April 30, 2007

Mediaweek has reported that "Royal Mail is offering a new direct mail service that allows companies to send customised CDs to individual consumers. The Personalised Integrated Media service, which uses Sony DADC technology, uses a unique code so every CD can be tailor-made for the recipient. If customer puts the CD into their computer, they can deal direct with the business to buy goods or services."

ThomasNet has reported that "Sybase iAnywhere today announced that Correos, the Spanish Postal Service, has deployed its RFID Anywhere(TM) software platform in one of the largest RFID projects in Europe."

The Glasgow Evening Times has reported that "customers are to be hit with penalty charges if they fail to tell their bank they have changed their address. Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and Mint plan to introduce a £12 fee from tomorrow."

FromBusiness Wire: "Dramatic changes in technologies, regulations and customer preferences are reinventing the global mailstream, and the top management of Pitney Bowes Inc. said today this means new growth opportunities for the 87-year-old company."

In response to an editorial in theBoston Globe concerning magazine postal rates,Postal Regulatory Chairman Dan Blair wrote that "The Commission's decisions have long supported the widespread dissemination of diverse editorial matter, and our most recent decision should preserve and foster continued diversity among magazines by increasing the editorial discount available to all periodical mailers. Our decision also reflects the overall need to encourage efficient mailing practices that hold down costs to the Postal Service that otherwise would have to be paid by other mailers. The Commission estimates that even after the increases are implemented, the average price for delivery of a magazine still will be less than 30 cents, far lower than the price for a First-Class letter stamp. The Commission was careful to make recommendations in this rate case that ensure fair and equitable rates for all mailers while safeguarding the long-term vitality of affordable universal postal service for all Americans."

Business Week has asked: "Which brick-and-mortar retailer attracts the most shoppers to its Internet store? The answer may surprise you: J.C. Penney Corp. (JCP ), the century-old, moderate-priced department store chain so troubled six years ago that many were predicting its imminent demise."

New Kerala has reported that "The Postal Department has launched Instant Money Order (IMO) scheme in the Malabar region of Kerala to provide speedy and hassle-free cash transactions at comparatively cheaper tariff. ''It takes only five minutes to make the payment to the beneficiary and that too at cheaper tariff,'' through any head post offices (HPOs) in the country,'' Assistant Director N V Balan, coordinating the scheme, said."

Reuters has reported that "Pitney Bowes Inc. , the largest provider of mail-related machines, reported a lower quarterly profit on Monday due to slower growth in revenue on delays in orders for mailing equipment in the United States and weaker sales in Europe."

FromFBODaily:

• Mail Transportation Service - Intra Caribbean
• Automated Letter Movement System

According to theNews-Press, "Consumers may not look past the rate increase for a first-class stamp from 39 cents to 41 cents, but more sweeping regulatory changes approved along with the increase may have a more dramatic impact on businesses that rely on mail service."

TheIrish Independent reports that consumers who want to use the post office as a one-stop shop for banking will have to wait 12 months before Postbank will provide a full suite of services.

TheIrish Times has reported that "An Post, the state postal service, will tomorrow launch a banking operation that over the next five years aims to take 5 per cent of the retail banking market. Postbank, a joint venture with Belgian bank Fortis, will initially operate out of 250 post offices nationally, rising to 1,000 over the next 12 months."

TheNews Letter has reported that "Irish representatives of the House of Commons met at the King's Arms, Old Palace Yard, to discuss a bill before Parliament that was intended to improve postal and passenger services between Ireland and England."

According to the Sacramento Bee, "The U.S. Constitution includes postal services, which have been a traditional government function. On that basis, the Postal Service needs to ensure that churches aren't using contract post offices to proselytize and entangle government in promoting religion."

Transport Intelligence has reported that "French based logistics provider Geodis has announced that its revenue rose 18.0% in first-quarter 2007 helped by the acquisition of TNT Freight Management."

April 29, 2007

According toMultichannel Merchant, "As the May 14 postal rate increase draws closer, it is essential for companies to understand the complexities of those changes. That means mailers need to get in the habit of keeping their databases extra clean."

The Columbo Page has reported that "The Sri Lanka Postal Department introduced a business postal service with the increase of postal charges."

The Guardian has reported that "Postal union leader Dave Ward is to step down as a member of Labour's ruling national executive committee, saying there is a conflict of interest between fighting government policy and sitting on the body. The news comes as the Communication Workers Union meets this week to finalise the timing of a strike ballot over Royal Mail's latest pay offer."

The"Pochtovaya Troika" Forum sponsored by Russian Post is held every 2 years. The first Forum traces back its history to the year of 1993. With each succeeding Forum, more and more postal industry experts from all over the world and representatives of various businesses, whose joint effort contributes to development and efficiency of postal service, attend the Forum. This year, the Forum will be held on 19 — 21 June 2007 at the Saint-Petersburg Strategic International Forum And Exhibition.A registration form for the Forum is available on the Russian Post web site. Speaking at the conference will be senior executives from the Universal Postal Union, Russian Post, Latvia Post, Royal Mail, La Poste (France), Kenya Post, Emirates Post, Post of Slovenia, the European Commission, Republic of Belorus, Republic of Moldova, Azerbaijan, Republic of Kazakhstan, Ukraine Post, Uzbekistan, IBM and the Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom).

April 28, 2007

Be sure to check out PostInsight, where you can find the following: "Selected Presentations from UPU Symposium, April 23, 2007Berne, Switzerland - April 26, 2007." Check out also theUPU's web site, where you can find other interesting paper and presentations on posts around the world.

Lloyds List has reported that "Recent changes to aviation security are shaping up as a significant challenge to the airfreight industry in Australia. They include couriers, freight forwarders and cargo agents, cargo terminal operators at airports, express post services such Australian Air Express and FedEx; regular international postal services and truck drivers who transport air cargo between terminals."

TheNALC President Young announced on April 26 that the National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service have agreed on renowned arbitrator Richard Bloch as the neutral arbitrator in the impending hearings on the letter carriers' national agreement. Bloch and the two other panel members have set four weeks for testimony: Sept. 10-14, Sept. 24-28, Oct. 29-Nov. 2, and Nov. 5-9. "Given this schedule, it is anticipated that a decision on the contract will be rendered in mid-November," Young said.

TheAsahi Shimbun has reported that "The Japan Post group, to be born via privatization in October, will consist of five companies that will dwarf or equal private-sector rivals, according to a business plan submitted to the government. The Japan Post group will consist of a holding company and four operating firms, each of which will be in charge of mail delivery, post office management, postal savings and postal life insurance. The four operating companies will exceed, or at least equal, the biggest players in the private sector in their respective fields. The mail delivery company and the post office management company, which have more than 100,000 employees each, expect modest profits. The mail delivery company plans to enter the direct mail service sector, which is the turf of private home delivery companies. "

April 27, 2007

The latest issue ofthe PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• Here's the promised look at some comments on designing a new rate system. Comments were filed with the PRC in response to its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking. The PostCom Bulletin reviewed PostCom's comments and those of the Postal Service in a previous issue.
• Deputy Postmaster General and USPS Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe discussed service, cost management and revenue generation at this week's IDEAlliance conference.
• Printers and flats mailers at this week's IDEAlliance conference continued discussions (which have been underway for two years now) on the barcode print specifications for the Intelligent Mail Barcode for flats.
• Pritha Mehra, USPS manager of channel management and marketing technology, told IDEAlliance attendees the Postal Service is working on the tools necessary to transform data into intelligence through initiatives such as seamless acceptance.
• How can your company mitigate the impact of the upcoming rate increases? That's a question being asked by many, and a subject that got a lot of attention at this week's IDEAlliance conference. Key advice from a number of industry experts was to put the ‘co-' into your processes. Whether it be co-mailing or co-palletization, it's definitely a stone that experts recommended not be unturned.
• Attorney David P. Hendel of law firm of Akerman Senterfitt Wickwire Gavin examines the reasons USPS management and its Board of Governors were disappointed with the long-awaited rate-setting reforms unleashed by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.
• Postal commentator Gene Del Polito takes a look at the actions of two postal players and the effect they could have on the mailing industry.
• New Standard mail forwarding option delayed until fall. Flats flexibility test clarification. ECR basic letters must meet automation requirements, or pay flats rates. WILDS women sponsor panel on new postal trends.
• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?  Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing.

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From thePostal Rate Commission: In this Opinion and Recommended Decision on Reconsideration, the Commission reviews the evidentiary record already made in this proceeding in light of the views expressed by the Governors, the Postal Service, and participants who submitted comments on these two issues. We agree with the Governors' analysis of the appropriate bases of the rate for the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box, and recommend the $8.95 rate advanced by the Postal Service. We also concur generally with the Governors' opinion on the appropriateness of extending applicability of the nonmachinable surcharge to First-Class letters beyond the first ounce, and recommend the minor change in the pertinent mail classification provision proposed by the Service to accomplish that result.

The latest DMM Advisory from the U.S. Postal Service dealing with PAVE has been posted on this site.

ThePresiding Officer of the Postal Regulatory Commissionhas denied the motion of the Coalition of Catalog Mailers to reopen the record in Docket No. R2006-1 (the 2006 postal rate case). In part it wrote: "The Commission is specifically concerned that granting the Intervention Motion might unreasonably burden participants who fully participated and litigated the issues in this case on the record. The record is currently closed and further discovery and examination of witnesses is not allowed. The Commission finds that on balance, CCM's request to supplement the record is outweighed by the material prejudicial effect towards the other participants and the needs of the Governors. Initial comments on the reconsideration of Standard Mail flats are due no later than May 4, 2007.

DM News has reported that "The Chicago Association of Direct Marketing on April 30 and May 1 will host its 2007 Direct Marketing Days & Expo event. The event will honor Donald L. Harle, vice president of postal affairs at Diamond Marketing Solutions, vice chair of the Mailers Technical Advisory Committee and past president of the CADM. Mr. Harle has been named the CADM's 27th Charles S. Downs Chicago Direct Marketer of the Year. He will receive the award May 1."

According to theBoston Globe, "smaller magazines across the country, such as The Nation, the American Spectator, Ms., and The New Republic could end up getting a bad case of what postal officials call "rate shock." The cause is the United States Postal Service's dubious plan to raise the price of mailing periodicals on July 15."

TheUK Express has reported that "postal workers will share a £175million windfall if they agree to a new pay deal."

Forbes has reported that "The state-owned Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW) bank would be unlikely to sell the roughly 30.1 pct stake it holds in Deutsche Post AG to The Children's Investment Fund (TCI), financial sources close to the matter said."

According toUnion Network International (UNI):

• Total liberalisation in Europe's postal services will mean the end of universal and affordable postal services.
• UNI Postal has added its voice to the global condemnation of Australia's new anti-union and anti-worker laws. The UNI Postal World Conference in Athens unanimously backed calls on Australian postal employers to respect collective bargaining and the rights of employees to be represented by their union.
• Thirty postal operators around the world are already connected to what is planned as a global money transmission system that will help 200 million migrant workers and their families. UNI Postal is working with the Universal Postal Union on the issue of remittances to ensure that very often low paid migrant workers anxious to help their families and communities back home can send money at the lowest possible cost through the world's postal networks.

DM News has reported that "To help mailers prepare for pricing changes taking effect May 14, the U.S. Postal Service has published an updated edition of its Domestic Mail Manual. The new DMM — available at www.usps.com/ratecase — contains all of the agency's new mailing standards and prices, along with an updated index and table of contents. The Domestic Rates and Fees Reference has also been updated. It includes the new rates for Periodicals that will take effect July 15."

As the USPS' Rick Arvonio noted in an article for DM News, "The U.S Postal Service is taking an aggressive move toward eliminating undeliverable-as-addressed mail with its Aug. 1 implementation of CASS cycle L. Yet many mailers are still completely in the dark about what CASS is, why this is happening and what investment is required to retain their postage discounts and predictable mail delivery."

Reuters has reported that "Singapore Post , the country's main mail group, on Friday reported a 25 percent rise in quarterly profit, due to higher rental and property-related income and said this year's focus would be on regional growth."

TheIrish Examiner has reported that "as many as 100 post offices across the country could close as part of An Post's plans to review its branch network.

TheIrish Times has reported that "An Post said it was on track to make a profit this year, but admitted it would be three years before it achieved the regulator's target of delivering more than 90 per cent of mail the next day."

Supply Chain Digest has reported that "DHL has won the 2007 edition of the "Great Package Race" competition dreamed up by Professor John Barthold at Georgia Tech, where the three main parcel shippers are annually to see which can get packages the fastest to challenging locations all over the globe."

From theU.S. Postal Service: "We published two notices for comment in yesterday's Federal Register, proposing new standards for mailing lithium batteries [TXT] | [PDF] and for mailing sharps and other regulated medical waste [TXT] | [PDF]. The new standards would allow mailers to send all small consumer-type lithium batteries when properly labeled and packaged, and would increase the allowable weight of medical waste mail-back containers, while requiring additional packaging safeguards. Both proposals ensure safe, easy, and cost-effective mailing options for these materials."

April 26, 2007

Finfacts has reported that "Irish State postal service, An Post, recorded an after-tax profit of €75.7m for 2006, resulting in part from exceptional profit on the sale of the former parcel hub site on Dublin's Naas Road. Turnover increased by €65.9m (8.8 per cent) to €818.8m reflecting a strong sales drive and 4 per cent growth in core mails revenue, mainly in the bulk mail sector. While the basic letter tariff remained unchanged at 48c in 2006, rate increases for certain mails products combined with volume growth and a buoyant economy to increase turnover." See alsoRTE.ie.

In a postal perspective for the PostCom Bulletin regarding Docket No. MC2007-1,Gene Del Polito wrote: "Neither the OCA nor Valpak seem willing to note that Congress has passed a new postal law that is designed to move the nation's postal business to a more rational, business-oriented plane. Instead, they seem totally justified in their noodling simply because this proceeding was initiated under the old rules framed by the Postal Reorganization Act (PRA) rather than the new world view of things envisioned by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). For both parties, let alone the PRC, to address this case as if Congress had not repudiated the old business model that underlaid our nation's postal system for the past 35 years for the sake of something better is sheer folly."

IT-Pro has reported that "One in six MPs didn't bother to respond to a constituent's email inquiry, according to an investigation by weekly computer publication Micro Mart. Posing as a constituent named Alex Brown, IT PRO's sister publication Micro Mart contacted all 625 MPs for England, Wales and Scotland by email, asking a question about how to go about recycling two computers and a washing machine. While over 84 per cent of MPs replied in some way, 98 ignored the inquiry - including such high profile politicians as William Hague, Lembit Opik, Ruth Kelly and David Davies. The Micro Mart team received replies from the offices of all party leaders, with no party performing significantly better overall than the others. Of the majority which did reply, 73 needed a second message to be sent before they responded, with some taking nearly two months. "Considering MPs can claim allowances running to over £100,000 of taxpayers' money to fund their offices - including a specific £10,000 communications allowance - we were staggered to find so many hadn't put any system in place to simply reply to a constituent's emailed question," said Micro Mart's editor, Simon Brew. "Given the speed and convenience of electronic communication, not least the amount of paper it saves, we expected a greater willingness to reply to an e-mail than we found." [Makes you wonder how American legislators would score.]

UNI has reported that "A day of action by postal workers across Europe is planned for June 6 as part of the growing campaign to save the universal postal service in Europe. UNI Postal global union will also be organising a rally in Berlin on May 30 of postal workers in uniforms from the 27 member states to deliver a message to the German EU presidency. The aim is to head off European Union moves to take away remaining protections from traditional postal operators."

AuctionBytes has reported that "Amazon.com told US sellers it would raise variable fees and increase Marketplace shipping credits for Books, Music, Movies, Video Games and Software, on May 14, 2007. The shipping-credit increase ranges from $0.39 to $2.51, depending upon the product category and shipping method, and is in response to the USPS postal rate changes going into effect on May 14. The Books, Video Games and Software standard shipping credit will be increased from $3.49 to $3.99. The Music, DVD and VHS standard shipping credit will increase from $2.59 to $2.98. A full breakdown of shipping credits can be found on the Amazon website."

Globes has reported that "As the privatization of Israel Post Company Ltd. gathers steam, the company plans to begin offering financial services, and market mutual, provident and pension funds at post offices. Israel Post also wants to begin selling non-life insurance, such as compulsory vehicle insurance and home insurance, by the third quarter of this year."

TheCommunications Workers Union has told its members that "At this stage Royal Mail are offering you nothing on basic pay. Royal Mail says you are "over paid and under worked". Unless there is a dramatic change in Royal Mail's attitude there is no prospect of us reaching an agreement and a major dispute is inevitable."

TheIrish Independent has reported that "rural rights campaigners protested outside the Dail yesterday to underline their fury at the threatened closure of more than 500 post office branches nationwide. The protest - supported by 50 campaigners who travelled to Dublin from all over Cork - warned the coalition that the plight of rural post offices is now set to become a major general election issue."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "The Angolan National Post and Telecommunications Firm will invest USD 24 million until the year 2012, in the rehabilitation and modernisation of about 160 of its centres, throughout the country. The information was given to Angop over the last weekend, in Dondo, northern Kwanza Norte Province, by the company's administrator for the technical area, José Manuel de Almeida, who also informed that this investment is part of the institution's steering plan, being implemented since 2004, aimed at improving their service to the public."

AsFederal Computer Week has noted, "The U.S. Postal Service has awarded a $51 million contract for engineering support services as part of an effort to develop new mail-processing technologies, according to an April 24 press release. Under the contract, Serco will provide technical, project management and information technology services for future equipment. The company will also perform quality assurance consulting, testing and evaluations of the technologies, according to the press release."

TheEl Paso Times has reported that "Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., sent a letter Monday to the U.S. postmaster general to ask him to evaluate whether moving Las Cruces processing operations to El Paso was necessary and in the best interest of residents of the region. Postal processing operations in Las Cruces were moved to El Paso in June, and the change has caused worry about overworked postal employees and mail delivery delays in El Paso and the surrounding region."

EurActiv has reported that:

• The European institutions are currently hammering out the details of a Directive, which, if approved by EU states and the European Parliament, should lead to the complete liberalisation of postal services in Europe. German MEP Marcus Ferber (EPP-ED), who is in charge of steering the proposal through Parliament, tells EurActiv what he expects from the new rules, before the vote in plenary on 5 June 2007.
• German MEP Marcus Ferber, rapporteur on postal reform, has sided with his native country's view that the postal market should be fully liberalised by 2009. He shared his views with EurActiv ahead of key Parliament committee votes on 2-8 May.

According toMultichannel Merchant, "With the impact of user-generated content such as blogs and YouTube at consumers' fingertips, the future of direct mail is still The Direct Marketing Association's biggest concern. That's because with consumers dictating what they want to read and when they want to read it, legislation such as do-not-mail could affect direct marketers more so than do-not-call initiatives, said DMA chairman Markus Wilhelm."

The Times has reported that "The country faces its first national postal strike for more than a decade in a dispute over pay and cost cuts that would halve collections and bring in other sweeping changes, The Times has learnt. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said it will ballot for industrial action after Royal Mail offered a pay freeze for this year, with small lump-sum payments for some workers. It is the first time in many years that a pay freeze has been proposed." See alsoAFX.

The Guardian has reported that "Tucked away at the end of an 83-page report by Postcomm, the regulator which oversees postal services in the UK, is an annexe that contains some very important figures: the profit and loss account for the Royal Mail's operation of its Postcode Address File."

As theEconomic Times has noted, "A bill to amend the 1898 Act was initially introduced in the parliament in 2002. The bill was to reinforce DoP's monopoly for handling letters weighing less than 300 gms, lawfully allow the private couriers to convey articles beyond 300 gms, introduce a registration fee along with a 10% universal service obligation charge on private couriers and set up the mail regulatory and development authority. Luckily, all of that remained on paper due to dissolution of Lok Sabha. Later, DoP prepared a draft bill in 2006 but never finalised the amendment. Now, DoP has readied yet another version and government plans to table the bill during the forthcoming parliament session. The new draft reportedly directs private couriers to price their services at five times (two-and-a-half times for urgent letters) the corresponding postal tariff! Such anti-competitive legislation to cover up operational inefficiencies, to divert revenues from running private businesses to a government outfit and to support monopoly creation, seems completely out of place and ought to be rejected, scrapped and killed."

April 25, 2007

According to the Utne Reader, "Every year, devotees of the independent press lament the death of another worthy publication. This year, we may be mourning an outright slaughter."

From Business Wire: "DHL, the world’s leading express delivery and logistics company, today announced a major service upgrade for international express shipments to the United States. US importers and international customers that use DHL’s International Express services to the US will now receive 12:00 noon delivery – an upgrade from the previous end of business day transit time. The newly upgraded service will benefit customers of DHL Import Express, an all-inclusive, door-to-door service for expediting imports to the United States. With Import Express, shipments are handled by DHL from pickup outside the US to delivery in the US, with all tracking, invoicing and single-currency payment through DHL. International customers using DHL’s Worldwide Priority Express and International Document Service will also benefit from faster transit times to the US market."

From the U.S. Postal Service: "The Postal Service has published a new edition of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) to help you prepare for the pricing change on May 14. The new DMM is available in HTML and PDF formats on usps.com/ratecase and contains all of our new mailing standards and prices, with an updated index and table of contents. In addition to the DMM, on usps.com/ratecase you can find the New Domestic Rates and Fees Reference, which includes the new Periodicals rates effective on July 15, in HTML and PDF formats.

USA Today has reported that "FedEx says that the FAA's decision to end a controversial landing procedure at the cargo carrier's Memphis hub should be reversed because it could lead to serious delays in package deliveries across the nation."

Reuters has reported that "The rising popularity of text messaging on cell phones poses a threat to writing standards among Irish schoolchildren. Text messaging, with its use of phonetic spelling and little or no punctuation, seems to pose a threat to traditional conventions in writing. The report laments that, in many cases, candidates seemed "unduly reliant on short sentences, simple tenses and a limited vocabulary." [Hmmmm. Short sentences...simple tenses...limited vocabulary...as in many direct mail letters?]

ABC News has reported that "An arrest was made at 8:03 a.m. ET this morning in the case of the so-called "Bishop Bomber," who in January allegedly mailed a package containing an explosive device to a Kansas City investment firm."

Reuters has reported that "Malaysia's postal operator, Pos Malaysia & Services Holdings Bhd , aims to grow revenues by 5.6 percent this year after missing its 2006 sales target, the company said on Wednesday. It released its performance targets for 2007 to the stock exchange, aiming for 868 million ringgit in revenues and to pay out 35 percent of net profit as dividends."

Deutsche Welle has reported that "The German government agreed to end the letter delivery monopoly of Deutsche Post as planned, but the issue is still a thorn in the eyes of the grand coalition. Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Social Democratic (SPD) coalition partners agreed to liberalize Germany's mail delivery market as part of European Union moves to deregulate postal services across the 27-member bloc. Starting Jan 1, 2008, letters weighing up to 50 grams (1.8 ounces) will no longer be the monopoly of Deutsche Post, the world's biggest post and logistics group."

UPS has reported a 7.9% increase in adjusted diluted earnings per share to $0.96 on a 3.3% revenue gain, thanks to a strong performance by its international operation and significant improvement by its supply chain and freight segment.

Postalnewsblog has reported that "It has been customary over the years to see long lines at the James A. Farley Post Office on tax day. This year was no exception. Unfortunately, long lines at the windows at the JAF, or the main post office, as most New Yorkers refer to it will be commonplace. On Saturday, April 28, 2007, the USPS is reducing sales associates at the windows at JAF from its current complement of 69 down to only 49. This is a facility that is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Compounding the negative impact of this decision by postal management is the fact that on Monday May 14, 2007 there will be a hike in postal rates, which will only exacerbate an already difficult situation."

In its comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission on the pending postal rate rulemaking, the Association for Postal Commerce noted that Congress did NOT intend a reimposition of cost-of-service ratemaking. "The Commission is empowered only to guard against the Postal Service’s abuse of its monopoly power—defined principally as undue or unreasonable discrimination—and the Commission’s rules regarding complaints and compliance reviews should reflect this principle. The old “fair and equitable” standard is incompatible with the broader objectives of the PAEA and the operation of the price cap regime."

According to Online Media Daily, with the purchase of Hitwise "the big opportunity is that Experian has packaged a comprehensive advertising media mix offering for direct marketers, which forces a consolidation of the roles of online and offline advertising analytics within large advertisers. This will make advertising more effective and relevant to the changing buying behavior of consumers, who are voting with their "clicks," and no longer with their mail and phone responses."

The agenda for the May 15 – May 16, 2007 meeting of the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) has been posted on this site.

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

In the Netherlands, the decision concerning a complete market opening has been deferred.
Royal Mail wants to save a large part of its top branches, the so-called Crown Post Offices (CPO), through outsourcing.
German parcel service Hermes has demanded an unbiased debate on the ending of the postal monopoly.
Belgium’s radio BRR reports that a new wage agreement for La Poste’s 35,000 workers has been sealed.
Spain’s highest court, the Tribunal Supremo, has ordered Correos to allow 10,000 former postal workers back into its internal job exchange and pay them compensation.
UNI Global Union has joined the current debate on postal sector wages.
The German Association of Courier, Express and Postal Service Providers (BdKEP e.V.) says its member firms exceed the minimum social standards of the postal sector.
Liberalisation of EU postal markets is around the corner -while private operators are raring to go, many still-monopolists are asking exactly what effects liberalisation will have on their business.
The Republic of San Marino will enjoy more postal autonomy in future. The change comes about as the existing postal agreement between Italy and San Marino expires and is replaced by new trade agreements.
Last year, the Moroccan post achieved a 5% increase in turnover to 116.1m euros. Around 42% of the turnover, or 48.9m euros were attributable to financial services, 6.4m euros were generated through press deliveries and the remainder through traditional mail business.
GeoPost, the express parcel holding company of France’s La Poste, increased its turnover by over 17% to 2.969bn euros last year.
time:matters, which claims to be Germany’s leading Special Speed operator, is now offering a same-day delivery service to and from Scandinavia.
Last week, DHL launched a service for private customers in Britain.
SG Holdings, the umbrella organisation for Sagawa Express, arguably Japan’s second biggest parcel service, has published its medium-term business development plans.
German express service Trans-o-flex (Tof) announced the conclusion of a cooperation agreement with Spanish CEP and logistics operator Redur S.A. on Tuesday.
Singapore’s national investment firm Temasek Holdings looks set to enter the Indian CEP market.

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. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

Angola Press has reported that "The Angolan National Post and Telecommunications Firm will invest USD 24 million until the year 2012, in the rehabilitation and modernisation of about 160 of its centres, throughout the country."

Barron's Online has reported that "despite United Parcel Service's and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' long and sometimes tumultuous history, we believe that an agreement regarding a new parcel and small-package driver contract could likely be reached well ahead of next year's expiration. Indeed, UPS and the Teamsters announced in June 2006 that they would be heading to the bargaining table nearly two years early. If successful, we believe investor fears of freight diversions at UPS should be eased and a major overhang on the stock removed."

Japan Today has noted that "a faster-than-expected drop in postal savings has prompted Japan Post Corp to lower a net profit estimate to 508 billion yen for its group in fiscal 2008 after the postal system's privatization this October, informed sources said Wednesday."

According to Sharewatch, "The news is admittedly slightly negative for Deutsche Post," said a Frankfurt-based trader. "But after German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck made it clear that he still has concerns about the liberalization, there may well be further discussions in the German parliament about the issue."

The Houston Chronicle has reported that "The federal probe into corruption related to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff could be inching closer to former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land as investigators focus on a former DeLay chief of staff who later employed the Republican leader's wife. Several former DeLay associates have been helping federal law enforcement agents as they continue their investigation of Buckham and others. Taking deals for testimony were former DeLay staff members Tony Rudy and Michael Scanlon, both of whom had close ties to Abramoff. Court papers in Rudy's guilty plea stated that Rudy, while working for DeLay, arranged for the congressman to sign a letter opposing a postal-rate increase to aid an Abramoff client and helped kill an anti-gambling bill opposed by another Abramoff client."

DutchNews has reported that "Labour (PvdA) MPs are threatening to join forces with the left-wing opposition to block plans to fully open the postal delivery market to competition unless the Christian Democrats (CDA) agree to more rights for delivery workers, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Wednesday. MPs were yesterday debating plans to allow firms to compete for the delivery of letters weighing under 50 grammes. The PvdA, Socialist Party and other minor parties are angry that newcomers to the market, such as Sandd and Selektmail, don't actually employ their delivery workers, but treat them as freelancers and pay them a couple of cents for every item they deliver.

KSL-TV has reported that "If you've written a letter to your congressman and waited weeks for a reply, don't blame him, blame anthrax. Special security measures are still causing major postal delays, more than five years after a mysterious murderer sent anthrax germs to congress. We've all griped about mail service, even though it usually does get there in a day or two, but if your letter is addressed to a lawmaker in Washington, don't be surprised if takes two or three weeks or even a couple of months."

Robotics Online has reported that "ABB Robotics received a Supplier Performance Award from the United States Postal Service (USPS), honoring the company’s commitment to providing the USPS with quality products and excellent customer service. The awards recognized companies that collaborated with the USPS to create supply chain management best practices that the government agency will continue to use in 2007 and beyond. Postmaster General John E. Potter presented 10 companies with awards during a ceremony held at the Postal Service headquarters in Washington, D.C."

Business World has reported that "An official of the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) in Eastern Visayas is confident of hitting the state-owned firm's income target of P50 million this year. Raul Buensalida, PhilPost Eastern Visayas regional manager, said they earn P4 million to P5 million monthly despite the competition from couriers and logistics companies and the advent of electronic mail."

Shanghai Daily has reported that "China Postal Group (CPG) plans to set up an insurance company which will be the country's first insurer with sole investment from the postal sector, Wu Dingfu, chairman of China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), said. China's postal sector, boasting 36,000 outlets nationwide, simply serves as the sales agent of insurance products for the moment, but was urged to explore further cooperation with the insurance sector." See also People's Daily.

The Associated Press has reported that:

• U.S. District Judge Dominic J. Squatrito, in a case involving a church-run post office in Manchester, ordered the Postal Service to notify the nearly 5,200 facilities run by contractors that they cannot promote religion through pamphlets, displays or any other materials. He also told the agency to monitor those offices, which are distinguishable from government-run facilities and employ workers who are not Postal Service employees, to make sure they comply with his ruling.

• A federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to reconsider an earlier ruling that UPS Inc. discriminated against deaf employees by automatically barring them from driving parcel delivery trucks.

From the U.S. Postal Service: "Robert Galaher has been appointed manager, Business Mail Acceptance, Headquarters."

Hellmail has noted that "Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services, has published its updated guidelines which define the limited geographical conditions or other exceptional circumstances in which Royal Mail is exempt from its universal service obligation to deliver mail once every working day to every address in the United Kingdom. The guidelines have been formulated following a consultation that invited views on all areas of the current policy, including a number of amendments proposed by Postcomm to take into account changing circumstances since the guidelines first came into effect in April 2003."

From the Government of Canada: "Canada Post is pleased to announce it has successfully negotiated a new four-year collective agreement with its largest bargaining agent, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). The new agreement will be in place until January 31, 2011."

From WebWire: "Mail remains the safest way to communicate and share information, and represents the smallest threat to identity theft."

Multichannel Merchant has noted that "Catalogers and multichannel retailers are facing a number of key issues in the marketplace. But the one issue that is currently on the minds of all who mail flats and catalogs is the huge postage increase scheduled to be implemented May 14. Unless the Postal Rate Commission reduces its proposed increase to flats mailers (which, if it occurs will most likely not happen until sometime after May 14), most flats mailers will see postage increases that will exceed 20%."

From PR Newswire: "The U.S. Postal Service is meeting its performance challenges head-on with a $51 million contract with Serco Inc., Vienna, Va., for engineering support services, including support for research and development of new technologies. The contract also provides for technical, project management and IT services, as well as quality assurance consulting work and testing and evaluation of future mail-processing equipment."

According to the Daily Yomiuri, "Japan Post, which will be privatized on Oct. 1 into a holding company and four service firms, plans to post combined after-tax profits of 587 billion yen in fiscal 2011, sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the figure is included in a business plan for the privatized group. In the plan, the banking company is expected to post an outstanding deposit balance of about 164 trillion yen and an after-tax profit of 304 billion yen as of the end of fiscal 2011, thus putting it in the same league as a megabank, but possibly luring criticism from the private sector for adversely affecting their business."

April 24, 2007

From PR Web: "Intellareturn Corp., innovator of the world's leading microchip-based postal automation solution, Smart Stamp®, has announced its Append® Envelope Technology at the Envelope Manufacturers Association's (EMA) Spring Meeting in Tuscon, AZ. As part of the conference, 'Center for Technology and Trends' session, the company presented technological advances in paper-based communication. The Append® microchip-based "Smart Stamp" system links supplemental text, audio and video files to envelopes. Elliot Klein of Intellareturn Corp. declared this will one day "transform how we utilize envelopes and the postal mail." The Smart Stamp service can be sold as a book of self-adhesive labels or pre-manufactured into envelopes, taking envelope manufacturers into the wireless ecosystem with new business models to store, control and deliver rich-media content."

From the U.S. Postal Service: "The U.S. Postal Service’s most familiar and trusted mail products —Express Mail, Priority Mail and First-Class Mail — are going international starting May 14, 2007. To make it easier for customers to mail letters and packages worldwide, the Postal Service (USPS) has simplified the eight main International Mail products into four: Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and First-Class Mail International." According to one DM expert "the Post Office has too many MBA’s and analysts focusing on misguided ways to generate more postage revenue. This will eventually lead to a decrease in the mail volume by individual consumers as well as businesses who will continue to opt for email and internet alternatives to direct mail."

From Business Wire: 'DHL and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services Inc. (STTAS) have announced their partnership to provide customs and trade compliance services. STTAS will work closely with DHL to provide operational services, including overall business process enhancement, tariff classification, compliance with government supply chain security initiatives, free trade agreement optimization, and customs training, to DHL’s importer/exporter clientele."

From PR Urgent: "New postal rates are fairly straightforward but fail to address the real issue of how to increase postage revenues as a whole over the long term. Increased rates instantly increase sales revenue per unit. However, higher postage leads to a decrease in overall consumer demand for services as well as a shift in consumer demand from direct mail to competing services such as email, e-cards and online catalogs."

Forbes has reported that "Unions and a works council within TNT NV have said they will keep a close eye on the Dutch parliament which is scheduled to vote this afternoon on market liberalisation legislation that will open the Dutch postal market to competition on deliveries of less than 50 grams.

The Times-News has reported that "After about a year of internal review, the postal service has decided to keep its area-mail processing center in Twin Falls instead of combining it with the center in Boise."

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service has intentions to increase the number of areas contracted out with independent delivery service operators. Known as the Growth Management Program, the Postal Service is slowly allowing more delivery from private contracts, who would then subcontract employees to deliver mail in areas throughout the United States."

The Economic Times has reported that "According to the latest survey conducted by the universal postal union (UPU), almost two thirds of public operators across the globe are anticipating a drop in the proportion of income generated by the letter post, with the proportion of income generated by parcels & logistics and to a lesser extent by postal financial services set to increase accordingly. Compared to express parcels and logistics, projected to grow at almost 25% over the next three years, the letters and post segment is projected to grow at only 8% to 10%."

Graphics Arts Monthly has noted that "Send a catalog and the recipient is twice as likely to make a purchase at the retailer's Website. Soon-to-be released survey results from the 2006 holiday shopping season reveal that the mail-Internet media combination is even more powerful than four years ago."

Hellmail has reported that "Adam Crozier spoke to Jeff Randall on BBC 5 Live on Sunday night about the changes at Royal Mail in more recent years. He said that Royal Mail had suffered from lack of investment by previous governments and that meant they were technically lagging behind as well as not being as efficient as they need to be. However he said there was no point in dwelling on what should or should not have been done and they needed to get on with the job of modernisation and providing an efficient service. He said that Royal Mail is bringing in new products to widen the scope of the services they provide and to help Post Offices but 14,000 are private businesses and far too many are creating massive losses for Royal Mail."

Today's Zaman has reported that "All addresses in Turkey will soon have an exclusive 10-digit identity number that will be used in all official transactions instead of their old mailing addresses. The application, which aims to make bureaucratic operations more efficient, will also remove the possibility of having “the wrong address.”  Addresses will be written alongside the new code on documents, and postal workers, after checking to make sure the address and code match, will make sure the information is entered into the data base. If the address is not yet registered in the system, the document will be returned noted as having “no address.”

April 23, 2007

From WebWire: "World’s largest eBay seller’s group, Dallas eBaybes & eMales, will host a meeting with USPS officials to discuss looming rate increases. The meeting will be held at 6:00PM on Monday, April 23rd in Plano, Texas. The success of an eBay seller is directly affected by shipping costs and many eBay sellers are extremely upset about the impending doom of the USPS changes, which include eliminating some of the services completely. eBay is a business partner to USPS and the majority of eBay sellers rely on the post office to ship all of their packages, as it has always been the most affordable option. As of May 14th, many eBay sellers may decide not to go postal after all and switch to one of the competitors, like FedEx, UPS or DHL. eBay sellers bring billions of dollars in revenue to the USPS, so it’s very important to their bottom line to maintain that partnership."

AuctionBytes has reported that "Shipping is a vital part of online sales, and eBay is getting ready to handle postal rate changes coming in May. As a recent AuctionBytes survey revealed, eBay sellers are concerned about higher shipping costs and many of them are concerned that postal tools they use may not be ready when the changes go into effect."

Expatica has noted that "The works council at TNT Post is threatening to block competitors' locations with its trucks if Parliament does not agree to approve better labour conditions for postal workers on Tuesday. The works council wants Parliament to adopt a motion from Ferd Crone (Labour PvdA) and Cynthia Ortega (ChristenUnie) on Tuesday, but it does not look so far as if the motion will get majority support."

According to the Merced Sun-Star, "Merced's postal patrons deserve better than they are getting."

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, D.C., at Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, on May 1-2, 2007. The public is welcome to observe the Board’s open session, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on May 2 in the Ben Franklin Room on the 11th floor.

In a letter to all members of the House and Senate postal oversight committee members, Mailers Council executive director Robert McLean wrote: "I write to ask you to join all the individuals and businesses that use the postal system in opposing the Postal Service's plan to file for a postage rate increase in the next few months."

In an apparently widening scandal, the postmaster of the Far Rockaway Post Office has been temporarily relieved of his duties and a supervisor has been arrested for stealing thousands from the government, the New York Daily News has learned.

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, "A lot depends on who you talk to, but apparently there still are problems getting some U.S. mail to you. Bulk mail, such as newspapers, magazines, and fliers are still taking several weeks to be processed by the U.S. Postal Service. The delays still frustrate customers who rely on those magazines."

The Philadelpha Inquirer has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service's grand 30th Street building and surrounding properties in Philadelphia have been the subject of development dreams and rivalries for two decades. Now, in the final stretch toward their $2 billion reconstruction as a glittering gateway to University City, surprising details are emerging about multimillion-dollar deals underpinning the project. Federal investigators have concluded that Keating Development Group of Philadelphia, which represented the Postal Service, had an "apparent conflict of interest" by playing multiple roles in the project."

AllAfrica.com has reported that "Posta Uganda will soon place a fleet of 18 executive buses on the Kampala-Nairobi route at reduced fare and ease traffic and cargo movement between the two cities. Marketing and sales general manager Wilfred Musinguzi on Thursday said that using the international postal union networks, the company intends to link up Dar es Salaam in a bid to expedite regional inter-city mail delivery and communication."

According to The Scotsman, "Postwatch aims to get Royal Mail to deliver on its promises."

The Jamaica Gleaner has reported that "Based on the trend of unscrupulous persons using mail to transport many types of contraband, the postal service is now even more vigilant in its analysis of mail items to detect such infringements and contain them."

April 21, 2007

AdWeek has reported that "In the last two years, Web retailers have increased marketing budgets without seeing any increase in their strikingly low sales-conversion rates. Two recent studies explore the problem and come to similar conclusions: online marketers are largely unaware of their customers' preferences. One of the studies also suggests an overreliance on Web metrics is to blame. More consumers than ever are buying merchandise online, but the ratio of those who make purchases on any given site compared to those who just browse remains tiny--and appears to be shrinking."

KBTV has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service today announced that the Beaumont Remote Encoding Center (REC) will be closed as part the next phase of a nationwide consolidation plan. The facility, located at 750 Pearl Street will close in November, 2007."

The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue:

• The House panel that oversees the USPS reaffirmed its charter this week when it convened its first real oversight hearing in more than a decade. The hearing, which focused on the “state of the Postal Service” instead of “reform” heard from many witnesses on a litany of issues.
• The Senate committee tasked with overseeing the Postal Service also met this week and heard testimony on some of the same topics from some of the same postal players. Two senators made their views clear: The Postal Service should not file for one last rate case under the old law.
• In this article, QUAD/Graphics shares important information about converting a current flat-size catalog to a letter-size booklet or “slim jim.”
• Harte-Hanks VP Charley Howard questions the PRC’s thinking and intent in its rate case recommendations in this commentary from DIRECT Magazine.
• New Jersey proposes ‘do-not-mail’ legislation. Sen. Collins introduces postal resolution to protect sealed domestic mail. Pitney Bowes names Shea to lead federal lobbying efforts. Online sellers worry about rising USPS prices.
• TNT cost-cutting threatens postal jobs, wages. La Poste deliveries to go green.
• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none?  Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing.

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April 20, 2007

Dow Jones has reported that "Postal and logistics company TNT NV (TNT) intends to start its EUR400 million share buyback program next week, Chief Executive Peter Bakker said Friday at TNT's annual shareholder meeting. TNT announced the share buyback program at the presentation of its annual results on Feb. 26."

CommonDreams.org has noted that "A broad coalition of small and independent publishers sent a letter to the Postal Board of Governors last night, opposing a plan that burdens smaller publishers with higher postage rates and unfairly locks in the best prices for the largest media companies. The crippling hike — proposed by the nation's largest publisher, Time Warner Inc. — could push many smaller magazines into bankruptcy and make it almost impossible to launch a new independent publication. The coalition, which includes publishers from across the political spectrum, is demanding that the postage increase be delayed until Congress can determine how postal regulators came to the decision without public involvement or congressional oversight. Publications that signed the letter include The American Prospect, The American Spectator, Commonweal, In These Times, Mother Jones, Ms. Magazine, National Review, The Nation, The New Republic and WORLD, among others."

Forbes has reported that "TNT NV shareholders voted at the Dutch postal company's AGM against a proposal that would allow an issue of preference shares that would protect the company in the event of a possible takeover."

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

From the U.S. Postal Service: The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Washington, D.C., at Postal Service Headquarters, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, on May 1-2, 2007. The public is welcome to observe the Board’s open session, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on May 2 in the Ben Franklin Room on the 11th floor. The Board is expected to discuss the following items: Wednesday, May 2 at 8:30 a.m. 1. Minutes of the previous meetings. 2. Remarks of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board (Jim Miller and Alan Kessler). 3. Remarks of the Postmaster General and CEO John E. Potter. 4. Committee reports. 5. Board of Governors bylaw amendments. 6. Capital investment – Additional delivery bar code sorters and stacker modules (Walt O’Tormey, vice president, engineering). 7. Quarterly Report on Service Performance (Delores Killette, consumer advocate and vice president). 8. Quarterly Report on Financial Performance (Glen Walker, chief financial officer and executive vice president). 9. Integrated Financial Plan Addendum (Glen Walker).

From the U.S. Postal Service: "The recently passed Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) provides for predictable annual price changes. As we work with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on the best time to implement these price changes, we are seeking feedback from the mailing community. Please take a few minutes to respond to this short survey so we can consider your input. Click here for survey. We look forward to receiving your survey. Responses must be in by Thursday, April 26, 2007.

PostCom Members! Posted on this site you will find a recap of the congressional postal oversight hearings held earlier this week.

DM News has reported that:

• Ron Barnes has joined the Direct Marketing Association as it’s new vice president for state affairs. Mr. Barnes comes to DMA from CTIA – The Wireless Association, where he managed the association’s state regulatory advocacy.

• Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, asked Postal Regulatory Commission Dan G. Blair how important rate shock is to the agency’s decision on Standard flats mail, at a hearing yesterday. In her opening statement, Sen. Collins explained how many small catalogers in her state will be negatively impacted by the rate increase. Ms. Collins also said that she hopes the USPS does not file another rate increase under the old law.

• New Jersey has joined the roster of states introducing a legislative proposal that would create a do-not-mail registry in the state, similar to the federal do-not-call list. New Jersey now joins other states that have introduced do-not-mail bills including Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington. Several other bills — in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Washington — offer related measures, such as the creation of a no-mail registry of certain senior citizens and people with mental illness and a ban on mailing credit-card solicitations to people under 21. 

As Harte-Hanks' Chet Dalzell has noted in an article published in DM News, "The Direct Marketing Association has been highly engaged over the past 18 years on the environment issue. First, with a board-level task force led by Robert Teufel of Rodale Press. Second, with the publication of the “DMA Environmental Resource for Direct Marketers,” now in its third edition. Third, an environmental awards program, the Robert Rodale Environmental Achievement Awards, later administered by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which has had a who’s who of honorees including Seventh Generation, National Wildlife Federation, the U.S. Postal Service, L.L. Bean and Williams-Sonoma. Most recently, the DMA board of directors named a standing committee on the environment and social responsibility, led by Jennifer Barrett of Acxiom Corp., which comprises a cross-section of the DMA membership and has focused on new ways to bring environmental performance to the direct marketer’s bottom line."

Online Media Daily has reported that "aiming to offer its clients deeper digital marketing intelligence, Experian is acquiring Hitwise, which monitors Web sites' performance and provides online marketing insight. The $240 million deal is expected to close next month, subject to regulatory approval. In snapping up Hitwise, the consumer data giant Experian is merely following its clients which are increasingly turning from mass media platforms to digital ones with the ability to specifically target niche audiences. The acquisition of Hitwise is expected to help Experian expand its market research offerings to clients by delivering sophisticated and unique data about consumer online behavior in search, along with other online activities."

KBTV has reported that "The Postal Service remains tight-lipped about the possible shutdown of a mail processing center in Beaumont, but that possibility has a lot of other people talking - and not just the hundreds of employees whose jobs could be on the line. Many people are considering how a closure of the Remote Encoding Center would impact the city`s attempt to revitalize downtown. The facility is a major employer, with 300 regular workers and 500 temporary workers."

The Guardian has reported that "The Communication Workers Union yesterday called for a boycott of WH Smith and raised the threat of industrial action after Royal Mail announced it was switching 70 crown post offices to the high street chain. The decision to transfer the 70 branches follows a trial of the franchise concept in six WH Smith stores. Royal Mail said the deal would help maintain a sustainable network." See also the Daily Express.

From the postal oversight hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security.

• Statement of Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Dan G. Blair

• Statement of Postmaster General John Potter

Air Cargo World has reported that "FedEx Express expanded two of its International Priority services in Asia Pacific and Europe."

The Communication Workers Union has told its members that "A further meeting took place with Royal Mail yesterday afternoon. The meeting concluded with Royal Mail still refusing to offer our members any basic pay increase. Instead, they revised their position by increasing the range of lump sums on offer from between £250/£400 to £250/£550. These lump sums remain conditional on the Union signing up to specific savings initiatives, most of which amount to significant pay cuts and involve major change. Royal Mail’s position on local productivity remains unchanged."

April 19, 2007

According to CNET News, "Your grandchildren may use a stylus on a tablet PC instead of a Bic on tablet paper, but they will continue to write. That's because even in an era when elementary school students are adept at mousing and teenagers are fiends at text-messaging, some experts say that writing with a pen is still the backbone for teaching people how to read and learn facts."

The lastest issue of the National Association Of Postal Supervisors Postal Legislative Update has been posted on this site.

Reuters has reported that "British retailer WH Smith said on Thursday it had struck a deal with the Royal Mail under which it would operate Post Offices in 70 of its stores in an attempt to stem falling sales." See also the Financial Times.

From eMediaWire: "Document Command, Inc., which operates its global Remote Control Mail™ service for delivering postal mail online, today announced a re-branding of both its company and services under a common name, Earth Class Mail™. The Earth Class Mail online postal service gives customers ranging from mobile workers and military personnel to college students, expatriates and foreign-based companies online access to their postal mail, from anywhere in the world, at any time. Earth Class Mail receives mail each day, scans the outside of the sealed envelopes and presents these images to the customer online. The customer then determines whether to have the mail opened and scanned, shredded, recycled, transferred elsewhere, or forward-shipped - similar to how people manage their mobile phones and emails. The Earth Class Mail system is convenient, reliable, and cost-effective."

According to the Leamington Observer, "postal deliveries are being stretched to breaking point in the area by unusually high numbers of staff taking time off sick. Royal Mail bosses admitted the pressure had been on to get the post out over the past few weeks and residents have felt the knock on effects first hand."

The NewMexicoChannel has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service said it plans to hire 75 workers to improve mail delivery to New Mexicans. Members of the state's congressional delegation said the Postal Service plans to add the new workers in the Albuquerque district. Frustration with the Postal Service peaked last winter when customers around New Mexico flooded hot lines with complaints about late mail, overdue bills or even no mail at all."

Ha'aretz has reported that "Sanctions undertaken by postal service workers over the past weeks eased as of yesterday, at least for a few days, following a hearing before the Tel Aviv District Labor Court. Israel Postal Company management requested the court to issue an injunction to cease sanctions, saying the strike is a political move against the government, not a labor dispute."

April 18, 2007

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

Deutsche Post fears that (foreign) private service providers would capture market share if the market is opened on 1.1.2008, and the German post would not be able to retaliate in other European countries.
Last year, the French La Poste enjoyed a growth in turnover and a considerable increase in profit....Straight after La Poste’s announcement of last year’s business results, French trade unions put forward demands for better pay.
The Slovenian post has extended co-operation with other post companies in the region.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency has not found any evidence during abuse proceedings that Deutsche Post is undercutting prices through its subsidiary In Haus Service GmbH.
After Poste Italiane announced that it would start marketing mobile phone services, the Italian post has declared its intention of putting more energy into e-commerce.
The positive trend from the last few years continued in 2006 for Postel, a hybrid subsidiary of Poste Italiane.
Sweden’s Posten AB is using new printing technology to fight stamp forgery.
Subsidiaries and joint ventures played a main role in contributing to the Norwegian post’s favourable business results last year.
TNT is obviously cautious when it comes to dealing with British trade unions.
According to Nigerian daily »The Tide« (13.04), more than 60 private courier firms were closed in Nigeria last week following a government decree.
Parcel deliveries to private households could become much simplified in future, should a concept developed by British CEP operator Parceline prevail.
Last week, the French La Poste reached a final decision on the sale of its airline Europe Airpost.
German trade union ver.di has launched a campaign aimed at the transport and logistics industry by demanding a minimum wage of 7.50 euros per hour.
According to a press release (5.4) Parcelnet, the British courier and home shopping subsidiary of German mail order company Otto, has bought British courier operator Redcats.
Deutsche Post has announced its intention to make some smaller logistics acquisitions this year.
The controversial restructuring programme "Energie 2007" put in place by the French Chronopost is going according to plan, reported »Les Echos«.
By the end of next year, Germany’s Hermes wants to control 20% of Austria’s parcel market and operate in the black.


 

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. (We appreciate the courtesy extended by CEP News to help whet your appetite for more of what CEP offers.)

The Financial Times has reported that "The German government may extend the monopoly of Deutsche Post, the postal company, over delivery of letters beyond December 2007 as postal service liberalisation is less advanced in other European Union countries."

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced a bipartisan amendment reaffirming that both federal law and the Constitution protect sealed domestic mail from being searched. The amendment is in response to a signing statement that the White House issued in conjunction with the signing of the Collins-Carper postal reform legislation. In a speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Collins explained that following the singing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the White House issued a statement that resulted in confusion about the Administration’s commitment to abide by the basic privacy protections afforded sealed domestic mail. Senator Collins’ resolution is cosponsored by Senators Carper, Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Norm Coleman (R-MN).

Daily Times has reported that "Pakistan Post Director General Arshad Khan informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications that measures have been taken to transform Pakistan Post (PP) into a modern organisation through the use of information technology."

The Trinidad & Tobago Express has reported that "Workers at TTPost Diego Martin delivery office have staged "sick-out" action since Monday, in protest over what they are calling "unsatisfactory working conditions".

The Hindu has reported that "As part of an image makeover, post offices are being refurbished to create an inviting ambience. The reeky, dingy rooms that housed post offices will now become things of the past, with the Department of Posts initiating a chain of activities that has given a facelift to its image. A tie-up with Ambika group, the leading manufacturers of perfumed incense sticks, is the latest move made by the department to bring more colour and fragrance to its extensions. As per the arrangement, post offices will sell not just mail material like stamps and envelopes but incense sticks too from Wednesday."

According to Sify, "Sending packets through private courier companies could get expensive, with the Government proposing to stipulate higher tariffs for mails less than 150 gm. The draft Postal Bill, which is expected to be tabled in the ongoing Budget session, has proposed to impose a tariff on mails carried by courier companies that is fives times the charge taken by the Postal Department."

ChannelInfo.net has noted that "Postcomm, the Postal Services Commission, is the independent regulator for the postal market. It is holding a number of regional events where stakeholders and postal users will be able to meet the PostComm team and get an update on the latest initiatives being undertaken in the postal market."

According to DM News, "With paper, postage and shipping costs all steadily inching upwards in recent years, many catalogers have become blasé about “another price increase.” However, next month’s jump in postage costs is so significant — anywhere from 20 percent to upwards of 40 percent for catalogers — that the industry has been voicing its opposition to Washington in an unprecedented way. In addition, businesses are finding themselves looking under every rock for a few extra pennies."

DutchNews.nl has reported that "Postal workers’ unions say they will not protest against the complete opening of the postal market from January 2008 if MPs make sure new players pay their delivery workers proper wages. MPs are to debate the opening of the market on Thursday. New postal firms such as Sandd and Selekt Mail pay delivery staff on a piecemeal basis based on a couple of euro-cents for each item they deliver rather than an hourly rate."

According to Steve Barr in the Washington Post, "Snail mail still draws a lively crowd. At yesterday's House hearing on the future of the U.S. Postal Service, the witnesses jousted before the microphones at the front of the room while the crowd jostled to find seats in the back."

FuelCellWorks.com has reported that "Masterflex Brennstoffzellentechnik GmbH, a subsidiary of Gelsenkirchen-based Masterflex AG, will be presenting the Cargobike with mini fuel cells, which is now ready for series production, at the Hannover Messe Energy 2007. The Cargobike is particularly well suited for use in inner-city logistics such as for postal service providers."

In an editorial in Mother Jones, smaller circulation publications are issuing a call to postal action. See also CommonDreams.org.

Posted on this site are the other pieces of testimony that were given before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; United States House of Representatives:

• Statement of James C. Miller III, Chairman, Board of Governors, U.S. Postal Service

• Statement of William Burrus, President, American Postal Workers Union

• Statement of William Young, President, National Association of Letter Carriers

• Statement of Donnie Pitts, President, National Rural Letter Carriers Association

• Statement of John Hegarty, President, National Postal Mail Handlers Union

• Statement of Oscar "Dale" Goff, President, National Association of Postmasters of the United States

• Statement of Charles Mapa, President, National League of Postmasters

• Statement of Ted Keating, President, National Association of Postal Supervisors

The Hindu has reported that "The Government has proposed to reserve the lucrative letters segment of up to 150 gm for the postal department and allow private players to carry these letters only if they charge up to five times more than the Government tariff." See also the Business Standard.

According to the Economic Times, "The UPA government clearly has a dirigiste, regressive streak. The latest example is a bizarre attempt by the department of posts (DoP) to force private courier companies to charge more for letters below 150 gm. The DoP’s draft Cabinet note proposes that private couriers charge at least five times the postage tariff charged by the DoP. For urgent mail, courier companies would have to charge 2.5 times more than the corresponding speed post tariff."

The Financial Express has reported that "The UPA government clearly has a dirigiste, regressive streak. The latest example is a bizarre attempt by the department of posts (DoP) to force private courier companies to charge more for letters below 150 gm. The DoP’s draft Cabinet note proposes that private couriers charge at least five times the postage tariff charged by the DoP. For urgent mail, courier companies would have to charge 2.5 times more than the corresponding speed post tariff."

Japan Today has reported that "The United States reminded Japan Tuesday that it wants Tokyo to secure a "level playing field" when the government-backed Japan Post is privatized."

April 17, 2007

The BBC has reported that "The French postal service, La Poste, plans to order 10,000 electric delivery vehicles, which it says are far more economical than normal cars or vans. The state-run service is inviting tenders from European manufacturers for the first batch of 500."

The Associated Press has reported that "Even with postage rates going up, the Postal Service expects a deficit this year as struggles with a swiftly changing communications market, Postmaster General John Potter said Tuesday. "The dynamics of the 21st century communications market have altered — forever — the basic assumptions of postal economics," Potter said in remarks prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform postal subcommittee. The rapid growth of electronics communications have resulted in declines in lucrative first-class mail, though lower-cost advertising mail continues to increase. In addition, private companies have taken a growing share of the package and rapid delivery market. "Competition exists for every piece of mail that we move through our system," Potter said." See also GovExec.com and Investors Business Daily.

From the U.S. Postal Service: The April 17, 2007 Statement of Postmaster General John E. Potter before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; United States House of Representatives has been posted on the Postal Service's web site.

From the Postal Regulatory Commission: The April 17, 2007 Statement of Dan Blair, Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; United States House of Representatives has been posted on the PRC's web site.

From the U.S. Government Accountability Office: The Statement of Katherine Siggerud, Director, Physical Infrastructure, U.S. Government Accountability Office before the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives has been posted on the GAO web site.

Press Release: "PennySaverUSA.com, the Web site of the shopper publications of Harte-Hanks, Inc., has announced it is working with Google to provide coupons and other local business data collected by Harte-Hanks-owned shopper publications The PennySaver and The Flyer and from affiliate publishers of PennySaverUSA.com. These local business listings and offers will appear on Google Maps search results when a consumer is searching for related information. According to the agreement, Google will receive coupons and various business data online from PennySaverUSA.com and its affiliate publishers, including business name, mailing address, telephone number(s), e-mail address, hours of operation, payment methods and other relevant data. The coupons offer savings from local small and medium-sized businesses all across the United States, from dry cleaners to dentists and from handymen to pizza stores.' "

From MarketWire: "RPost® US Inc., the leader in managed outbound messaging with its flagship Registered E-mail® service suite, today announced that Quality Assurance International (QAI), the global leader in organic certification services, uses RPost Registered E-mail messages for all communication required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the organic certification process. The RPost system provides QAI certification agents with an electronic receipt that proves precisely what e-mail content and attachments were sent and received, by whom and when. The power of the e-mail receipt enabled QAI to transition from a paper-based system to a more efficient and environmentally friendly electronic system."

Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has indicated that it could make smaller acquisitions this year in business with logistics. The company has emphasised, however, that this would represent only a comparatively small part of its expansion strategy."

WMAQ has noted that "Postal workers call them "government look-alike mail," marketers call them selling tools, but consumers call them maddening. Official-looking mass mailings can be deceptive and confusing -- and even illegal in some cases. Ron Goodstein is a marketing professor at Georgetown University, and is not a fan of official notices. "This is a primary example of what we call perceived manipulative intent," said Goodstein. In other words, he says they're "sleazy."

April 16, 2007

In its filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission, Valpak Direct Marketing Systems opposed a motion by the Coalition of Catalog Mailers to reopen the record to receive new evidence in Docket No. R2006-1.

Here's a piece from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that you might find interesting: "UPS, FedEx look to neighborhoods."

From the Federal Register: "The Postal Regulatory Commission has established a formal docket to consider extending the provisional Repositionable Notes (RPN) service by one year. Shortly before the expiration date, the Postal Service filed a request seeking to maintain the status quo to allow time to determine how RPNs may be affected by the recent implementation of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). This document describes the requested change and identifies several initial procedural steps, including authorization of settlement negotiations. DATES: April 20, 2007: Deadline for intervention, responses to request for consideration under rule 69, comments on suspension of this docket, answers to Conditional Motion for Waiver, and comments on appropriateness of authorizing settlement procedures."

The EU social partners, PostEurop (employers) and UNI Postal Europa (trade unions) organised with the assistance of the EU Commission a workshop in Brussels on 2 April 2007 on Postal Sector Evolution. It was organised in the light of the Commission's proposal for a new postal directive to fully open the EU postal market in 2009 and maintaining the universal postal service at the same time.

The House Committee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia  will hold what it has called its"U.S. Postal Service 101" hearing on Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 10:00 a.m. in Room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security will hold its hearing on the current state of the Postal Service along with the efforts underway to implement the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (Public Law 109-435) at 2:00 p.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm. 342. 

From PR Newswire: "Pitney Bowes Inc. has appointed Dennis Shea to lead the company’s lobbying efforts in Washington. Shea succeeds David Nassef, who is returning to Connecticut after ten years in Washington to support Chairman and CEO Michael Critelli in a wide range of assignments."

The Chicago Tribune has reported that "A congressional subcommittee charged with overseeing the U.S. Postal Service will meet in Chicago next month to explore the city's stubborn mail delivery problems, said U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.)."

Accoriding to the Postal Service's Greg Whiteman writing in DM News, "It’s a chain reaction for retailers. Plain and simple. Send someone a catalog and he or she is twice as likely to make a purchase at the retailer’s Web site. As BusinessWeek magazine reported recently, “Net shopping isn’t rendering catalogs obsolete. It’s just changing their role.”

According to New Orleans CityBusiness, "U.S. Postal Service representatives say mail service in the New Orleans area is almost back to normal but business owners beg to differ."

AMEInfo has reported that "Officials of postal administrations from Arab countries called for a greater role in the global postal strategies and appointed a task force to develop a postal strategy for Arab countries, at the 14th meeting of the Arab Permanent Postal Council held in Amman, Jordan."

The Jerusalem Post has reported that "The union of Israel Postal Company employees decided Sunday night to resume sanctions they applied last week instead of the full strike that shut down postal services on Sunday."

April 15, 2007

The Anchorage Daily News has reported that "The Bush is about to get more expensive. The U.S. Postal Service is boosting rates across the nation May 14, including a dramatic increase for a program designed to