International Postal Update – December 2013
____________________________________________________________________
CANADA TO END DOOR-TO-DOOR DELIVERY
____________________________________________________________________
The initiative to end door-to-door delivery is part of Canada Post’s “Five-point Action Plan.” In addition the agency plans to open more postal franchises and utilize more automated mail processing equipment. The president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents 54,000 Canada Post employees, was highly critical of the plan, and vowed to “fight to protect the public service.”
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Norway Post says that it faces competition in 90 percent of its revenue-generating fields.
____________________________________________________________________
EUROPEAN POSTAL OPERATORS INVEST IN DIGITAL MAIL PLATFORMS AND PARCEL LOCKERS
____________________________________________________________________
Postal companies worldwide are unveiling digital mail platform services and automated parcel lockers.
In November 2013, Polish Post unveiled its Envelo.pl platform, offering online postage, hybrid mail, and customized postcard services. Swiss Post also recently piloted its ePostOffice system, which allows customers to determine whether to receive mail physically or digitally. The state-owned company has offered hybrid mail to major business customers since 2006.
Poste Italiane and Russian Post have agreed to develop hybrid mail, e-commerce, and logistics for the Russian market. The number of international parcel shipments between the two posts reached 200,000 in 2013.
Meanwhile, postal operators are expanding their use of parcel lockers, which allow customers to collect parcels 24 hours a day, seven days a week with reduced delivery costs. Austrian Post announced plans to invest EUR 4 million (5.4 million USD) to deploy 400 automated locker terminals manufactured by Austrian firm KEBA by 2016. Mailroom equipment manufacturer Neopost has also partnered with KEBA to pilot self-service parcel locker terminals in France. UK Mail is looking to launch a parcel locker service by mid-2014.
____________________________________________________________________
SINGAPORE POST INVESTS IN NEW SERVICES AS PROFITS RISE
____________________________________________________________________
Singapore Post (SingPost) invests in infrastructure and new services as profits surge. The postal operator reported a 32.6 percent growth in revenue to S$203.8 million (162.3 million USD) and an 8.5 percent rise in profits to S$35.6 million (28.4 million USD) in the second quarter. The post’s CEO, Dr. Wolfgang Baier, said that while SingPost faces increasing pressure from lower letter volumes, the company is “on track in its transformation efforts as it continues to invest into service, innovation, and productivity.”
SingPost recently committed S$100 million (79.7 million USD) to improving infrastructure, service quality, and productivity. The company plans to install more than 100 POPStations (“Pick Own Parcel” smart parcel stations), where consumers can retrieve parcels anytime, by the end of 2014. In November, Singapore Post also launched a remittance service to Myanmar. It’s the first postal service to do so.
____________________________________________________________________
NEW ZEALAND TO CUT TO THREE MAIL DELIVERY DAYS
____________________________________________________________________
The New Zealand government approved New Zealand Post’s request to cut delivery to three days a week in urban areas starting in June 2015. In rural areas, the national post will have to deliver at least five days a week. At present, the agency delivers six days a week. Approximately 12 percent of New Zealand Post’s customers live in rural areas.
Customers will be able to get mail delivered six days a week for an additional fee. To explain the changes, Brian Roche, New Zealand Post’s chief executive, said that mail volumes have dropped by 322 million, or 30 percent, since 2006.
Find Archived Articles: