence language on single-piece parcels in a yet-to-be-finalized bill in Congress.
• USPS’ Regan to lead UPU council. Postal Service seeks courier service for parts delivery. Lockheed Martin wins OCR contract. APWU launches ad campaign to counter USPS consolidation efforts. USPS information official faces accusations in Postal Inspection Service report. UPS profit outlook causes drop in U.S. stocks, fuels concern of slowing growth.Nine European postal services urge caution in EC push for postal market reform by 2009. Postal chiefs meet in Asia.

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July 28, 2006 -- The U.S. Postal Service has reported that "Drop shipment mailers can now take advantage of Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST) system online training. The Web-based course offers convenience and real-time access to FAST training and resources. Those who have tested the training are enthusiastic about its ease-of-use and accessibility. Access the FAST training at https://fast.usps.com/fast/ (click “Resources” then "Reference Documents"). The course is organized by module; you may take the entire course or brush up on a single topic.

July 28, 2006 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

July 28, 2006 -- According to Dow Jones, "The European Commission will propose postal deregulation by the end of the year and already has received a letter in protest from nine post offices, a commission official said Thursday. The Commission has been attempting to open national postal monopolies for much of the past decade."

July 28, 2006 -- According to IT Week, "Royal Mail is using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to monitor the flow of post, to identify problem areas and improve delivery services."

July 28, 2006 -- Union Network International has reported that "Nine European Postal Service Providers jointly call for caution in the 2009 reform of postal services Following the publication of the PWC study on the "Impact on Universal Service of the Full Market Accomplishment of the Postal Internal Market in 2009", the postal operators of Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland and Spain, which account for over 50% of the Community population, express their concern about the study outcomes and plead the European Commission for a balanced approach when drawing up future postal legislation. The PWC survey states that the opening of the market will have a significant impact on the operator providing the universal service as well as on the universal postal service itself in most of the member states. This impact varies according to the particular situation in each country."

July 28, 2006 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "ABX Air, the largest of two U.S. freighter airlines in the DHL Express domestic network and operator of DHL's package sorting terminals, said DHL is releasing 21 of its planes in August. That move has long been a DHL option under its ABX contracts, and still leaves ABX as the largest U.S. leased fleet with 91 freighters committed to DHL's system."

July 28, 2006 -- From Business Wire: "ABX Air has announced that its subsidiary, ABX Cargo Services, has been awarded the contract to manage the U.S. Postal Service's terminal handling services at its Surface Transfer Center (STC) in Dallas, Texas. The contract calls for ABX to be compensated at a firm price for its fixed costs, plus an additional amount based on the volume of mail handled. Based on projected volumes, ABX Air anticipates that its revenues under the contract could total about $20 million during the four-year term of the contract. This contract provides for two, two-year extensions at the discretion of the U.S. Postal Service."

July 28, 2006 -- PCB007 has reported that "Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a $17.4 million contract from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for optical character recognition technology to improve automated parcel sorting systems at USPS bulk mail centers. Lockheed Martin will install 38 optical character recognition (OCR) systems on secondary parcel sorting systems, known as Singulation Scan Induction Units (SSIU), at 19 bulk mail centers. OCR will offer an alternative method to sorting packages by reading the addresses on parcels instead of only analyzing barcodes. Currently, a significant percentage of parcels that enter a bulk mail center do not have barcodes and require manual processing. With OCR, the majority of parcels can be directly processed by SSIU, reducing the need for multi-processing operations and manual handling."

July 28, 2006 -- The Prague Post has reported that "In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of mobile communication, the national postal service, Česká pošta, has come up with a new service that will transform pictures sent through multimedia message service (MMS) technology into regular printed postcards. "Travelers or anyone else can send us pictures and text messages via MMS, an e-mail or by placing it on a Web portal (doschranky.cz), and Česká pošta will transform the picture into a regular postcard and deliver it," said Ivo Mravinac, spokesman for the company."

July 28, 2006 -- Liberal.ca has reported that "Liberal Critic for Crown Corporations John McKay was pleased today to learn that Canada Post has abandoned its plan to hike international shipping costs for non-paper items. “Canada Post’s decision to back down from its proposed rate increase is a victory for Canadian small business owners and consumers alike,” said Mr. McKay. “As a crown corporation, Canada Post has a responsibility to the Canadian taxpayer to provide efficient, cost-effective service, free of substantive hikes in service charges.”

July 27, 2006 -- The U.S. Government Accountability Office has issued a report that is very critical of the U.S. Postal Service. GAO said in part:

"USPS has delivery standards for its major types of mail, but some have not been updated in a number of years to reflect changes in how mail is prepared and delivered. These outdated standards are unsuitable as benchmarks for setting realistic expectations for timely mail delivery, measuring delivery performance, or improving service, oversight, and accountability. USPS plans corrective action to update some standards. Also, some delivery standards are not easily accessible, which impedes mailers from obtaining information to make informed decisions.

"USPS does not measure and report its delivery performance for most types of mail. Therefore, transparency with regard to its overall performance in timely mail delivery is limited. As shown in the table below, representative measures cover less than one-fifth of mail volume and do not include Standard Mail, bulk First-Class Mail, Periodicals, and most Package Services. Despite recent disclosures on its Web site, USPS’s reporting is more limited than the scope of measurement. Without sufficient transparency, it is difficult for USPS and its customers to identify and address delivery problems, and for Congress, the Postal Rate Commission, and others to hold management accountable for results and conduct independent oversight."

July 27, 2006 -- The BBC has reported that "The threat of the first national postal strike in a decade has been averted after a deal between the Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU). An agreement was reached between the two groups to increase the basic pay of workers by 3.9%." See also The Independent and The Telegraph.

July 27, 2006 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "DHL Global Forwarding and Lufthansa Cargo announced that they have signed a strategic air-cargo security partnership agreement. The companies said the partnership will develop standard operating procedures that support customer and governmental security requirements. They said the procedures will improve safety for employees who handle high-value and high-risk products, and make DHL a more attractive forwarder for customers shipping high-value or sensitive goods."

July 27, 2006 -- The Communications Workers Union has reported that "The Union has now finalised an agreement with Royal Mail to progress the CWU vision. The Postal Executive met today and endorsed the agreement. Since last week, the Union has resolved the outstanding problem with the government funding. On the outstanding subject of government funding, new words have been agreed that remove Royal Mail’s insistence that every element of the agreement is subject to the funding. This has been replaced by a form of words that are consistent with the Union’s campaign to secure government investment and reflects the factual position."

July 27, 2006 -- The Kyodo News Service has reported that "The government is planning to order Japan Post in August to improve its business practices following irregular postal fee discounts that were identified in May to have caused a 2.7 billion yen loss."

July 27, 2006 -- As the Boston Globe has noted, "In Greater Boston, FedEx has recently begun asking many customers for a 15- to 60-minute head start -- since the Interstate 90 tunnel closings last week began snarling traffic headed to Logan International Airport . UPS has added an extra nightly flight out of Logan to its Louisville, Ky., sorting and shipping hub to accommodate late-arriving delivery vans. The United States Postal Service, which sends over 30 tractor-trailer loads of mail every day from its main Boston sorting facility behind South Station to Logan, is allocating an hour more travel time for trucks that now have to go over the Tobin Bridge and down through Revere to get to the airport, spokesman Bob Cannon said."

July 27, 2006 -- From PR Newswire: "R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company has launched OneSite(SM), a comprehensive web tool that offers customers the ability to see where their materials are throughout the mail stream -- instantaneously. The first product to combine post-production shipment tracking and United States Postal Service(R) (USPS(R)) network tracking into one synchronized report, OneSite provides a diverse new range of tracking and reporting tools designed to maximize opportunities for customers to capitalize on mailing campaign effectiveness."

July 27, 2006 -- The Indianapolis Star has reported that "Up to 350 Vigo County Schools employees might not have received paychecks last week because they were lost in the mail. The U.S. Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Terre Haute has taken responsibility for the problem, which occurred after Vigo County Schools delivered two bags of checks and direct-deposit notices. One of the bags was processed, but the other was lost."

July 27, 2006 -- AMEInfo has reported that "Dr. Badr Al Badr, General Manager of Cisco Systems Saudi Arabia, has signed an agreement with the Saudi Post Corporation (SPC), the sole postal service provider in KSA, to transform their network and communications infrastructure by deploying Cisco's LAN and WAN networking, Data Center, IP Telephony (Cisco Call Center), and Networking Security solutions."

July 27, 2006 -- Unstrung has noted that "Competing against major international shippers FedEx and UPS, Alameda, Calif.-based Golden State Overnight has had to concentrate on price and convenience to win customers. Offering lower shipping rates and later pickup times (as late as 9:00 p.m.) than its larger rivals, and concentrating exclusively on the business shipping market, Golden State delivers to every address in California plus Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson."

July 27, 2006 -- The APWU is taking its grassroots campaign against USPS “network realignment” to a new level by airing radio and television ads that warn of week-long delays in mail delivery. Broadcast advertising began July 26, with radio and television commercials running in Beaumont (TX), Bloomington (IN), Cumberland (MD), St. Petersburg (FL), and Yakima (WA), cities where APWU activists have already taken steps to inform citizens about the negative effect USPS network consolidation plans will have on mail service for individual postal customers and small businesses.

July 27, 2006 -- The latest issue of the National Association of Postal Supervisors Legislative Update has been posted on this site.

July 26, 2006 -- Easy Bourse has reported that "Dutch postal and express company TNT NV is close to selling its logistics division, several people familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Wednesday. Some of those people said private equity firms PAI Management and Apollo Management LP are on the shortlist for the unit."

July 26, 2006 -- SABCNews has reported that "More than 54 delegates of the Commonwealth Postal Nations are in South Africa, to discuss and review the role of the post office in the ever changing communications environment across the globe. High on the agenda will be issues of globalisation, future growth in the industry, and customer expectations. The South African post office services says it has already noticed a steady decline in the amount of post handled by local post offices, and that is one of the main issues that will be put up for discussion at the imbizo."

July 26, 2006 -- Logistics Management has noted that "Earlier this year, the United States Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors requested that the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) sign off on proposed increases for almost all of its domestic postage rates and fees, which would go into effect no sooner than May 2007. The cumulative average of the proposed increases is 8.5 percent. Rates for priority mail and express mail would rise 13.8 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively. Parcel post rates would increase 13.7 percent. If the commission approves those increases, the largest express carriers—FedEx, UPS, and DHL—could well use that to their advantage when developing their 2007 rate schedules, suggested Michael A. Regan, CEO of transportation-rate analysts TranzAct Technologies. "For the Big Three, the USPS rates can be viewed as the floor level [of pricing]," he says. "… If the floor rises 12 or 13 percent, they can raise their own rates by more than 4 percent."

July 26, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Britain's regulatory authority Postcomm is preparing for a comprehensive study concerning the future of Royal Mail, to be launched in the next three weeks. In an interview with the CEP News, the regulator's spokesman Chris Webb, denied allegations concerning plans to split the Royal Mail organisation.
Post Danmark has suffered a severe setback in the mail segment. One of its main direct mail customers, retail chain Coop, has cancelled its contract and is moving to competitors as of next year.
Switzerland's Schweizerische Post is taking over GHP-Gruppe, a direct marketing and customer management specialist based in Bamberg, Bavaria, at an "eight-figure" purchase price.
For the first time in Italian history, private individuals will be allowed to buy into the post company.
GLS Austria, the parcel subsidiary of Britain's Royal Mail, announced a cooperation with mineral oil firm OMV.
Norway's Posten Norge AS announced the acquisition of Blomquist Transport og Spedisjon AS in Larvik, Norway.
GeoPost, the express subsidiary of the French La Poste, is going for the sorting technology of Vanderlande Industries.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News.

July 26, 2006 -- WSTM has reported that "The U-S Postal Service says some certified mail sent from parts of central New York was lost in last month's massive flooding."

July 26, 2006 -- The Aberdeen American News has reported that "Yet another review on postal efficiency in South Dakota is soon to be done and this time the public's voice should be heard."

July 26, 2006 -- According to the Federal Times, "When the U.S. Postal Service adopted new procurement rules last year in an effort to streamline contracting, some expressed the fear that — among other bad consequences — small businesses would find it harder to compete for Postal Service contracts. But the Postal Service says the amount of money going to small businesses, women-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses has not fallen at all and remains a healthy percentage of all agency dollars contracted."

July 26, 2006 -- The Norwich Evening News has reported that "A watchdog warned today that a new Royal Mail pricing structure for post could lead to huge queues at post offices at Christmas and other busy times."

July 26, 2006 -- According to the Financial Times, "During the internet bubble, logistics stocks were seen as one of the old economy's bigger winners. Somebody, after all, would have to deliver all those goods ordered online."

July 26, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "TNT Express has announced plans to install 14,000 extra ‘Mobile Worker’ communication units in delivery vehicles across its global network over the next two years following a successful trial period in the UK. The handheld units, which enable delivery drivers to send and receive delivery information in real-time through one scanner, are already operational in 25 countries and will be introduced to depots in countries including China, South Africa and Italy in Q2 and Q3 2006, and in an additional 17 countries by the end of 2008."

July 26, 2006 -- The Lawrence Journal World has reported that "Commissioners agreed to send a letter to U.S. Postal Service officials saying that they wouldn’t oppose the post office moving its distribution operations out of downtown. But commissioners did spell out in the letter that they think downtown should always have a full-service post office where people can send and receive mail and access post office boxes. Postal Service leaders have not yet committed — nor publicly indicated that they’re even willing — to move any portion of their downtown post office operations."

July 26, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that:

• Azeezaly Jaffer, the Postal Service's top public affairs spokesman, has left the agency under a cloud. Jaffer left his post unexpectedly June 30. He has declined to discuss his reasons for leaving or accusations against him. A Postal Inspection Service report dated June 19 includes accusations of Jaffer running up an excessive $8,252 hotel bill at a three-day event in Washington, of bypassing the Postal Service travel agency in order to obtain travel promotional benefits and spending extravagantly on meals and drinks. The report also included allegations of excessive drinking, using crass language in mixed company and commenting on the appearance of female co-workers.
• The Postal Service is replacing dozens of unconnected human resources systems nationwide with one that will allow its 700,000 employees to make benefit and payroll changes on a single Internet site.

July 26, 2006 -- SWBusiness.fi has reported that "BT has announced today that the company has won a contract from the German postal service (Deutsche Post AG) to implement and operate a nationwide data network. Under the terms of this contract, BT will ensure the smooth data exchange between 84 national and international mail distribution centres and the service department in Darmstadt. BT is to develop a “machine WAN” (Wide Area Network) for Deutsche Post, providing communication between the IT systems at the various locations, using state-of-the-art network technology based on the MPLS standard."

July 26, 2006 -- The Central Peace Signal asks readers to "Raise your hand if anyone understands Canada Post’s recent decisions about rural mail delivery. Rural residents from Fredericton, New Brunswick (NB) to Newmarket, Ontario (ON) have had their mail delivery moved from nearby mailboxes to community boxes or post offices miles away. These folks are not happy. Most of them have had home delivery for decades. Some cannot easily make the trip to the new location. Equally worrisome are how rural residents will face similar challenges in the coming winter months unless Canada Post and the federal Conservatives do what it takes to solve the rural delivery dilemma."

July 26, 2006 -- The Harare Herald has reported that "POSTAL service provider Zimpost will open three more branches this year as the company intensifies its expansion programme."

July 25, 2006 -- According to the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, "The Postal Service has done an excellent job shedding costs while maintaining service over the last five years. However, further cost cuts are becoming more difficult and signs of service slippage are appearing. It’s time to release the escrow funds, allowing some portion to be used to cover costs and shore up service. It is also time to do what every serious postal observer in Washington--except the Administration--has recognized should be done: return the military service obligation to the Treasury where it belongs. Mail service is too important to keep using mailer money as a slush fund for other government projects. It’s time to complete this critical unfinished business before the clock runs out."

July 25, 2006 -- GovExec.com has reported that "Language codifying the U.S. Postal Service's ability to offer negotiated service agreements to large-volume customers might be included in Congress's conference report when the bill to overhaul the agency is finally approved, mailing insiders say. In a recent meeting, White House advisers called on Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., to find ways for the agency to cut its labor costs, which account for 80 percent of its budget. Davis said he is still optimistic the bill will be sent to the president's desk by the end of the current legislative session. "We still have a ways to go," Davis said, "but it'll be out before October."

July 25, 2006 -- What? You're not worried about states taxing postage? Better think again. Posted on this site is an interesting piece on this topic by Melanie Hill.

July 25, 2006 -- According to Bloomberg, "U.S. stocks dropped after United Parcel Service Inc., the world's largest package-shipping company, forecast profit that fell short of analysts' estimates. The outlook fueled investor concern that economic growth is slowing amid record oil prices. Reports today on consumer confidence and existing home sales may support that view."

July 25, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "USPS Director of International Postal Affairs Michael Regan will serve as chair of the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) Postal Operations Council upon International Business VP Jim Wade’s retirement Aug. 3. Wade was elected council chair in 2004."

July 25, 2006 -- WWTI has reported that "Letter carriers across much of upstate New York will be doing double duty Tuesday as they collect food donations for people affected by last month's flooding. The emergency food collection is being conducted in 27 counties from the Finger Lakes region to the Massachusetts state line. U.S. Postal Service officials said residents are encouraged to leave nonperishable food items at or near their mailboxes."

July 25, 2006 -- UPS has reported a strong gain in consolidated revenue and a 10.2% improvement in earnings. per diluted share to $0.97. Global small package volume rose 6% or 841,000 additional packages each day."

 July 25, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that:

Singapore Post Ltd. said its net profit rose 5% in the first quarter ended June 30, driven by 8.5% growth in revenue. Net profit rose to S$30.9 million (US$19.5 million) from S$29.5 million a year earlier, the postal-services company said."
A growing number of new magazine ventures are targeting aging baby boomers, their obsessions in the final third of their lives -- and their $2 trillion in annual spending power. Advertisers of everything from autos to electronics have traditionally preferred to link their brand images with younger consumers, and they reveled in baby boomers as children and teens in decades past. Now, with the oldest boomers turning 60 this year, the new ventures raise the inevitable question: Will marketers have any use for them when they're 64?

July 25, 2006 -- As the St. Petersburg Times has noted, "Automation has arrived for a coupon printer."

July 25, 2006 -- The Korea Herald has reported that "Senior executives from six postal administrations in the Asia-Pacific region will today wrap up their three-day meeting held at Seoul's Shilla Hotel. Participants of the fourth annual Kahala Posts Group CEO/BOD Joint Meetings discussed the current status and future prospects of "express mail services," or EMS, and the implementation of the Kahala Initiative."

July 25, 2006 -- According to the Chicago Tribune, "Since the early 1990s, the volume of credit card solicitations mailed to U.S. consumers has soared more than sixfold, with card companies last year sending out more than 6 billion offers, according to market-research firm Synovate. But the pitches have been losing effectiveness. Just three out of every 1,000 offers generated responses last year, down from about 28 per 1,000 in 1992."

July 25, 2006 -- According to the Journal News, "U.S. Postal Service authorities said yesterday that the error that caused a temporary embargo to be placed on mail to Israel and Lebanon was the result of a misinterpreted e-mail by an employee from the agency's regional office. Pat McGovern, a spokeswoman for the U.S Postal Service, said someone in the agency's West-chester district office erroneously sent out an e-mail after reading one that said the Beirut International Airport had closed after being badly bombed and that post offices in northern Israel had shut down after a state of emergency had been declared."

July 25, 2006 -- The Asia Pacific Mail & Express 2006 will be happening from 3rd – 5th October at the Grand Hyatt, Singapore.   This is Asia Pacific’s only mail event within the next 6 months, to bring together the postal organizations, express & logistics sectors to discuss issues like implementing ICT technologies to cut cost & increase efficiency, innovation, generation of new revenue, collaboration & privatization. An Early Bird promotion is currently on. If you register in the month of July, a 20% discount off the conference fees will be applicable.

July 25, 2006 -- The Philadelphia Daily News has reported that "Since the Daily News' July 5 story of political mailings mishandled at the new Southwest Philadelphia mail-processing center, bulk mailers and frustrated citizens have come forward with more horror stories of mail being delivered late or lost altogether. And postal workers say hundreds of job transfers due to automation at the new plant have created chaos there and at post offices throughout the region."

July 25, 2006 -- The Boston Herald has reported that "An envelope stuffed with 29 checks worth $90,000 erroneously arrived at the Herald Real Estate News Desk yesterday, despite being correctly addressed to “City of Boston Real Estate.” The checks cover property taxes due next week on 29 parcels owned by Newbury Street’s Mount Vernon Co., which rents out swish Back Bay and Beacon Hill apartments. A postmark on the package - which the Herald opened by mistake - indicates Mount Vernon sent the king’s ransom via standard first-class mail, paying $1.83 in postage. The postmark also shows the checks not only went to the wrong place, but took six days to travel 1.4 miles from Mount Vernon’s office to the Herald. U.S. Postal Service spokesman Bob Cannon blamed the mix-up on “human error."

July 25, 2006 -- The Independent has reported that "Radical plans to split the Royal Mail in two and reduce the volume of letters covered by its one-price-goes-anywhere guarantee are to be canvassed next month by the postal regulator. Postcomm is preparing to launch a strategic review of the organisation which will float a number of far-reaching ideas for increasing competition in the mail market. One idea is to separate Royal Mail's trunk network from its "last mile" delivery network of postmen and postwomen to make the business more transparent to rival operators."

July 25, 2006 -- According to USNews, "UPS is betting on tech to deliver a competitive edge."

July 25, 2006 -- The Accra Daily Mail has reported that "Africa's postal challenges will be examined and addressed at The Conference of Commonwealth Postal Administration (CCPA), which commenced today in Sun City, South Africa, and terminates on July 28. The yearly conference assesses recent developments in the Commonwealth's postal service administrations, and creates strategies to capitalize on successes and overcome inefficiencies."

July 24, 2006 -- The Kyodo News Service has reported that "A new bank to be created through Japan's postal privatization next year could book as much as 500 billion yen ($4.28 billion) in annual net profit in the early years after its establishment, Japan Post sources said Monday."

July 24, 2006 -- MSN Money has reported that "UPS is the world's biggest package-delivery company, transporting about 15 million items every day in the U.S. and abroad. FedEx Corp., which reported quarterly results last month, is its chief rival. Another competitor is the U.S. Postal Service, and analysts have said its plans to raise rates by 8.5 percent on average is good news for UPS and FedEx."

July 24, 2006 -- According to Government Computer News, "When the Postal Service launched an initiative to better maintain safety records for its industrial vehicles, the goal was modest—reduce the agency’s reporting burden. Well over a year later, though, the Powered Industrial Vehicle Management System has produced a significant number of benefits, not only automating the reporting process but improving safety and helping USPS better manage its industrial fleet."

July 24, 2006 -- From Business Wire:

• Peerflix, the leading peer-to-peer (P2P) network that allows members to legally trade DVDs online, today announced a relationship with the U.S. Postal Service allowing Peerflix members to track the shipping status of their DVDs online. Peerflix members, who trade DVDs directly with one another, will be notified each time a DVD is scanned at a U.S. Postal Service location as it travels to their home, in a pioneer application of U.S. Postal Service technology traditionally leveraged by large businesses. Taking the service one step further, Peerflix added visual tracking capabilities by building a Google Maps mash-up that allows users to follow the journey of their DVD against a map of the U.S.
• Busy summer schedules and rising fuel prices are impacting consumer behavior, positioning the home as the new hot destination for Summer 2006. A survey commissioned by Newgistics, Inc. and conducted by Harris Interactive(R) shows that home shopping is on the rise this summer, with more than a quarter (27 percent) of U.S. adults more likely to shop from home (online, catalog or TV) due to busy schedules and one in four adults (25 percent) more likely to shop from home due to rising gas prices. An overwhelming number of home shoppers (96 percent) agree that the ability to return merchandise from home is a critical factor when deciding where to make a purchase.

July 24, 2006 -- KVIA.com has reported that "The U-S Postal Service says it has fixed most of the problems with slow mail delivery in Las Cruces since a December report on the problem."

July 24, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire:

• Pitney Bowes Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the stock of Print, Inc. for approximately $47 million, net of cash and debt. Print, Inc. is a leader in a rapidly growing component of the print management market that provides bundled offerings of printer supplies, service and equipment to manage document production. These operations will be integrated into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, and operate as part of its Pitney Bowes Direct group led by Neil Metviner, Executive Vice President and President Pitney Bowes Direct.
• PostX, the leader in the delivery of encrypted email communications for business and consumers, and CipherPass Corporation, an innovator of digital security solutions, announced today that the companies have partnered in a mutual OEM deal that will benefit the customers of both firms.

July 24, 2006 -- The Marin Independent Journal has reported that "The pickup time of many U.S. Postal Service mailboxes in Marin has changed to an earlier hour - to the discontent of some businesses that rely on later collection times."

July 24, 2006 -- The Journal News has reported that "Rep. Eliot Engel is demanding that regional postal officials lift what he called a ridiculous embargo on outgoing letters and packages headed to Israel and Lebanon."

July 24, 2006 -- According to The Tide, "The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) may have embarked on the project of installing its International Postal System in order to easily detect drugs in shipments among other reasons. The acting Post-Master General of the Federation, Alhaji Mori Baba said the project when completed would also help in tracking and tracing letters as part of the measure in improving mail delivery service in the country."

July 24, 2006 -- The Yomiuri Shimbun has reported that "The second-largest union at Japan Post will propose this week a merger with the largest postal union after the privatization of Japan Post. The Japan Postal Workers' Union (JPU), the largest Japan Post union with about 130,000 members, is expected to accept the proposal from the 80,000-member All Japan Postal Labor Union (AJPLU).

July 23, 2006 -- The Rising Nepal has reported that "The Nepal Courier Service Association has urged the Government to amend the Postal Regulations so as to incorporate courier service in postal service, and make it quick, efficient and reliable."

July 22, 2006 -- In its latest Presiding Officer's Information Request (POIR No.2), the Postal Rate Commission is trying to ascertain from the Postal Service how it divined the rate design associated with Standard Mail in the R2006 rate case. (R2006-1)

July 22, 2006 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• A recent IDEAllliance survey turned up some important information about the Postal Service's proposed specifications for the 4-state barcode. The survey results suggest the printing industry might have difficulty conforming to the barcode at the current proposed specifications and reinforces the need for continued discussions between industry and the USPS.
• Federal Times reporter Dan Davidson takes a look at the U.S. Postal Service's pay-for-performance system, in effect for about three years. Increases average five percent under the new system, compared with four percent under the old. And both the National League of Postmasters and the National Association of Postmasters seem pleased with the program.
• American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus says the White House is pushing postal reform legislation issues that could increase worksharing discounts and harm postal workers by undermining their benefits.
• John Hegarty, national president of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, blasted the Bush Administration and large mailers for proposing amendments to postal reform legislation that "could cut employee wages and benefits and gut the collective bargaining process."
• In ongoing action, the president of the powerful American Postal Workers Union took aim at the Postal Service's proposed plans to outsource work at 43 air mail centers. APWU President William Burrus condemned the proposal, comparing it to the ‘Emery debacle' and citing security concerns.
• Postal reform not likely this year. [Guess again....] EPA, partners unveil unique hybrid delivery truck. Postal Service replacing outdated HR technology. Vogel to head Postal Service's new global business group. White paper shows ways to save on direct mail.
• Survey shows online bill-paying gaining ground in U.S.
• European firms call for full postal liberalization by 2009. Australian union battles over weighty issue.
• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

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July 22, 2006 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

July 22, 2006 -- Posted on this site is the agenda for the August meeting of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee.

July 22, 2006 -- The Edmunton Journal has reported that "Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments and Canada Post announced Friday that they have formed a task force in an effort to reduce identity and mail theft in parts of British Columbia."

July 22, 2006 -- According to the Steamboat Pilot, "Recent changes in the way the Postal Service handles magazines and newspapers have caused delivery delays statewide, particularly to rural areas."

July 21, 2006 -- As NewIndPress has noted, if you're "looking for a CD of a rocking music album or want to buy a soap, tea or other such commodities. Well, walk to the nearest post office. Yes, you have heard it right! The post offices are fast evolving into one stop shops for all your requirements. From daily use items, amusement and entertainment to luxury items, all are now available at the post office counters."

July 21, 2006 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "A FORMER head of NamPost, Hermanus Kasper, cost the parastatal millions of dollars when he cancelled a service delivery contract with the City of Windhoek - and then promptly emerged as a central figure in another company that tendered to take over the same sort of service, the postal company claims in a case it has instituted in the High Court."

July 21, 2006 -- As Fortune magazine has noted, "The town of Percile, northeast of Rome, has two groceries, a snack bar, and a tourist booth. Medieval houses climb a hill of overlapping archways and cobblestone footpaths. With only 260 residents, most of them retirees, the town hasn't attracted a newsstand, much less a supermarket or a bank. But it does have a post office. For Poste Italiane, outposts like the one in Percile are at once its greatest liability and its greatest asset. Postal companies are by nature spread thin, and the Italian state monopoly is no exception. With 150,000 employees and 14,000 offices, the company says its mail operations lose hundreds of millions of euros a year. But those same offices provide the backbone of a company that offers everything from investment plans to vacuum cleaners. By diversifying - by moving into logistics, financial services, and mail-order retail - Poste Italiane has turned its once unproductive infrastructure profitable. Last year mail accounted for less than a third of revenues, which grew 14% over 2004, to $19.5 billion."

July 21, 2006 -- Prime News has reported that "Georgia and Azerbaijan started a land postal communication within the frameworks of the bilateral protocol, the Trend news agency says, as quoting the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of Azerbaijan."

July 21, 2006 -- The Japan Times has reported that "Japan Post is talking with East Japan Railway Co. about a plan to issue a cash card with the electronic money and prepaid train ticket functions of JR East's Suica smart card."

July 21, 2006 -- Transport Intelligence has noted that "UPS has confirmed it has started construction on its new integrated hub in Tamworth, UK. The new facility, which is expected to open October 2007, will be the largest UPS building in the UK and the second largest in Europe behind the UPS hub at the Cologne airport. With a planned capacity of 42,000 packages per hour, the new facility will bring a similar reach and efficiency to its domestic operations as its international operations. The building is part of a series of major investments that UPS has made in Europe in recent years."

July 21, 2006 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Alaska's bypass mail program has been identified as one of five major cost burdens to the U.S. Postal Service, according to an inspector general's report."

July 21, 2006 -- According to m-net, "The affect of New Zealand Post's recently-expanded post codes on organisations' databases will be significant, according to Auckland-based direct mail fulfilment company Mailshop. The post code changes will affect almost all organisations that have a database and mail from it. Potentially thousands of addresses contained in ERP and CRM systems across industry verticals including financial services, education and health will have to be amended to comply with the new codes."

July 21, 2006 -- The Independent has reported that "The Ł3bn government bailout of Royal Mail has been delayed until at least the autumn because ministers cannot decide whether to proceed with a sale of shares in the organisation to its 195,000 employees."

July 21, 2006 -- From Business Wire: "Bull today announced that it has acquired the former Firstlogic, Inc. postal automation software business, based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from Business Objects Americas. Business Objects retains the former Firstlogic data quality business. In addition, Business Objects retains the former Firstlogic Commercial Mail division, which develops software to support direct and commercial mail printers, publishers and distributors."

July 20, 2006 -- The East Texas Weekly has reported that "For the past few years, my office has been warning Texas consumers to beware of counterfeit cashier's checks in connection with advance fee frauds, international lotteries, and scams against charities. Recently, in a troubling new twist, Texas financial institutions and consumers have been reporting the existence of high quality counterfeit U.S. Postal money orders that are being used to fool consumers into cashing them and wiring part of the money abroad. Perpetrators of advance fee frauds and similar sweepstakes schemes attempt to trick the victim into thinking a sweepstakes or lottery prize has been sent to them by wiring a phony cashier's check. Finding that consumers have caught on to the counterfeit check scam, scammers are now using phony U.S. Postal money orders instead of cashier's checks."

July 20, 2006 -- PostCom members! Posted on this site is a PostCom Issue Brief on the Postal Service's "Evolutionary Network Design (END)."

July 20, 2006 -- Computing News has reported that "Castle Computer Technologies has released Shipmate, a powerful Windows program that makes it easy to keep track of all packages from DHL, FEDEX, UPS and the US Postal Service. At a glance, you can get the status of each package."

July 20, 2006 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "In a move to make the delivery of postal services more convenient, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has established three exchange centres in the country for mail distribution to West African countries."

July 20, 2006 -- Highlights of the June 20th meeting of the Toronto Chapter of the National Association of Major Mail Users has been posted on this site. If you do business in Canada, you should making supporting NAMMU one of your priorities.

July 20, 2006 -- Supply Management has reported that "Royal Mail Group last week issued a tender notice for consultancy services to overhaul its Ł1.8 billion annual procurement spend."

July 20, 2006 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled the first-ever series hydraulic hybrid diesel urban delivery vehicle, which will provide dramatic improvements in fuel economy and in emission reductions. The development of the hydraulic hybrid is the result of a partnership between the EPA, U.S. Army, UPS, International Truck and Engine Corporation and Eaton Corporation. See more photos. The EPA and UPS plan to evaluate the vehicle's fuel economy performance and emissions during a series of tests in 2006. In laboratory testing, the EPA's patented hydraulic hybrid diesel technology achieved a 60 to 70 percent improvement in fuel economy and more than a 40 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, compared to a conventional UPS vehicle.

July 20, 2006 -- According to Energy Pulse, "In the face of the pending postal rate increase— coupled with slow adoption of electronic bill presentment and payment—utilities may feel that they are caught between a rock and a hard place; but there is hope. Smart utilities companies will find hidden value in their paper processes by looking more deeply at the value of printed statements and more closely at the reliability of the USPS. E-billing may someday provide significant cost advantages to billers, but until customer adoption is more fully developed it is wise to look at the many advantages of issuing statements and bills via P.O.P. – plain old paper."

July 20, 2006 -- The BBC has reported that "The government has postponed a decision on whether Royal Mail should be able to give a stake of up to 20% in the firm to its employees, the BBC has learned. It may be seen as partial victory for communication workers' union, the CWU."

July 20, 2006 -- From PR.com: "A new white paper entitled "Cutting Your Direct Mail Production Costs" is available to help direct marketers save money on their direct mail production as well as increase the effectiveness of their campaigns."

July 20, 2006 -- DM News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is seeing a 2.6 percent response rate from a direct mail campaign started in June to help direct mail marketers in their struggle to sell the concept to their constituents. Despite reaching out more to the marketplace in the past few years, the postal service has focused on ad agencies and advertisers in big companies, said Rod DeVar, USPS national manager of advertising and promotions. "We had stayed away from people in the direct marketing industry because we felt we needed to influence, change minds and create a presence in the mind of the advertiser and the agency about how direct mail could fit into their communications mix," he said."

July 20, 2006 -- Bobsguide has reported that "SunGard today announced that Australia Post, a government business enterprise (GBE) operating under the Australian Postal Corporation Act of 1989, has selected SunGard's AvantGard Integrity solution for its corporate treasury unit. AvantGard Integrity will be implemented at Australia Post's office in Melbourne, Victoria."

July 20, 2006 -- American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus told his members that "The outlook for passage of postal reform legislation in this session of Congress appears more uncertain than ever, largely as a result of the Bush administration's renewed insistence that anti-labor provisions be included. At a meeting last week attended by key congressional sponsors and White House officials, the administration made clear its demands for support of the legislation: The White House insists that the provisions allowing the unions to defer unresolved collective bargaining issues to binding arbitration be modified to require arbitrators to consider the economic health of the Postal Service in their final decision. An additional point of contention involves placing limits on the USPS' ability to adjust postage rates. At the urging of the large mailers, the administration is demanding that postage-rate increases — with very few exceptions — be limited by increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI)."

July 20, 2006 -- Multichannel Merchant has reported that "It's looking more and more likely that postal reform will not be enacted before Congress takes its summer recess next month—or even before the end of the year, when the 110th Congress adjourns. Ben Cooper, chairman of the lobbying group Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, says that with so little time left before the break, prospects to get reform enacted are bleak—at least in the short term. "I think dynamics ultimately favor the bill passing," says Cooper. "But it still will take some time." Cooper blames much of the delay in reform on "legislative inertia"—an inability of those in charge to fully commit to pushing the issues over the line. Nonetheless, he contends that the proposed rate changes for 2007 can still be affected by reform."

July 20, 2006 -- According to the Sioux City Journal, "U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin on Wednesday announced he had included a provision in a transportation appropriations bill that would halt the U.S. Postal Service from consolidating mail processing facilities, including Sioux City's, until a government oversight entity completes a follow-up report."

July 20, 2006 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal), published by the MRU Consultancy, has reported that:

Renowned investment banks would like to see Deutsche Post broken up into its different segments. German business magazine "Wirtschaftswoche" (17.07) reports that leading investment bankers have recommended private investors to take over the logistics group completely and subsequently sell off individual segments at a profit.
The emerging liberalisation of the European postal market seems to create new coalitions. In a joint press release last week, the chairs of the Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and German post companies demanded a complete opening of the markets in 2009.
Last week, Germany's government-owned KfW banking group sold Deutsche Post shares worth around 1.5bn euros. KfW's equity share has thus decreased from 41.6 to 35.5%.
In an interview with Sweden's daily business journal „Dagens Industri" (15.07), CEO Erik Olsson of Posten Sverige AB announced further job cuts.
The RFID project "Wasal" announced last year by Saudi Postal Corporation (SPC) is going ahead according to schedule.
Deutsche Post will probably have to pay VAT from 2008.
Malaysian pension fund 'Employees Provident Fund Board' has acquired a share of almost 7% of Pos Malaysia & Services Holdings Bhd.
The Swiss regulator PostReg has instituted proceedings against TNT Swiss Post AG.
Royal Mail's European parcel network General Logistics Systems intends to invest over 100m euros in its network during the current financial year.
Last week, UPS announced an extensive rollout of new handheld 'Delivery Information Acquisition Device' terminals in Europe.
The Finnish post has sold its 49-% share in Finnish transport company Kelpo Kuljetus (2005 turnover: 94.5m euros) to DHL.

The MRU, founded in 1992, is the only consultancy in Europe, which has specialised in the market of courier-, express- and parcel services. For large-scale shippers and CEP-services in particular, the MRU provides interdisciplinary advice for all major questions of the market, as there are for example market entry, product design, organisation, and EDP.To learn more about the stories reported above, contact CEP News.

July 19, 2006 -- The Congressional Research Service has issued a report entitled: "Changing Postal ZIP Code Boundaries."

July 19, 2006 -- The Jersey Evening Post has reported that "Following Jersey Post's restructuring as a private company on 1 July - although it is still owned by the States - its business services are being brought under the umbrella title the jersey post group and given new identities in a bid to raise the profile of its products in increasingly competitive areas."

July 19, 2006 -- According to the Western Mail, "A new concept in paying for stamps will be introduced next month to make prices fairer for customers, according to the Royal Mail."

July 19, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Plans by Royal Mail bosses to give all staff shares in the company received an unexpected boost yesterday when the minister responsible for postal services denied that the scheme would be a form of privatisation. Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman, has been lobbying the government to set up an employee share trust that would provide postal workers with a stake in the business to win their support for far-reaching restructuring."

July 19, 2006 -- The Middle Eastern Express, Logistics and Transportation markets are some of the most dynamic emerging markets anywhere in the world. They are attracting an increasingly high level of interest and investment as global companies, seeking growth rates and profit levels far beyond what they can achieve in more developed markets, shift their strategic focus to the region. The region's governments themselves are investing billions in new logistics infrastructure fueled by oil revenues and the need to diversify their industrial base. Middle East Logistics 2006 contains profiles of all the major markets, logistics and express operators, market sizing and forecasts as well as trade and economic data. It provides essential market intelligence for any company either already present or thinking about entering the region.

July 19, 2006 -- The Athlone Advertiser has reported that "Fine Gael Cllr Nicky McFadden has called on ComReg (the Communications Regulator) to investigate standards at An Post after what she said had been a number of incidences of poor service, including post going missing, in the midlands."

July 18, 2006 -- The Communication Workers Union has told its members that "In the last two days talks have taken place with Royal Mail on the Postal Executive's amendments to the draft agreement. We've not yet been able to reach a final position and talks are continuing. The Postal Executive are due to meet on Thursday and will consider the position reached at that time."

July 18, 2006 -- According to the Associated Press, "E-mail is so last millennium. Young people see it as a good way to reach an elder _ a parent, teacher or a boss _ or to receive an attached file. But increasingly, the former darling of high-tech communication is losing favor to instant and text messaging, and to the chatter generated on blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace."

July 18, 2006 -- BNA has reported that "Congressional staff members involved with drafting a Postal Service reform bill are expected July 18 to discuss recent recommendations made by the White House about the legislation. Staff from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Government Reform are to discuss ways to appease the White House, which has threatened a veto of the bill."

July 18, 2006 -- According to the Toronto Sun, "Organized crime may be linked to the increasing number of attacks on Canada Post letter carriers, their union says."

July 18, 2006 -- According to GovExec.com, "Negotiations have stalled over House and Senate legislation to overhaul the U.S. Postal Service following a meeting with White House officials." [Editor's Note: Del Polito said that the Administration "favored including mediation as an interim step between collective bargaining and binding arbitration in the event the parties could not agree on a contract"...not that it was "pushing for a final bill to include Senate language that would require all labor negotiations to go through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service."]

July 18, 2006 -- Arab News has reported that "Residents of major Saudi cities will now be able to have the added luxury of having their mail delivered to and sent from their doorsteps in an initiative that will soon cover the whole of Saudi Arabia."

July 18, 2006 -- Federal Computer Week has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has completed the presolicitation process for a contract to run its Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 project management office. The companies being considered are Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Accenture, Maden Technologies, Maximus, Hewlett-Packard, Excella Consulting and Enspier Technologies. USPS said it was looking for vendors that are familiar with all aspects of HSPD-12."

July 18, 2006 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Pin, the German postal service provider, has acquired two regional German postal operators, Westmail and Citipost. This has brought the company closer to its target of being able to offer services throughout Germany by the end of the year; Pin says that it can now offer services to almost 70 per cent of the German market."

July 17, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service:"Postmaster General Jack Potter has announced that a new Global Business organization will be created and Paul Vogel has been named its first senior vice president and managing director. Potter also has selected Anthony (Tony) Pajunas to serve as vice president, Network Operations."

July 17, 2006 -- From the U.S. Postal Service: "The U.S. Postal Service focus of using the latest technology to make customer transactions quick, easy and convenient is now being extended to its employees. The Postal Service is replacing its existing outdated human resources technology with a fully-integrated system to streamline, standardize and automate HR processes. Once fully implemented, the new system—called PostalPEOPLE—will be the largest of its kind anywhere. PostalPEOPLE replaces a system that consisted of over 3,800 Postal Service HR professionals relying on more than 200 processes and some 70 systems to support nearly 700,000 employees and facilitate millions of personnel transactions each year. Many of these old systems were at maximum capacity."

July 17, 2006 -- KSL Newsradio has reported that "We didn't quite believe this when we first heard about it, but could it be that the drivers with United Parcel Service don't make left turns anymore? That's right, drivers are instructed to avoid making "lefts" as often as possible."

July 17, 2006 -- The Wall Street Journal has noted that "In a sign of a renewed interest in email as a marketing tool, several big companies including International Business Machines and Cisco Systems are tapping futuristic technology aimed at tracking how people read what is on a computer screen. The technology, called "heatmapping," can tell marketers what parts of their emails get the most attention, allowing companies to redesign the messages to improve their effectiveness. Developed by San Francisco software concern Eyetools, heatmapping uses cameras attached to a computer that track a person's eye movements to figure out what part of a computer screen is being viewed. The results are displayed in vivid colors on what is called a "heat map" that makes clear where on the screen people's eyes focus."

July 17, 2006 -- Eurotext has reported that "Chief Executive Officers of national postal companies in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Germany have started a joint initiative for a complete opening of the postal markets in Europe by 2009. In a policy paper addressed to Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, CEOs Peter Bakker (TNT), Erik Olsson (Posten AB), Jukka Alho (Finland Post Corporation) and Klaus Zumwinkel (Deutsche Post World Net) plead for a sustainable postal sector in the next decades that should be realised by a complete market liberalisation by 2009 and the modernisation of the universal service."

July 17, 2006 -- The Financial Times has reported that "The world's largest logistics group is looking to grow its business with retail customers outside the UK and luxury goods groups, according to its head. John Allan, the head of Deutsche Post's logistics division and the former chief executive of Exel, the UK company taken over by the German postal giant, said such opportunities should lead the unit to faster growth than the 5-6 per cent he forecasted for the industry as a whole."

July 17, 2006 -- According to The Independent, "Union leaders are set to hold a strike ballot among 12,000 Royal Mail managers and supervisors in the dispute over pay. Officials at Amicus argued that an informal offer means 4 out of 10 senior staff would receive less than the inflation rate and would in effect suffer a drop in income. On Wednesday, employees' representatives will urge the union's executive to authorise a vote on walkouts."

July 17, 2006 -- The Czech Business Weekly has reported that "Czech postal service operator Česká pošta (ČP) is in talks with the country's retail chains on expanding its network of outlets in hypermarkets, the daily Hospodářské noviny reported. But the negotiations won't be closed any time soon."

July 17, 2006 -- DM News has reported that "Harte-Hanks Inc. is expected to announce today it has expanded its relationship with the U.S. Postal Service to provide data-driven marketing as part of the agency's business prospecting system."

July 16 2006 -- The Wimbledon News has reported that "The Royal Mail has been told to sharpen up its act after newsletters on Putney and Wimbledon Common were found dumped in a bin."

July 16, 2006 -- As the Mobile Register has noted, ""Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." That sentiment, inscribed on the General Post Office at Eighth Avenue and 33rd Street in New York, has become the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service. But these days, it is unlikely that those rounds will mean a carrier visits a mailbox at every house in every new subdivision in Alabama. And that's got the homebuilding community at loggerheads with the postal service."

July 16, 2006 -- The National Association of Letter Carriers has told its members that "NALC's support for comprehensive postal reform legislation is now cast in doubt after key mailers walked away from an effort to find a reasonable compromise on the issue of price indexing that lies at the heart of the legislation languishing in Congress. The mailers abandoned negotiations with pro-reform employee groups, including NALC, and lined up behind the Bush Administration's demand for the inflexible, "hard price cap" included in the Senate-passed version of the bill. The demand is just one of many damaging anti-labor proposals being pushed by the White House, including one to interfere with our collective bargaining by tilting the interest arbitration process in favor of postal management and another to saddle the USPS with military pension obligations."

July 16, 2006 -- As the Times Leader has noted, "The average consumer is bombarded with well over 1,000 advertising messages per day. … Businesses are desperate to stand out."

July 16, 2006 -- The National Postal Mail Handlers Union has told its members that "Prospects for postal reform took a nose dive this week, when the White House and many major mailers jointly proposed amendments to the pending bills that could cut employee wages and benefits and gut the collective bargaining process.'

July 15, 2006 -- eWeek has reported that "Two U.S. senators, Byron Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota, and John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, launched the U.S. Senate RFID Caucus in mid-July to educate colleagues about the potential uses and benefits of RFID."

July 15, 2006 -- The Houston Chronicle has reported that "The Justice Department has subpoenaed business records of FedEx Corp. and UPS Inc. as part of a broad investigation into possible antitrust violations in the air cargo industry, the companies said Friday. The investigation, which became public in February, is believed to focus on allegations of industry collusion in the United States and Europe to fix prices on surcharges for fuel. Airline passenger fees also are being investigated."

July 15, 2006 -- The Nigerian Tribune has reported that "CONTRARY to the expectation in some quarters, the Acting Postmaster General of the Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Mori Baba, has stated that the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) will not be privatised but commercialised. He said that the parastatals is already undergoing various reform processes to make it commercially viable."

July 15, 2006 -- UPS has announced it had received a subpoena from the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice requesting records relating to an on-going criminal investigation. The investigation, which was publicly announced in February 2006, relates to the air cargo pricing practices of a number of airlines. UPS does not believe it is a target of the investigation and will cooperate with the Justice Department.

July 15, 2006 -- The latest copy of the National Association of Postmasters of the U.S. electronic governmental affairs newsletter is available on the NAPUS web site.

July 14, 2006 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The discovery phase in the Postal Service’s rate case R2006-1 closes July 14; ‘forever stamp’ discovery period ends Aug. 7. Given the case’s complexity and the growing number of interrogatories filed in the case, some industry observers were surprised the Postal Rate Commission did not set the discovery deadline for later in July. A procedural schedule contains rate case deadlines.

• The USPS published an interim rule and request for comments on amending the standards concerning the duration and submission of temporary change-of-address (COA) orders in the July 7, 2006, edition of the Federal Register. The USPS interim rule, which takes effect August 3, reduces the temporary mail forwarding maximum duration for an initial order from the existing 12 months to six months, and establishes a minimum duration for temporary COAS of two weeks.

• In this perspective, postal commentator Gene Del Polito raises the questions mailers want to know about R2006 and ratemaking – When? How? What will happen with postal reform?

• Parcel Select manifest mailings move to eVS. USPS clarifies Express Mail delivery guarantee. Chief spokesman Jaffer leaves Postal Service. New MTAC workgroups plan August meetings. Conway to lead Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

• Tory wants to give Royal Mail away. ‘Japan Post Group’ to emerge from breakup. General Logistics want to field own airline. The mail usual got through.

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July 14, 2006 -- APWU President William Burrus has denounced Postal Service plans to subcontract work currently performed by bargaining unit employees at more than half of the nation’s Air Mail Centers. “This ill-advised adventure would privatize an important and sensitive sector of the United States Postal Service, slashing the postal workforce and jeopardizing security and service to ordinary citizens,” he said. “Once again, management is succumbing to the demands of the big advertising mailers.”

July 14, 2006 -- Dutch postal and express company TNT NV is targeting aggressive expansion in China by developing its own transportation network, the Wall Street Journal said, citing company officials.

July 14, 2006 -- Deeikaglobal has reported that "India Post will unveil a special tear and water resistance envelopes, manufactured in collaboration with DuPont India, to cash in on the forthcoming 'Raksha Bhandhan' festivities."

July 14, 2006 -- The RFID Journal has reported that "The Chinese postal service China Post is rolling out an EPCglobal-compliant radio frequency identification (RFID) system to keep tabs on bags of express mail delivered within the postal district of Shanghai. The technology will track the status of the mailbags en route from individual Shanghai post offices to various collection and sortation centers throughout the city, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River delta."

July 14, 2006 -- IPE has reported that "Fondoposte, the complementary pension fund for Italian postal workers, is looking for managers to manage €100m of assets."

July 14, 2006 -- The Portland Press Herald has reported that "A massive mail plant is set to open in Scarborough in a couple of weeks, a culmination of the U.S. Postal Service's effort nearly 10-year effort to consolidate the area's mail processing and distribution in a larger space."

July 14, 2006 -- The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website:

• NL-AR-06-005 Mail Transport Equipment Service Center Network - Highway Transportation Routes - Memphis 3/28/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/NL-AR-06-005.pdf
• NO-MA-06-002 Mail Processing Operations in the Wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 3/27/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/NO-MA-06-002.pdf
• FF-AR-06-096 AM Standards Operating Procedures - Fiscal Year 2005 Financial Installation Audit 3/20/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/FF-AR-06-096.pdf
• DR-AR-06-001 Address Management System - Southwest Area, Rio Grande District 1/25/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/DR-AR-06-001.pdf
• FT-AR-06-013 J.T. Weeker (Chicago) International Service Center - Inbound International Mail 3/22/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/FT-AR-06-013.pdf
• NL-AR-06-003 Mail Transport Service Center Network - Highway Transportation Routes - San Francisco 3/23/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/NL-AR-06-003.pdf
• IS-AR-06-006 Data Input Validation for the Facilities Database 3/30/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/IS-AR-06-006.pdf
• DA-WP-06-001 Technology Acquisition Management Process Manual - Phase 1, Proof of Concept 3/28/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/DA-WP-06-001.pdf
• DR-AR-06-003 City Letter Carrier Operations - Greater Indiana District 3/28/2006
  http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/DR-AR-06-003.pdf

July 14, 2006 -- From the PR Newswire: "RELM Wireless Corporation has announced that its exclusive supply agreement with the United States Postal Service (USPS) has been extended through July 14, 2007."

July 13, 2006 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "After being bombarded with complaints about unfairness, the National Police Agency on Thursday decided to prohibit Japan Post vehicles that deliver packages from parking on the streets next year."

July 13, 2006 -- Bizjournals.com has reported that "First Horizon National Corp. has struck a deal that will soon allow customers of First Horizon Bank and First Tennessee Bank to have deposits forwarded overnight through The UPS Store."

July 13, 2006 -- As Advertising Age has noted, "The U.S. Postal Service is proposing to ease standards for when a magazine's circulation counts as paid, effectively permitting publishers to send out ad-heavy special editions or advertorials without running afoul of postal rules and possibly leading to more rate-cutting promos. In a filing last week with the Postal Rate Commission, the Postal Service proposed that in order for magazines to qualify for a paid-periodical rate, only 30% of subscriptions would have to be sold at the basic subscription rate, rather than the 50% required now."

July 13, 2006 -- Federal Times has reported that "Postmasters, executives, supervisors and administrative workers in many cases are seeing higher annual raises and bonuses under the U.S. Postal Service’s nearly 3-year-old pay-for-performance system than they did under the previous system. Increases are averaging 5 percent under the new system, compared with 4 percent previously."

July 13, 2006 -- NewIndPress has reported that "Brit postal employees try to pep up their humdrum job by accessing porn sites 2,135 times a day at work. A secret survey leaked to The Sun has revealed that Royal Mail staff clicked on 45,583 blocked sites over three weeks. Of these, 44,839 were porn pages, 458 violent and 286 racist and hate-related."

July 13, 2006 -- According to the Associated Press, "Targeted at small businesses and shipping-intensive consumers such as eBay sellers, RedRoller is free to use. The Norwalk, Conn.-based company expects to make money from advertising and supplemental businesses such as sales of shipping supplies and integration of RedRoller's service with outside sites. The site connects to FedEx, DHL, the U.S. Postal Service and some regional couriers, but there's a conspicuous absence: UPS, which refused to open its systems to RedRoller."

July 13, 2006 -- The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service has issued "A Decision on the Opinion and Recommended Decision of the Postal Rate Commission On Classification Changes For Express Mail Second Day Service, Docket No. MC2006–4."

June 12, 2006 -- The Mailers Technical Advisory Committee recently formed a new workgroup (#104) focused on list certification in an effort to improve address quality and thus reduce undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail. A previous MTAC work group (#97) on address quality methodologies recommended the development of a list certification program with industry and USPS participation. This workgroup will hold its first meeting on August 1, 2006 at 1:00 EDT at the USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. The meeting is scheduled to last 2 hours and will focus on kicking off this workgroup by setting goals, and establishing future meeting dates and locations. Interested parties should contact the USPS co-chairs Charles Hunt (Charles.Hunt@usps.gov) and Jim Wilson (james.d.wilson@usps.gov), or the industry co-chair Chris Lien (chris.lien@businessobjects.com). Once the industry participation list is approved by the USPS, participants will be notified of the room number for this meeting.

June 12, 2006 --  Providing timely address information throughout the mailing industry has become more critical as advanced automation equipment is deployed. There are a number of different situations involved. Some requirements are urgent and some routine, some very particular and some more general. Specifically, the recent natural disasters in the form of hurricanes Katrina and Rita serve as examples to show that the USPS methodology for expedited information dissemination that is already being used should be discussed with a view to ensuring that it covers all the bases. The MTAC work group #97 on address quality recommended the area of information dissemination for further attention due to its high potential for benefits at relat