August 31, 2008

According to Alan Robinson of the Courier, Express, and Postal Blog, "Most of the attention to date has been on the decline in both Postal volume and revenue. However, to fully understand the drivers of revenue change, one needs to look at the average weight of a mail piece, which is the best publicly available proxy for the changing mix of mail handled. The changing mix primarily reflects three influences: 1) the Postal Service's increasing specialization as the carrier of light weight parcels, 2) the switch away from hard copy delivery for longer documents, manuals and brochures with the increasingly improving ability of the Internet to deliver high quality images and longer documents to more recipients; and 3) the slowdown in the market for all advertising."

Reuters has reported that "A recent dip in oil prices should boost U.S. transport companies' earnings for the current quarter, but oil is still too pricey to offer the sector any long-term relief from the many economic headaches it faces. Transport firms will get a short-term lift as the fuel surcharges they implemented to cope with higher oil prices finally begin to bite, while at the same time actual fuel prices fall. But a wobbly U.S. economy and the pounding U.S. consumers have taken from tighter credit and rising inflation mean transport companies -- trucking companies above all -- are likely to see little more than a short-term earnings bounce."

The Times Daily has reported that "A stop at the post office now means a few minutes' drive instead of a lengthy haul for local residents. First Southern Bank has opened a contract postal unit at its St. Florian branch. Jack Johnson, president and chief executive officer of First Southern, said bank officials saw the obvious need for the service. "This will allow for a convenient and time-saving option for residents of northern Lauderdale County when in need of a post office," Johnson said. "Now, a First Southern Bank employee will be able to provide the same services that, in the past, required residents in this area to travel elsewhere."

Barron's has reported that "although USPS does not impose fuel surcharges, Express Mail contracted sharply in the quarter, suggesting shippers are actively managing down shipping costs as the economy slows by choosing slower-moving and cheaper alternatives. Priority Mail fell 6% in the quarter. Given that USPS is now permitted by law to award shippers volume discounts in negotiated contracts, we have some concern that the volume trends could lead to a more-aggressive effort by USPS to secure service improvements and volume growth at the expense of the private carriers."

According to News-Journal, the U.S. Postal Service is adjusting "to 'snail mail' demise."

WJZ has reported that "That big blue mailbox that sits on many a Baltimore corner may be going the way of the dinosaur. Suzanne Collins reports for some living in the city, that will present a hardship. Many older residents of Locust Point and Federal Hill use a mailbox on Fort Avenue to send mail. It's one of the 350 that are being removed. The post office says use of the boxes has dropped drastically as people pay bills on the Internet and send mail from home and work. "Any postal carrier will be happy to take mail, so you can hand it to your carrier. You can put it in your mailbox and when they deliver your mail that day, they'll pick it up," said Baltimore Post Master Bill Ridenour. But one man says there's a risk to putting outgoing mail in your own mailbox. "Most people, if they have checks going out, yes, it's a problem," said John Ruff. "If someone picks it out of their mailbox and it doesn't get to the destination, and think of the trouble that causes."

According to the Boston Herald, "Looking for new markets? Try looking north, eh? Canada houses a vast, virtually untapped market of underserved shoppers looking for new products and better bargains. “Canadians are very frustrated by the lack of offerings they have in Canada,” said Laurene Cihosky, Canada Post’s senior vice president of direct marketing. Another selling point: Canadians value their catalogs, Cihosky said. They don’t just dump them into the recycling bin without even cracking the first page. They keep them. Some even use them as coffee table books. That means more sales with fewer mailings. They also spend plenty of time shopping on the computer, which opens the market even to the smallest of business that can’t afford massive mailings. All you need is a pretty Web site. Canada Post helps with a service called Borderfree that manages across-the-border mail orders for companies. The service includes everything from conversion rates to credit-card charges to returns."

The Press-Citizen has noted that "To celebrate the 90th anniversary of both air mail and the Iowa City Municipal Airport, seven antique airplanes flew into town to re-enact what once was a deadly form of mail transport."

The Baltimore Sun told its readers: "Before you send off that care package to a student or holiday gift to a friend, it pays to do a little comparison shopping. You might be surprised at what you discover."

Punjab Newsline has reported that "Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Government of India has revised the Foreign Surface Postage Rates of letter post items w.e.f. September 1, 2008."

The Daily Star has complained that "Postage stamp designing is losing its appeal in recent times as many stamps are being designed by people with no academic background in fine arts or having no idea of creative design. Non-artists like philatelists and stamp dealers are designing a good number of stamps because they have a good connection with the postal department, said stamp artists, philatelists and sources at the postal department. Lack of genuine artists' involvement, absence of regular competition or enlistment of artists, and unwritten rules for artists' recruitment and commissioning are a few reasons behind the low quality of stamp designs, said artists. They said overall composition is not properly maintained in stamp designing. The name of the country and price of the stamp are not incorporated in the design. Offhand designs, low printing quality lacking finer details and gaudiness are lowering the aesthetic value of the stamps, said experts."

Scotland on Sunday has reported that "the row over the private sector's involvement in Royal Mail will step up a gear this week when Postcomm presses the Government to reassure investors they won't be responsible for the service's £3.4bn pensions black hole. But postal unions have already lambasted the proposal as allowing the private sector to cherry-pick the profitable parts of the service while leaving postal workers uncertain about their retirements."

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) sets a precedent in trade union communications tonight, Sunday 31st August, with the broadcast of its own channel entitled CWU TV on Sky Digital channel 167 and Freesat channel 406.

Posted here is a special message concerning Hurricane Gustav from our former postal colleague Neal Denton, who now serves as the Sr. Vice President, Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships for the American Red Cross.

KGBT has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Gustav by advising customers that normal service operations in the path of the storm may be affected in the event of unsafe conditions such as high winds, flooding, or impassable roads. For the latest information on USPS service updates, check: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm."

The Associated Press has reported that "Shippers UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. said Thursday they are making plans to implement contingency procedures in the event Tropical Storm Gustav hits the U.S. FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said the Memphis-based shipper has a staff of meteorologists on site and is keeping its air- and ground-based fleets "in the loop" with information. UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said the company also has a meteorology group, based in Louisville, Ky., monitoring the situation. Contingency teams are in place to deal with the storm if it hits, she added."

August 30, 2008

The Herald Sun has reported that "despite a $562 million profit last year, Australia Post will put up postal charges from next month. The cost of posting a standard letter will rise to 55c from September 15, a 10 per cent rise. But Australia Post argues it is the first for five years and is justified because of rising costs. The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission has approved several increases including a 10c rise for large letters and greeting cards to $1 and barcoded letters up from 95c to $1.08."

WGAL has reported that "When you move, the U.S. Postal Service tries to make sure that your mail moves with you. But the change of address system might also be an opportunity for identity thieves to hijack your personal information. The postal service is now taking some new steps to keep identity thieves out of your mailbox and out of your life."

Hellmail has noted that "Royal Mail is showing more than 90% of its mail deliveries are hitting or exceeding targets for quality of service. The independent tests carried out by Research International, showed that on quality of service it was meeting all targets. Mailsort, Presstream bulk mail services, First and Second Class PPI (Postage Paid Impression) mail and Standard parcels were all showing impressive results."

According to postal guru Jim Schemmel, "the Postal Service offer of "Free ACS" to users of Full Service IMB has the potential to be the most important initiative in the long standing USPS efforts to reduce the UAA volumes in the system.  If successful it will be recognized as a brilliant strategic move. From an industry perspective there should be a concern that this effort is not foiled by the USPS placing too many restrictions and obstacles into its implementation and process."

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

• The Postal Service and mailing industry continue to work aggressively to finalize the technical requirements for Intelligent Mail barcode implementation beginning May 2009. In working toward the final version of its “Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats,” the Postal Service has explained that some non-automation mail categories will be eligible for IM barcode Full Service prices in fall of 2009, although some categories will not be eligible for the free start-the-clock or address correction information. The USPS also provided more information on its plans to require mailers to update address records with the address correction information provided through the Full Service option, within specific time frames.
• The Association for Postal Commerce, the Direct Marketing Association and the Parcel Shippers Association have opposed the Postal Service’s proposed changes to the treatment of undeliverable books and sound recordings. The groups said the process the USPS used to change the rules “is inadequate. This is the antithesis of what the PAEA is supposed to be about.”
• Postal comentator Alan Robinson ruminates on the Postal Service’s greatest financial challenges and encourages the USPS to invite frank discussion of its new financial and business environment.
• USPS proposes DAL automation requirements. PRC issues proposed rulemaking for complaints Rural Reach program attracting new business for USPS. Postal Service promotes products on YouTube. USPS offers new services to manage P.O. Boxes. Fuel charges could bury Alaska bypass mail service. APWU endorses Obama, strives for better relations with NALC. UPS won’t refund fuel surcharge to customers.
• France seeks USO funding, begins privatization process. PhilPost, USPS working on electronic money transfer program.
• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

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August 29, 2009

USPS DMM Advisory: 

• Updated Intelligent Mail Guide Now Available. The USPS has posted an updated Guide to Intelligent Mail Letters and Flats on ribbs.usps.gov to help mailers prepare for the May 2009 implementation of the basic and full-service Intelligent Mail options. The Guide provides technical solutions for the standards published in the August 21 Federal Register [HTML] | [PDF] and covers electronic documentation, mail preparation, Service Type Identifiers, and data provided for full-service mailings.

• Duplicate Online Labeling Lists. The online Labeling Lists available on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com contain some duplicate entries and do not reflect the changes identified in the following two Postal Bulletins:

• June 5, 2008 L005, L006, L007, L009, L010, L011, L601, L603, and L606.
• August 14, 2008 L001, L007, L201, and L606 Mailers that subscribe to the Labeling List feeds through the NCSC or through their software vendors are not affected. Mailers who use the online lists should contact their local business mail entry unit for clarification before depositing their mail. A complete revised Labeling List will be incorporated into the September 11, DMM monthly update.

USPS DMM Advisory:  "A Mailer ID is your key to getting data about your mailings using the Intelligent Mail barcode. The Mailer ID is a field within the IMB, and it’s used to identify mailpieces, trays, sacks, and containers. You can apply for a Mailer ID at your Business Mail Entry Unit or through your local Mailpiece Design Analyst. Find the nearest office using the postal locator tools on Postal Explorer at pe.usps.com (click on “Postal Locators” in the left frame). Information about the application process is available at ribbs.usps.gov. Click on “Intelligent Mail/Mailer ID Application” in the left column. You can also download a form and instructions to help speed the application process."

The Washington County News has reported that "The latest hurricane of the season, Gustav, has the potential to make landfall on the Florida coast. The Postal Service in conjunction with the Social Security Administration and the Financial Management Service have made arrangements to release monthly benefit checks early for delivery to the following ZIP Code ranges: 323-325, 364-366, 393-395, 770-779, and 783-785. In Florida, these are the areas around Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee and the entire panhandle."

North Country Gazette has warned its readers "If you receive an email from UPS or Fed Ex saying that you’ve got a shipment that can’t be delivered, DO NOT open the attachment as it contains a malicious virus. The email will appear to come from the United Parcel Service (UPS) or from Fed Ex and will likely contain the misspelled word paket in the subject line. It says that a shipment could not be delivered and will direct you to an attachment that allegedly contains the waybill so that you can arrange to receive or to pick up the shipment. Do not open the attachment and try to print it as it launches the virus."

Hellmail, the postal industry news site has launched a podcast service. The site, which covers postal news from across Europe and is widely read by postal operators, industry practitioners, advice groups and consultants, was formed five years ago. It has developed into a busy internet web site which tries to unravel the complexities of mail liberalisation as well as provide useful information for both business and domestic mail users. Check out Hellmail's first.

The Washington Post has reported that "Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has been checking up on the attendance records of federal employees. And he doesn't like what he's found. Civil servants have been away from their jobs without permission much too often in recent years, Coburn says in a new report. Records from 17 federal agencies and the U.S. Postal Service show that workers were absent without leave for 19.6 million hours between 2001 and 2007, the study found. That's the equivalent of 2.5 million missed days of work, or 316 employees skipping out for entire 30-year careers, says Coburn, the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on federal financial management."

UPS has posted its sustainability statement (and a full report) on its web site.

According to the Oldham Evening Chronicle, "Royal Mail chiefs delivered the latest blow to a local community already blighted by lost services when they removed its post box. Now locals — including many elderly residents — face a half-mile walk to post mail."

The Manila Bulletin has reported that "The Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) are working towards the establishment of a fast, secure but low-cost remittance project which will benefit the 4.4 million Filipinos in the United States and their millions of relatives in the Philippines. Postmaster General Hector R. R. Villanueva said that Filipinos in the US will soon be able to send money anywhere in the Philippines through PhilPost’s more than 2,000 post offices nationwide."

Postcomm, the British postal regulator, has published an observations document on Royal Mail’s industry letter, published on 13th August 2008, “Proposed Changes to RMW Access Contracts (Zonal and Access).

Reuters has noted that "Local newspapers may be faced with hard times, but the ability to get news on a mobile device is flourishing, with several outlets providing context that helps explain particular stories' places in the larger universe of world events."

According to the Nordic Business Report, "The Norwegian postal services operator Posten Norge AS (Norway Post) said on Friday (29 August) that it has agreed to acquire the outstanding 50% of the shares of the logistics company Pan Nordic Logistics (PNL) from its partner, Post Denmark."

The National League of Postmasters has told its members that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has approved the USPS request to offer a Voluntary Early Retirement to Postmasters."

The National Association of Letter Carriers has told its members that "The Office of Personnel Management has informed the Postal Service that it may offer voluntary early retirement to members of the city letter carrier craft. NALC President William H. Young said details of an early retirement agreement are being worked out and will be released once finalized."

The East Valley Tribune has reported that "DHL, a global shipping services company, will slash 105 technology positions at its 24-hour data information center near Loop 101 and Bell Road in Scottsdale. The cuts, which account for 11 percent of the center's 925-person work force, are coming from two of the company's information technology services departments."

The Baltic Course has reported that "In the first half of the year, Latvia Post (LP) posted LVL 1.253 million in losses, which is 5.3 times less when compared to the first six months of 2007, when the postal company was LVL 6.681 million in the red, LP's general director Ivars Krauklis told members of the press yesterday."

For those of an historical bent, you might want to check out "The United States Postal Service: A Case Study Of Large Scale Government Transformation"--a doctoral dissertation by Dale L. Ferguson, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Air Cargo World has reported that "Bowing to high fuel prices, UPS will change its policies on parcel service guarantees next month and no longer include the fuel surcharge in its refunds to customers. The shift effective Sept. 2 means UPS will only refund the basic charge and whatever other accessorial charges were included in the bill, including pickup and special service charges."

August 28, 2008

The Baltic Course has reported that "the Financial and Capital Market Commission's (FCMC) council has issued a license to Latvia Post bank for providing banking services."

Reuters has reported that "The French post office said on Thursday it would ask the conservative government for a change of legal status, kicking off a lengthy and politically sensitive process aimed at its partial privatisation in 2010." See also the Associated Press.

The Postal Service has noted that "more than 2,200 rural carriers across the country have submitted 3,900 leads for the Rural Reach program. Similar in concept to the successful Customer Connect and Business Connect programs, Rural Reach helps rural carriers improve service to their customers while growing revenue in the small to midsize customer base. With Rural Reach, rural carriers can submit leads, initiate customer discussions about USPS products and services and share product information material with customers. Rural carriers are receiving bi-weekly informational sales talks along with pocket-sized tear pads that cover product information to share with customers. Since the kick-off of the program last April, Rural Reach leads have produced $3.8 million in annualized revenue. District Business Development Teams follow up on each lead a rural carrier submits."

The Postal Service's Guide to Intelligent Mail for Letters and Flats has been posted on this site. This guide provides whatever information you need to determine the services the USPS intends to provide for Intelligent Mail Barcode use. This is a draft. Additional changes may be made as issues are identified and resolved.

The Independent has reported that "An Post has said any delays in motorists getting their electronic tags for use on Dublin's M50 before it goes barrier-free on Saturday night are not its fault. Company sources said yesterday it was ready to begin posting the tags last week, but only started receiving them on Monday. And they claim the National Roads Authority (NRA) has fallen behind in sending the tags out to customers. An Post had expected to start receiving tens of thousands of tags for posting last week but none arrived. "There are absolutely no postal delays, all tags received by An Post have gone out," the source said."

Hellmail has noted that "The Spanish postal operator Correos this week launched a new international express postal order service that will enable money to be fast-tracked to Uraguay. In time, the system will be able to transfer money to Chile and Morocco."

August 27, 2008

Barron's has noted that "The number of parcels and packages that postal workers are toting around the country has declined sharply, according to government statistics, opening the prospect of fresh liabilities for the U.S. Postal Service’s private-enterprise rivals, analysts said. According to the data, challenging economic conditions, the end of stimulus checks, and inflation in fuel prices have contributed to a pronounced selloff in package deliveries. Express mail shipments fell 14% in the quarter that ended in June, the most recent data available. Priority mail shipments declined 6% in the period. The pullback could have direct implications for FedEx (FDX), which has made as much as $1.2 billion a year flying priority mail packages for the USPS. But there are threats to the franchises of FedEx as well as United Parcel Service (UPS) simply from industry pressures. The USPS data suggested that package shippers have gotten more cost-conscious about their shipping activities. FedEx’s May quarter showed that daily domestic air freight declined about 15%, including its priority shipping business."

According to Morningstar, "FedEx faces several risks. As the firm expands into developing nations such as China and India, continuing success depends not only on busy, healthy domestic and global economies, but also on continued stable conditions in these regions. Domestically, drivers who are currently contractors may seek to become classified as employees; indeed, a small number of drivers in three facilities recently voted to approve collective bargaining. Widespread unionization may reduce FedEx's ability to flex shipping capacity to match demand."

The Dayton Daily News has reported that "the U.S. Department of Transportation has rejected Ohio's request that the department block DHL's plan to hire United Parcel Service to handle DHL's domestic air cargo sorting and flying. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters rejected Ohio's contention that a DHL-UPS agreement would be unfair competition in the U.S. air shipping industry, or would amount to an unfair or deceptive practice under federal law."

From Business Wire: "FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, announced today the introduction of FedEx Express Nacional, a domestic next-business-day service that provides highly reliable, convenient and quality express shipping solutions across Mexico. This follows the Company’s domestic service launches in China, India and the UK, and is the first FedEx domestic service offering in Latin America."

Online Media Daily has reported that "Publishers Clearing House has leaped headfirst into Web 2.0. The sweepstakes and magazine sales brand has launched PCHtv.com, an online video site where fans can watch as the sweepstakes grand prize winner is surprised by the company's Prize Patrol. PCHtv is the latest addition to Publishers Clearing House's growing network of online properties, which include PCHSearchandwin.com, a search engine that rewards users with gift cards, movie tickets and other prizes, and PCHGames.com, a casual games site where players compete for tokens." [EdNote: Formerly one of the largest users of advertising mail, it's apparent the company has discovered other venues in which it can address its audience.]

Media Daily News has reported that "The print story in July should be familiar by now, with double-digit losses across the board at New York Times Company, McClatchy, Gannett and Media General. But the new bad news in these companies' results for the first month of the third quarter is the drastic slowdown in online revenue growth, which has basically flat-lined at three of the four."

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

An increase in turnover paired with a decline in profit characterised business for Sweden’s Posten AB during the first half 2008.
Posten’s interim CEO Lars G Nordström said he was confident that the merger with the Danish post could be completed at the end of this year.
The China Post Group was able to continue its growth rate in July.
The trade unions in France are rallying their members against plans to privatise the post.
Modern sorting plants and new IT systems are expected to make Poczta Polska more capable of competing following the complete liberalisation of the postal market.
In future, Österreichische Post will no longer allow postmen in Vienna to pay out money in cash. Instead, pensioners will have their pension delivered to their door by special agents.
In Canada the National Union of Public and General Employees views the present strategic review carried out by Canada Post as a deregulation threat to postal services.
According to media reports, Post Danmark is failing to achieve its transmission time targets this year.
Anton Wais, CEO of Österreichische Post, says Austria lacks the legal basis for a liberalisation of the market.
In Denmark, people living on the smaller islands and in rural areas are not impressed with their postal services any more. They believe that rationalisation measures taken by Post Danmark have only led to a decline in services.
Last Friday China’s regulatory authority China State Post Bureau published the so-called Domestic Express Service Agreement in conjunction with the Ministry for Industry and Trade. As announced in July (CEP News 28/08) this agreement will form the future legal basis for all market players and their operations and will come into force on 1 October.
Switzerland’s Schweizerische Post intends to complete the introduction of its third generation of RFID devices this October.
The Romanian operator Pegasus, the majority of which was taken over by GeoPost early this year, is now a part of the European DPD network (CEP News 15/08). DPD CEO Arnold Schroven and Pegasus CEO James Gray-Cheape disclosed details of the cooperation during a press conference. Pegasus owns 74 depots and employs 200 workers in Romania. The company delivers more than 6,000 parcels per day throughout Romania.
In the light of downward trends on the US domestic market, UPS has decided to focus more on its customer base in remote areas. For the first time, the express operator is offering the so-called On-Call Pickup service in 4,000 zip code areas in the USA with immediate effect.
DHL has signed a co-operation agreement with Indian convenience store chain 24/7. This means that DHL services now are available virtually around the clock at 24/7 shops.

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 Oakland Business Review has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service was looking to overcome inefficiencies to swiftly complete its appointed rounds. So it consolidated four mail processing centers that were located in Troy in one new 806,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art mail processing facility in Pontiac. The result: Now every piece of mail going into or out of Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties is processed in one building, eliminating the need for transporting parcels and envelopes among the four former sites, said Postal Service spokeswoman Shannon Labruyere."

Federal Register:

• The Postal Service proposes revisions to the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[supreg]) for detached address labels (DALs). To increase efficiency and reduce handling costs, we propose that DALs accompanying saturation mailings of Periodicals or Standard Mail[supreg] flats must be automation- compatible and have a correct delivery point POSTNETTM barcode or Intelligent Mail[supreg] barcode with an 11-digit routing code. This proposal would not apply to DALs with simplified addresses. To be consistent with the current requirement for return addresses, we are proposing to add DALs to DMM 602.1.5.3, Required Use of Return Address. DATES: We must receive your comments on or before September 26, 2008.
   
• The United States Postal Service[reg] hereby gives notice that it has filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a Request of United States Postal Service to Add Global Plus 2 Negotiated Service Agreements to the Competitive Product List, and Notice of Filing (Under Seal) the Enabling Governor's Decision and Two Functionally Equivalent Agreements. Documents are available at http://www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2008-7, CP2008-16, and CP2008-17.
   
• The United States Postal Service[reg] hereby gives notice that it has filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission a Request of United States Postal Service to Add Inbound Direct Entry Contracts with Foreign Postal Administrations to the Competitive Product List, and Notice of Filing (Under Seal) the Enabling Governor's Decision and Two Functionally Equivalent Contracts with Foreign Posts. Documents are available at http://www.prc.gov, Docket Nos. MC2008-6, CP2008-14, and CP2008-15.

From the Courier, Express, and Postal Blog:

• The Associated Press reported that Postmaster General Jack Potter told the National Association of Postmasters that the Postal Service will lose 2 billion this year. Now the question is: how long will it take for the Postal Service to clearly lay out its challenges in FY2009?
• The Postal Service could develop a product that requires only clean, trayed, metered or permit mail and would compete with presorters but would not affect the efforts of mailers that can sort and place barcodes on mail pieces during the printing process. As producers of large volumes of bills and statements are both generally able to print barcodes and sort mail during printing of mail pieces and are tempted to encourage their recipients to switch to electronic delivery.
• Over the past two months, the British Press has reported a potential UPS-TNT merger twice, and a FedEx-TNT merger once. One starts to wonder when investors will become spooked by a business that cries wolf and misses the "real" merger story when it comes along.

Federal Computer Week has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service has produced a series of videos and posted them on YouTube, urging customers to rethink their shipping options. The direct-to-Internet Webisodes mark the first time the postal service has used nontraditional media to promote its services."

August 26, 2008

According to Traffic World, "With high fuel costs keeping consumers out of stores, retailers are focusing more on their online efforts - including the direct-to-consumer distribution center. Because they handle and ship a variety of small parcels straight to the end consumer, direct-to-consumer operations rely heavily on the delivery networks of parcel carriers such as UPS, FedEx and DHL."

CCTV has reported that "China's express delivery market has been undergoing unprecedented change since Federal Express (FedEx), a world leader in express mail delivery began reducing its prices early this year. Under its latest discounted rate in August, FedEx overnight service in the Yangtze River Delta starts at merely seven yuan, the China Economic News reported on Tuesday. The price reduction is a clear sign that FedEx is seeking to enlarge its share of China's domestic express delivery market, which has seen growth rates rise by 30 percent this year with the increase in e-business and online shopping in the country. FedEx applied the same strategy in countries such as Mexico and Egypt and successfully drove local express companies out of business."

On the final day of the APWU 19th Biennial Convention, delegates adopted a resolution calling on the union’s national leadership to “lead and organize resistance to any/all attempts to privatize the parcel business.” Resolution 161, Fight Privatization of Parcel Business, also encouraged union members to “urge our elected representatives to delay implementation of any provisions of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 that allow for the theft of our work and our jobs.” The law requires Congress to review the underpinnings of the Postal Service, including universal service, the mailbox monopoly, six-day delivery, and the postal network.

Hellmail has reported that "Correos is investing 6.4m Euros in its postal delivery fleet by buying French vehicles. Correos said that 3.57m Euros will go towards the purchase of 325 Renault Kangoo models, replacing around 20% of its current light delivery vehicles. In addition a further 160 Citroën Jumpy vehicles are also being purchased. The new vehicles have a smaller fuel consumption and produce fewer emissions."

August 25, 2008

The Associated Press has reported that "The postmaster general says the postal service could lose about $2 billion this year due to tough economic times. John Potter told the National Association of Postmasters of the United States at their convention Monday in St. Louis that the postal service has to change to meet the demands of the American public. He says the postal service is working to control costs and increase business. He pointed to advertising through the mail as an area of potential growth."

Business Daily Africa has reported that "Private security firm G4S has acquired a parcel tracking device to boost security in its courier business."

Traffic World has reported that "With postal business now in the mix and a new plane in the fleet, FedEx launched 757 freighter operations into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this month. The flight gives the tightly packed airport, located just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, a rare entry into the all-cargo arena, and it gives the carrier the sort of quick reach to business and government offices that makes DCA a bustling passenger site. The eight-times-weekly flight will operate just a one-hour truck haul from Washington Dulles International Airport, where FedEx has a full-service sort center and has operated narrowbody and widebody flights for several years at facilities next door to UPS and DHL."

GovExec.com has reported that "In an agreement with General Motors, the Postal Service is participating in a two-year test of the fourth-generation electric vehicle in Irvine, Calif. With a fleet of 220,000 vehicles across the country, the Postal Service is in a good position to help drive the hydrogen market, if the vehicles eventually become commercially viable'."

USPSOIG:  The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website today. If you have additional questions concerning the report, please contact Agapi Doulaveris at 703.248.2286.

• Detroit, Michigan Processing and Distribution Center Consolidation (Report Number EN-AR-08-005) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/EN-AR-08-005.pdf
• Engineering Investment Portfolio Measurement (Report Number DA-AR-08-007) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DA-AR-08-007.pdf
• Fiscal Year 2008 – Use of No-Fee Money Orders (Report Number FF-MA-08-001) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/FF-MA-08-001.pdf
• Leased Facility Maintenance Responsibility in the Great Lakes Area (Report Number SA-AR-08-008) http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/SA-AR-08-008.pdf
• Mail Processing Equipment Spare Parts: Plant Stockrooms (Report Number DA-AR-08-008) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/DA-AR-08-008.pdf
• Postal Service Continuity of Operations for the Great Lakes Area (Report Number SA-AR-08-009) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/SA-AR-08-009.pdf
• Renewal Process for Highway Transportation Contracts in the Southeast Area (Report Number CA-AR-08-008) http://www.uspsoig.gov/FOIA_files/CA-AR-08-008.pdf

DM News has published an interview with Sam Pulcrano, the Postal Service's vice president for sustainability.

The New Brunswick Business Journal has reported that "Saint John residents are the first in North America to try a service which will allow them to direct online purchases to a pick-up location of their choosing. On Aug. 20, Kinek Technologies officially launched its new service, called KinekPoint, that will allow customers to avoid the hassle of missing home delivery. Almost any business can become a depot, as long as it has established hours of operation, a computer with Internet connection, and an area in which deliveries can be securely stored."

From Business Wire: "Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Logistics - Air Freight" The IBISWorld Global Logistics - Air Freight industry report comprises establishments primarily engaged in the air transportation of commercial cargo and are either: (1) scheduled operators - provide air cargo capacity in the belly holds of passenger or freight aircraft; (2) charter operators - provide freight transport on an unscheduled basis usually outside the network route of airlines; (3) freight operators - air transport dedicated to freight only; and (4) integrated carriers that operate their own aircraft to carry cargo as part of a door-to-door express service for shippers and importers of goods. The industry includes air transportation that is part of national postal systems. It excludes door-to-door courier services for small goods and parcels."

According to Workday Minnesota, "The American Postal Workers Union, meeting in its national convention, endorsed Barack Obama and took a major step toward improving relations with its sister union, the National Association of Letter Carriers. APWU and NALC, which represent the vast majority of workers at the U.S. Postal Service, face challenges including loss of jobs due to privatization and technology and postal "reform" proposals that could undermine the quality, universal service that has been a hallmark of the Postal Service since its inception during the American Revolution. Young and Burrus both said the need to change the direction of the country is also bringing the two unions together."

August 24, 2008

The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, John Hutton, has confirmed the appointment of Lucy Scott-Moncrieff as a Postcomm Commissioner for a three year term commencing on 1st September 2008.

The Hindu has claimed that an "information kiosk, a sleek peace in rectangular shape, ushers in revolution in the functioning of the Department of Posts. The kiosk with a touch screen forms part of the “Project Arrow”, a pilot project launched at this temple town by Aruna Jain, Deputy Director-General, Department of Posts, which helps the post office act as an e-post office, e-bank, financial mall etc—all rolled into one. It is a dependable tool for farmers to keep track of the price fluctuations pertaining to their agricultural commodities from various markets across the country and one can obtain information of one’s choice through the kiosk just with a touch on the screen."

The Daily Star has reported that "The postal department saw a good response from clients in the first one month of working as the principal agent of Western Union -- an internationally renowned money transfer service provider -- in Bangladesh."

According to Punch, "controversy is still trailing a N147m approval granted the Post-Master General Ibrahim Mori Baba, by the Minister of State for Information and Communications for the purchase of operational vehicles. Some officials were curious to know if there was any relationship between the approval and the grant the NIPOST management claimed to have received from the Universal Postal Union for the procurement of operational vehicles. Another allegation was that the ministry officials received N25m as estacodes for the meeting of Universal Postal Union held this August in Geneva, Switzerland."

The News Tribune has told its readers that "In an effort to reduce costs and waste associated with undelivered bulk mail, the United States Postal Service will require businesses to update their bulk-mailing lists every 95 days, instead of every 185 days. The postal service's Move Update Standard, which pertains to standard or first-class mail pieces, will take effect Nov. 23."

August 23, 2008

As the Hagerstown Herald Mail has noted, "A recent decision by the U.S. Postal Service to remove 13 federal mailboxes from Hagerstown has caused a major inconvenience for some senior citizens."

The Daily Mail has reported that "The 'universal' postal service is under renewed threat because of a sharp increase in the number of homes to which Royal Mail won't deliver on health and safety grounds, campaigners have warned. Figures obtained by the Daily Mail reveal that the number of households receiving no post because of problems such as slippery paths or letterboxes that slam shut too hard has gone up twelvefold in four years."

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has reported that "Henrico County government will switch over to the new "Henrico, VA" mailing address on Oct. 1 and residents can start doing the same. U.S. Postal Service officials this month gave county officials the all-clear to begin using Henrico in the last line of mailing addresses after the majority of respondents to a survey conducted in April and May voted yes to making the change from "Richmond, VA."

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has reported that "More than 200 Oak Creek residents are raising concerns about the noise and traffic they say will be generated by a proposed U.S. Postal Service mail processing center. Residents say the massive building, which would cover some 820,000 square feet on 64 acres south of E. College Ave. and west of S. Pennsylvania Ave., will generate noise from trucks shuttling mail back and forth."

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

• The USPS published its final rules for Implementation of New Standards for Intelligent Mail barcodes in the August 21, 2008 Federal Register. Although the 16-page final rule included a commitment from the USPS that it will recommend to its Board that a two-tier automation pricing structure be put into place in fall of 2009 that will include “lower prices for letters and flats that require a barcode and that are eligible for the full-service use of Intelligent Mail,” customers are beginning to question the value proposition of IMB adoption as more unknowns continue to surface. The final rule also says the use of POSTNET barcodes will be extended until May 2011, and includes an outline of IMB implementation and options effective in May 2009 as well as responses to technical issues.
• In the final rule published this week, the Postal Service is changing the rules for implementing the IMB, despite promises made earlier. Mailers and others are protesting and, if the USPS isn’t careful, its IMB house of cards could collapse.
• Alan Robinson says all USPS stakeholders – management, labor, and mailers – must become active participants in the transition to a more cost-efficient, more consistent Postal Service. The mailing community must reinforce the USPS’ efforts to explain its financial difficulties to mailers, local media, and local politicians so the Postal Service can make the changes needed to control costs. If all stakeholders focus on both costs and service consistency, the USPS could improve its competitive position and ensure its future viability.
• Despite Postmaster General John Potter’s leadership in dealing with these challenging times and his efforts to move into the competitive environment, many in the mailing industry feel there’s much more to be done. Epostmarks’ Adam Grossman thinks the Postal Service must seriously consider the benefits of the Electronic Postmark. Grossman thinks the EPM platform is a good source of significant low-cost revenue and an elegant way to leverage the brand trust and legal applicability of the USPS to protect this environment.
• Lowrance to join PostCom staff. Postal Service offers early retirement to many. USPS offers airline passengers alternatives for extra luggage.
• Swiss Post using RFID at parcel centers, transportation hubs. What’s in store for TNT’s mail unit?
• A list of upcoming postal-related events.

The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram

The Alaska Journal of Commerce has reported that "The price of aviation fuel in rural Alaska may curtail the $150 million a year bypass mail system, according to aviation industry leaders and elected officials. “The future of bypass mail is in trouble,” said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. “We have to do something about the cost of fuel that is driving up the post office's costs or this service will go away in the near future.”

From the Postal Regulatory Commission:

• The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has published proposed regulations prescribing the form and content of information the Service will routinely report to the Commission to achieve transparency and accountability of the Service. The information will be used by the Commission to prepare its annual report to Congress, complete its annual assessment of the Services’ compliance with the new postal act, and perform other evaluations and studies for which it is responsible. Comments to the proposed regulations are due by October 16, 2008, and reply comments are due by November 15, 2008. The proposed regulations are available on the Commission’s website, www.prc.gov, Docket No. RM2008-4, and will be available in the Federal Register.

• The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update the Commission rules for complaints. This is part of a series of rulemakings initiated by the PRC to fulfill its responsibilities under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) (PL 109-435). Comments to the proposed rules are due by October 8, 2008, and reply comments are due by October 29, 2008. The proposed rules are available on the Commission’s website, www.prc.gov, Docket No. RM2008-3, and will be available in the Federal Register.

August 22, 2008

As Postal Consulting Inc. president Kathleen Siviter has noted in a recent report and comment prepared for the PostCom Bulletin, "In many ways, the USPS’ Intelligent Mail barcode (IMB) implementation is like a house of cards – pull the wrong card out, or make too much wind, and the whole thing could fall down. It’s one thing for the Postal Service to take away a card or two by continuing to change the IMB technical specifications, adding a few difficult ones here and there. It’s quite another thing when you pull the whole bottom floor from that house of cards by taking away the "benefit" of free ACS and a significant price differential. In comments to the Postal Service’s proposed IMB rules, PostCom and others asked the USPS to provide a 5-year roadmap of its Intelligent Mail implementation vision. With all the new cards being dealt by the USPS over the last few weeks, perhaps we should have asked for a roadmap of the next five months."

Not a PostCom Member and Not Getting the PostCom Bulletin? Read the Story Noted Above And See A Bit Of What You've Been Missing.

For the latest UPS financials, check Yahoo!.

As one writer for Colloquy has noted, "over-personalization...personalization without relationship is the equivalent of getting a sweaty hug from a stranger—too much, too soon. Personalization should be used only when you have a relationship with a customer who has granted you permission to get personal."

The Washington Post has reported that "Two weeks ago, according to Miller, his local post office stopped delivering his mail, without notifying him. It was only after several days that he realized he wasn't getting his usual sheaf of junk mail as well as some tax documents he was expecting. When he went to the Arlington Road post office to investigate, he was told by a supervisor that Miller's letter carrier was frightened by the great number of "bees" in his yard and refused to enter the property. She handed him a box of his accumulated mail and suggested that he hire an exterminator, Miller said. When he asked why they hadn't notified him that his mail had been stopped, Miller said the supervisor told him she had gone to the house herself to gauge the danger but was too intimidated by the insects to even approach his door."

The Yorkshire Post has said that "the closure of post offices is a game, the ball being tossed among Post Offices Ltd, the Government, politicians of various parties, even Royal Mail Group; with the bewildered, kept-in-the-dark public as spectators. No-one is ready to slog the ball across the Channel to land in Brussels, where the damage originated. EU Postal Services Directives, 97/67/EC and 2002/39/EC, allowed Dutch (TNT) and German (DHL) postal agencies to invade and poach profitable business from our centuries-old national institution. Royal Mail is left, obliged to deliver letters and packets throughout the country at uniform prices."

RedBankGreen has reported that "Earlier this month, the main Red Bank post office on Broad Street shaved two hours from its weekday-morning window service. Instead of opening at 8a, it now starts conducting business at 10. redbankgreen asked one of the clerks if customers are complaining. "Oh, yeah," said the clerk. "Lots." But officials at the postal service "don't care. They'll tell you to go buy a stamp at Foodtown."

August 21, 2008

According to The Mirror, "Watchdogs slam Royal Mail over poor recorded post service."

Direct has reported that "The current owner of Lillian Vernon, Current USA Inc., plans to increase catalog circulation and send out a steady stream of mailings, according to a company statement. According to the company, “order volume has been steadily increasing. In addition, the company continues to see strong response through the Web channel. "

Postalnews Blog has reported that a missive from USPS headquarters has instructed field personnel that: "The net income loss and decreasing workload require a thorough review of all administrative positions. Headquarters is working with Area representatives to determine the appropriate field administrative staffing. As a result, effective immediately, all field non-bargaining position postings are frozen. Any exceptions must be approved by the Area Vice President."

According to The Gazette, "A post-flood wrinkle in Cedar Rapids' postal system is delaying the forwarding of some mail to flood victims."

[Federal Register]  In today's Federal Register:

• A final rule governing the use of intelligent mail barcodes.
• A final rule regarding delivery of Express Mail items with waiver of signature and return receipt for merchandise items with waiver of signature.

The Peninsula has reported that "Qatargas is to sponsor The Congress of Universal Postal Union to be hosted by Qatar in 2012. This was announced in a press conference held at the premises of Q-Post who signed a contract with Qatargas in the General Post Office, West Bay yesterday."

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has written Canada Post expressing concern that a "strategic review process" currently under way by the Crown corporation may set the stage for "deregulation of our public postal system."

Bloomberg has reported that "FedEx Corp. tells its ground-service drivers when to work, what to charge customers and what kind of socks and shoes to wear, the workers say. Drivers who sued the company argue that makes them employees. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith, who has served as co-chair of U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign, opposes changing their status from independent contractors to employees. ``We've given that entrepreneurial opportunity to thousands of contractors to own, grow and expand their own business,'' Smith told investors in a Jan. 10 conference call. ``That's what freedom is all about.''

Gulf Times has reported that "a new SMS-based, 24X7 modern postal service is likely to be introduced in Qatar by next year. George Scott-Campbell, director of IT Services at General Postal Corporation (Q-Post), told Gulf Times that the service, Q-Post24, would end the problem of people not getting mail sent to their office P O Box address."

The RFID Journal has reported that "Swiss Post is rolling out the company's third RFID application—this time a system to track 45,000 rolling container cages used to transport mail and packages at buildings throughout the Alpine country. Implementation of the application, believed to be the largest in Switzerland, began in October 2007 and will be completed by this October."

As Hellmail has rightly noted, "Restructuring of duties, cut backs, later mail delivery, and a reorganisation of mail sorting - all sound familiar except this isn't Royal Mail - this is the USPS. The fact is, all postal operators face similar challenges, particularly with the present economic pressures. Royal Mail has been fighting the rise in email use in more recent years, but like every other business under threat from technical innovation, its a losing battle - unless you join the e-crusade. The trouble is, Royal Mail is primarily structured for moving paper about and whilst there will probably always be a call for a mail service of some description, the world is changing, and changing fast. I'm no exception to this, and regularly send invoices via email but I honestly cannot remember the last time I actually wrote to someone. Royal Mail is also losing business to rival companies, sorting mail at a cheaper rate than Royal Mail."

From PR Presswire:

• Valassis, one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies, and the Daily Herald, suburban Chicago's largest daily newspaper, today announced a new partnership with the Chicago Tribune, a leading media company in the Chicago area. Valassis first entered into an alliance in the Chicago area in 2005 with the Daily Herald. This expanded alliance will provide advertisers with a new alternative for reaching their audiences in the Chicago market. Through the alliance, Valassis will combine advertising inserts from its RedPlum(TM) Direct Mail Package with the Chicago Tribune's midweek ShopLocal mail program, creating a single, shared offering that will reach 3 million households weekly in the Chicago market. Through the new program that will begin in October 2008, Chicago Tribune will continue to deliver preprinted insert advertising in its Wednesday newspaper edition, and Valassis will continue to deliver to these Chicago Tribune subscriber households in the RedPlum Direct Mail Package.
• Valassis has announced the sale of its French subsidiaries to HighCo, a French marketing services company, for an undisclosed cash amount.

August 20, 2008

The Associated Press has reported that "Faced with losses that could approach 1.5 billion dollars this year, the U.S. Postal Service is offering early retirement without incentives or bonuses to thousands of clerks, mail handlers and supervisors. The agency is making the offers to workers 50 and older who have 20 years of service and employees of any age who have 25 years of service."

The Windsor Star has noted that "Convinced she was always on the brink of raking in millions, an elderly Windsor woman spent much of her time responding to the flood of promises of riches that filled her mailbox each day. Fraud artists using the postal system and internet are striking more often locally and in increasingly sophisticated fashion, according to police."

WA Business News has reported that "Australia Post has denied there is a backlog of mail across Western Australia after it emerged this week that documents sent by Burswood financial advisers Empire Financial Group were taking up to three weeks to reach fund managers. Empire managing director Raymond Pecotic said about 30 clients had been affected by delays since April and that the firm had absorbed thousands of dollars in additional costs as a result. Mr Pecotic said the firm had resorted to driving documents to fund managers to ensure they arrived on time, and then going back to clients to obtain signatures."

Advertising Age has said that "To people who have no use for junk mail, what's happening in New Orleans may come as a surprise. Direct mail could help rebuild a city still struggling to recover as the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches. New Orleans has found a novel use for the massive database used by Valassis Communications' RedPlum direct-mail operation. Normally used to send promotional circulars to virtually every household in the U.S., it's now being used to track the speed of recovery in the Crescent City."

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

Österreichische Post’s first half of the year has been characterised by a growth in turnover due to acquisitions and a slump in profit for the parcel segment.
The Swiss price control authority has made a formal request to the post for information of relevance to the ongoing tariff investigation. So far, the post had been unable to deliver convincing proof that its high profit was not due to excessive pricing.
Belgium’s La Poste has already carried out two thirds of its planned post office closures. 415 post offices have been closed since 2006 and 215 are lined up for closure in the near future.
Finland’s post Itella is going to invest 50m euros in the modernisation of the sorting technology in its centres.
Last week Germany saw the reintroduction of SameDay telegrams. After Deutsche Post discontinued this service in 2003, Swiss operator UTS Unitel Telegram Services now has relaunched it. "Demand for telegrams is strong. Modern communication media, such as SMS, e-mail and telefax, have their limitations in some contexts", said Rob van Hoof, UTS Europe PR co-ordinator.
Courier and express services in India are up in arms over government plans to grant the post a monopoly for the transport of certain consignments.
So far, the weak economy and the high oil prices have primarily affected the domestic part of UPS operations, while the management has claimed that international business was acting as a positive counterweight. The tone has now changed, with an announcement by chairman and CEO Scott Davis to the effect that a further decline in growth for international parcels would force UPS to cut back its intercontinental flights.
The Lithuanian market for express and postal services is experiencing vigorous growth.
Meelis Atonen, supervisory board chairman of Estonia’s Eesti Post, advocates swift privatisation of the company.
SkyPostal Networks, Inc., which operates a mail delivery network in South America and the Caribbean, was able to achieve a 16.5% increase in turnover to over 4.5m USD (3.1m euros) during the first half. SkyPostal hopes that a recent agreement with DHL Global Mail will provide access to the European market.
Japan Post Service Co. has launched a new mail order service for Chinese customers.

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.)

"Correa plans to invest in IT tools for their mobility postmen nearly 11 billion euros by the end of this year. So far 2.7 million € are those for PDAs and 1,900 units operating in 137 Distribution of postal items, of which 100 are Special Services Unit, which form the network of distribution of urgent shipments, and rest, regular distribution units."

According to The Scotsman, "a total of 26 post offices across Edinburgh, the Lothians and south of Scotland are destined for the axe in the latest round of closures. A further 32 are due to be downgraded, following a six-week consultation. Last night the public consultation exercise was branded futile by campaigners, who claimed the government has already decided to close the branches."

August 19, 2008

In comments filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission, the Public Representative proffered comments that: - these contracts satisfy the important public interest in adequate cost coverage and appropriate categorization; - these contracts promote increased access to U.S. goods by consumers (including Americans living abroad); and - the Postal Service continues to make progress toward improved transparency and disclosure but additional steps and vigilance toward that end is warranted." [EdNote: Remember the old days when the PRC's public rep would have equated the USPS to postal pond scum? Wow, how times have changed.]

From PR Newswire: ""A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo Silver! Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear . . . " . . . when Postal Service products and services were promoted through traditional media channels. To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/usps/34512/ Today marks a new chapter for the U.S. Postal Service, as the 236-year-old institution steps boldly into the next generation with the release of "Mark of the Eagle," four, direct-to-Internet webisodes that put a new twist on an honorable tradition. The Postal Service still delivers. No matter what."

According to Alan Robinson on his Courier, Express, and Postal weblog, "The Postal Service has begun a all-hands-on-deck effort to work its way through its financial challenges caused by the economic downturn. Nearly every day there is another story about how the Postal Service is changing operations in one community or another to reduce work hours. These changes have resulted in later mail delivery, elimination of Saturday mail holds for businesses and transfer of mail processing operations from one plant to another."

According to Epostmarks Adam Grossman, "The electronic postmark (EPM) platform is an ideal source of significant low-cost revenue that the USPS isn’t taking full advantage of today. The Postmaster General has already identified that “When the economy does rebound, mail volume may not return to previous levels”.  Leveraging electronic services not tied to mail volume and grandfathered by the 2006 PAEA law mitigates this risk."

The Costa Rica Daily News has reported that "The dream of many of Costa Rica's Avenidas and Calles having street signs is a dream that just might come through thanks to an initiative by the Grupo Corporativo M&M which will be installing the first street signs in the municipalities of Tarrazú and Limón. San José will follow as the next municipality to get street signs on its roads before the end of the year, according to Mauricio Muñoz, representing M&M. The idea is not new. Muñoz said that the project began some 15 years ago but it wasn't until a decree by the previous administration of Pacheco de la Espriella that entrusted Correso de Costa Rica (post office) the job of making an analysis of all the streets and boulevards, however, did not complete the task of putting up the street signs."

Direct has reported that "For the third straight quarter, the number of credit card solicitations mailed to Americans has declined. Acquisition mailings dropped from 1.67 billion pieces in this year’s first quarter to 1.54 billion in the second quarter, according to Mintel Comperemedia. The steady decline started in the third quarter of 2007, when mailings amounted to 1.86 billion pieces."

Gulf News has reported that "Dubai Consumers of Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) can now pay bills and fines at post offices. 

The Olympian has reported that "Steven Padgett, a 58-year-old former mail carrier, admitted Monday in federal court he kept people's junk mail stacked up in storage bins in his garage or buried in his backyard, committing a crime that some might view as an unintended favor. During some of the 13 years he worked as a carrier, Padgett held onto thousands of pieces of third-class mail - including unsolicited offers on pizza deals, oil changes and storm windows - instead of delivering them to residents on his Apex, N.C., route off Ten Ten Road."

American Shipper has reported that "Dutch postal and express giant TNT said today it has finished rebranding its India-based domestic road express arm, Speedage, to TNT."

Moldova.org has reported that "The prices of internal postal services provided by Moldova’s Post Office will be raised by 17% as from September 1. The relevant Government Decision was published in the Official Gazette on August 15. The new tariffs have been calculated in accordance with the recommendations of the Convention of the Universal Postal Union. The profitability is 10% on average. The 50% reduction on the printed matter sent to libraries and publishing houses that print periodicals for children will be kept."

The Dayton Daily News has reported that "The leader of the German ownership of DHL, architect of a cost-cutting plan that would wipe out thousands of jobs in Wilmington by hiring United Parcel Service to handle DHL's U.S. cargo airlift, says the company is preparing a plan of severance and other benefits to ease the economic blow to Wilmington. "DHL has already committed to fund a triple-digit million-dollar amount on planned severance, retention and health benefits for the work force in Wilmington _ that includes ABX, ASTAR and DHL employees — and other U.S. locations," Frank Appel, chief executive officer of Deutsche Post World Net, said in a letter Monday, Aug. 18, to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who made a campaign stop in Wilmington on Aug. 7."

August 18, 2008

Hellmail has reported that "DHL and METRO Group are starting the first national rollout of radio frequency identification (RFID) in France. Beginning in the Autumn of 2008, DHL will equip all shipments to the 89 Metro Cash & Carry self-service wholesale stores in France with RFID transponders and read them out along the entire supply chain. Radio Frequency Identification labels can be read remotely and in bulk without the need for a scanner. Some 1.3 million pallets per year will be fitted with the RFID tags to facilitate contactless and automated monitoring of the supply chain. In taking this step, DHL and METRO Group are initiating the largest RFID rollout in French retail logistics."

Fox21 has told its viewers that "Airline travelers might consider shipping extra luggage via the United States Postal Service (USPS) instead of paying high prices now being charged by the airlines for checked bags. USPS offers low shipping prices for shipping baggage and other items. In many areas, customers can ship items using Click-N-Ship at usps.com from a home/business computer, also with free carrier pickup."

Transportation professionals are being driven to mitigate rising costs and improve overall performance from a cost and service standpoint. Aberdeen Group surveyed 175 transportation professionals in June 2008 and found that 58% of companies utilize less-thank truckload or parcel shipping for 26% to 100% of shipments. At this point in time, outbound domestic freight is receiving the highest amount of focus (46%). And by a significantly higher percentage compared to other types of freight - the second highest focus is international inbound with 28%. This Research Brief discusses the dollars to be saved in improving transportation management either to reduce parcel shipments or utilize parcel services more intelligently.

The Postal Regulatory Commission has issued a "Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking On Costing Methods Used In Periodic Reporting" (Docket No. RM2008-2).

UPS has announced significant enhancements to its UPS On-Call Pickup service in the United States for air packages, providing customers even more options for today's urgent business demands.

Newstrack India has reported that "With the aim to re-vitalise post offices and enable it to play a larger role in socio-economic transformation of the country, the Minister for Communication and Information Technology T A Raja launched a new project under the name of “Project Arrow.” Under the project, 50 post offices have been identified to go through modernisation. These Post Offices will go through complete make over in terms of look, feel and IT enabled services." 

Deutsche Post has said it "will start expanding its points of sale for stamps and prepaid Paketmarken in the coming weeks across Germany. Overall some 1,500 further points of sale are to be set up by the end of the year at locations which experience high customer traffic in addition to the existing 300 points of sale of this kind. Deutsche Post is working in cooperation with retailers to provide these points of sale."

The Focus Information Agency has reported that "Greek citizens can’t send anything by post to Macedonia, the Macedonian Vecer newspaper reports. If they want their letter to get to the people they are sent to in Macedonia, they have to write FYROM at the place of the address. If it had been written Macedonia instead of FYROM, the post workers denied to receive the post and sent them back. Macedonian Post has been playing in the same way. All of the letters from Greece, where at the place of the address is written FYROM are returned. The whole situation causes damage to citizens. This lack of earnestness has seemed like a new discipline at the Olympics, the newspaper reports."

The Des Moines Register has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service in Des Moines will no longer hold Saturday mail for customers and deliver it on Monday."

Postalnews.com quotes an item from the Reno Gazette Journal saying that  Barack Obama has said he'd oppose contracting out mail delivery routes.

Baltic Business News has reported that "Meelis Atonen, the chairman of the supervisory board of the state owned postal company Eesti Post, suggest selling over half of the company as soon as possible as this could bring the company out from the financial difficulties."

As the Lansing State Journal has noted, "Companies have long been trying to get us to "go green." That's their environmentally friendly way of saying they don't want to send paper bills and statements. E-mail isn't as reliable as the U.S. Postal Service. Statements could get caught in spam mail, or there are a host of reasons you won't get the e-mail."

BtoB has noted that "Discarded direct mail pieces still have a shot at achieving great results, at least from an environmental standpoint. It’s called recycling. The catch is that just because the capacity for recycling direct mail exists, that doesn’t mean consumers are doing it. According to the Direct Marketing Association, more than 60% of the American population has access to recycling for magazines, catalogs and direct mail through curbside pickup, drop-off centers or both. But only 39% of catalogs and direct mail are actually being recycled from the home. This gap between potential and actual recycling is where some experts believe direct mail marketers could make a contribution to the green movement. These professionals offer an expansive reach and finely tuned persuasive powers—two attributes that could help educate consumers about direct mail’s recyclability and improve recovery rates of mixed paper materials."

UTalkMarketing has reported that "The decision by postal services regulator Postcomm to exempt Royal Mail from paying compensation for industrial action taken during 2007-08 has been greeted with disappointment by ISBA’s bulk mailer members."

Vanguard has reported that "The Minister of Information and Communication, Mr. John Odey, has commended the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) for promptly delivering mails within and outside the country. In a letter signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister, Mr. Mike Nwokoro, which was addressed to the Postmaster General, Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba, the minister said: “I write to sincerely state that your organization, NIPOST, has improved and is doing well in terms of rendering effective services not only to Nigerians but other nationals in different parts of the world who patronize your reputable organization.” The minister said his commendation was hinged on the fact that NIPOST delivered letters and other documents promptly within 48 hours."

According to Advertising Age:

• Amid the constant stream of circulation declines, vanishing ads and staff reductions that have afflicted print newspapers, some major publishers are seeing online-revenue declines for the first time.

• Retailers of all stripes are looking for more effective ways to stretch their advertising budgets, and for many that includes looking instead to cheaper online programs, as well as more measurable direct mail strategies.

August 17, 2008

  The Standard has reported that "Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) and TNT Express Worldwide Kenya Ltd have signed an agreement that will allow the companies to extend their services and value-additions to customers. TNT Express will begin the delivery of international parcels on behalf of EMS Kenya (PCK’s express delivery division) to an initial 90 international routes where EMS Kenya does not have an agreement. PCK will assume local distribution of TNT consignments through the 300-plus post offices. The agreement was signed by the Postal Corporation of Kenya Postmaster General Fred Odhiambo for EMS Kenya, while TNT Express was represented by the Country Manager Sam Gichohi.

As the Boston Globe has noted, "As with other icons from yesteryear, the mailbox is being kicked to the curb by that web-footed bogeyman, the Internet. Aiding and abetting its demise is that craven creature, the cellphone. Rather than rely on snail mail, increasing numbers are paying bills online, conversing by cell, and instant- and text-messaging each other, helping to create a 7 percent drop in first-class mailings between 2000 and 2007, from 103.6 billion to 95.9 billion."

"Zimbabwe’s main mail delivery company, Zimpost is reportedly advising mail senders to come and collect their parcels and letters intended for various destinations after the parastatal failed to procure fuel for its delivery trucks to fulfill the contract, Sunday News can reveal."

August 16, 2008

The New York Times has noted that "high fuel prices and a sluggish economy have taken a toll on overnight delivery services, forcing some significant shifts in how the biggest operators do business. DHL Express, the country’s third-biggest overnight deliverer, recently hired a rival, United Parcel Service, to handle its air cargo operations in the United States. Skip to next paragraph Jonathan Drake/Bloomberg News John P. Mullen Add to Portfolio United Parcel Service Inc Go to your Portfolio » While its global business is profitable, the American segment of DHL, acquired in 2002 by Deutsche Post of Germany, is expected to lose $1.3 billion this year. In an interview from DHL’s American headquarters in Plantation, Fla., its chief executive, John P. Mullen, discussed the deal with U.P.S."

According to the Dayton Daily News, "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ended its agreement to have DHL fly Wal-Mart merchandise nightly from Fayetteville, Ark., shortly after DHL's May 28 announcement that it intended to hire United Parcel Service for its U.S. cargo airlift work, according to a pilot who flew the route for ASTAR Air Cargo, a DHL contractor."

The Boston Globe has reported that "Some mail that was being handled at the U.S. Postal Service's processing facility in Hampden is now being sorted in Scarborough two hours to the south. Postal officials say the change is part of an effort to improve efficiency and reduce costs."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that "A proposed deal for UPS to carry air cargo for DHL has taken the national stage. Both presidential candidates have seized on the issue because the deal could put thousands of Ohio workers and pilots out of jobs. In an August radio ad, run in Ohio, Democratic candidate Barack Obama accused Republican candidate John McCain’s campaign manager of lobbying to help Deutsch Post World Net, the German parent company of DHL, buy the Wilmington, Ohio, air hub that it now plans to close. McCain responded by meeting with two dozen Wilmington community leaders and calling for a federal probe of the pending UPS/DHL deal. Meanwhile, the White House appointed a liaison to monitor the proposed deal, and two congressmen vowed to hold hearings in September."

Uni has reported that "UNI Post & Logistics affiliate, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) at its four yearly convention being held in Florida unanimously condemned contracting out of postal work and the privatisation of mail handlers jobs that is impacting so negatively on mail handlers jobs. The convention was told that the US postal service continues to try and outsource work and that the union was bitterly opposed to subcontracting and attempts to take work away from collective bargaining protection.

British postal regulator Postcomm has published decision documents about giving Royal Mail financial relief for industrial action in 2007-08, and potentially also for 2008-09, and set out the future of the bulk mail compensation scheme. Postcomm has largely accepted Royal Mail’s application for relief from the financial consequences of transformation-related industrial action in 2007-08.