New Regulator to Overview Indian Postal Tariffs - July 26, 2010
[Rishi Raj, Rajat Guha.]A new regulator on the cards for India Post and private courier firms would fix the tariffs for their services. The government has comprehensively re-drafted an earlier Bill on postal regulation with a view to bringing the entire communication industry under a regulatory regime similar to the one for the telecom sector.
As per the re-drafted Bill —the Post Office and Courier Services Bill, 2010—which was reviewed by FE, the courier firms would need to register themselves with the regulator—Postal Regulatory Authority of India (PRAI)— and adhere to a set of guidelines for quality of services framed by it. The firms will also have to contribute to a Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to enable delivery of postal services to financially unviable areas at affordable rates.
However, the government has dropped the controversial provision in the original (2006) draft of the Bill which sought to bar private courier firms from carrying packets weighing below 500 gm. Also, in a departure from the original draft, which specified the fee structure for the players, the new Bill has left such matters for the regulator to decide.
The size of the Indian courier industry is over Rs 4,000 crore with major players being DHL, FedEx India and DTDC.
As per the latest proposal, PRAI will have functions similar to that of telecom regulator Trai. It can suo motu recommend to the government policy measures on the entire gamut of the postal sector. On its part, the government can seek its recommendations on issues of importance.
Once PRAI is constituted, all existing courier firms would have to register themselves with it for a 10-year period on payment of a fee. The registration, of course, can be renewed once it expires.
The regulator would set eligibility criteria for those wanting to enter the sector in the new regulated regime. It would have powers to recommend to the government revocation of licences of any firm which fails to meet the criteria set out by it.
The government (read the department of post and a reinforced Postal Board) would retain the powers to make policies and provide licences.
A Postal Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal would be set up to arbitrate on disputes between the industry and the regulator, the regulator and the government, industry and the government; and between industry players.
The courier industry had in the past, opposed the plans for regulation and the proposed USOF.
The plan to bar private courier companies from carrying letters up to 500 grams, retaining this lucrative segment for the department of posts (DoP), was most contested by the courier firms as 60-70% revenues come from this segment. Later, the planning commission had also stood by the courier firms in this regard.
New Postal Law Enacted In Paraguay - July 26, 2010
[UniGlobal.]Law 4016 creating the National Direction of Post in Paraguay (DINACOPA) was published in La Gaceta Oficial, (The Official Gazette) on July 14th.
The Union of Postal Workers of Paraguay (SINTRAPOP), affiliated to UNI, informed UNI Americas Post and Logistics, that Law 4016 creating the National Direction of Post in Paraguay was enacted, and is full force since July 14th, 2010. This important aspiration of postal workers has come true after a 15 year struggle. Now universal post will be regulated by an independent body according to the rules of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
UNI and UNI Americas Post and Logistics express gratitude towards all the affiliated organisations which unconditionally supported the call of SINTRAPOP so that the Head of State should enact this law, we give the workers of the Paraguayan Postal Service, our best wishes of success and hope that with this new legislation they will improve their work in favour of users and workers. We express our will to always be near our affiliates and we hope that SINTRAPOP will soon report us about new benefits for the workers of the sector they represent.
New Zealand Post Announces Postage Increases - July 26, 2010
[Press Release.]Postage for a Standard Post medium letter for delivery in New Zealand will increase by 10 cents to 60 cents from 1 October.
As part of a number of changes announced by New Zealand Post today, the postage for larger letter sizes for delivery in New Zealand and by FastPost will also increase. The new recommended retail prices for postage stamps will include the increased rate of GST.
Postal Services Chief Executive Peter Fenton said the increase in domestic postage was one of the measures needed to maintain the postal network in the face of rising costs, increasing delivery points and declining mail volumes.
"In the past five years, mail volumes have declined by over 100 million to 887 million items – that's a drop of over 10%. In the same period, the number of places we deliver to has risen by more than 160,000 to almost 1.9 million addresses. So we are delivering 20% less mail per mailbox than we did just three years ago," Mr Fenton said.
"We continue to work more efficiently. In the past year, we have reduced our costs by $30 million. However, these efforts alone will not be enough to maintain a viable network servicing 99.9% of homes, farms and businesses throughout the country," Mr Fenton said.
The last increase in postage for a Standard Post medium letter, from 45 cents to 50 cents, was in June 2007. In 2008 postage increased on some larger letter sizes.
"Even with the postage increase, New Zealand has one of the lowest standard letter postage rates in the OECD," Mr Fenton said.
"People can continue to send letters at the current postage using the KiwiStamp non-denominated postage stamp, which holds its value even after postage increases," he said.
A KiwiStamp postage stamp purchased at the current recommended retail price of 50 cents can be used after the postage increase takes effect without the need for an additional stamp to meet the required postage (For instance, with a KiwiStamp postage stamp there's no need to apply a 10 cent stamp to reach 60 cents on a Standard Post medium sized letter). From 1 October, each KiwiStamp postage stamp will have a recommended retail price of 60 cents.
USPS Surpasses Green Facilities Goals - July 23, 2010
[Press Release.]One year after officially opening its first green roof in midtown Manhattan, the Postal Service announced it continues to exceed its energy savings targets, placing the agency more than two thirds of the way to achieving its goal to reduce energy use by 30 percent by 2015.
The green roof, atop the Morgan mail processing facility, covers 109,000 square feet, or nearly 2.5 acres. During construction, approximately 90 percent of the original roof was recycled and reused on the new roof. The green roof is the largest in New York City, and is one of the Postal Service’s largest environmental projects to date. It will last 50 years, twice as long as the roof it replaced, and is part of the Postal Service’s greener facilities strategy. To see time–lapse construction video of the Morgan green roof — one year in 25 seconds — click: USPS Green Roof Time Lapse Video.
“A year ago, the Postal Service projected the green roof would help the Morgan facility save $30,000 in annual energy expenses,” said Tom Samra, vice president, Facilities. “We’re pleased to have surpassed that goal, saving more than $1 million since the implementation of the green roof and other energy–saving measures at Morgan.”
The Postal Service also projected the green roof would help reduce polluted storm water runoff 75 percent in summer and 40 percent in winter. According to Samra, the Morgan facility is on track to meet those goals, and is taking steps to monitor additional building performance measures including water quality, bio–diversity and urban heat island effect.
Samra attributes the accelerated rate of savings to a 40 percent per month reduction in energy use and an average decrease in energy expenses of 15 percent since the green roof’s opening. The Morgan facility replaced 1600 windows, deployed other energy–saving enhancements, and is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and High Performance and Sustainable Building (HPSB) certifications.
Current LEED–certified postal facilities include Post Offices in Denver, CO, and Southampton, NY; and mail processing centers in Greenville, SC, and Troy, MI. Across its 33,000 postal–owned facilities, the Postal Service is making great strides reducing energy use as it implements energy–saving projects across its inventory — impacting up to a total of 287 million square feet.
In 2009, the Postal Service implemented its Enterprise Energy Management System (EEMS) which allows the Postal Service to monitor, manage and measure facility energy data and performance. Matched with a ‘culture of conservation’ among postal employees, EEMS has helped validate the Postal Service’s decrease in energy use by 10.8 trillion British thermal units (Btus) since 2005, and avoid more than $400 million in energy costs since 2007.
“We’re working greener every day,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “Our total energy use is down and to date, the Postal Service has reduced facility energy intensity by more than 21 percent based on a 2003 baseline, well ahead of the federal goal of 12 percent.”
Long considered a sustainability leader, the Postal Service has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, Climate Action Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo, and the Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year, 2009.
Royal Mail Issues Olympic Stamps - July 23, 2010
[Press Release.]The second of Royal Mail’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games stamps are being issued next week to mark a key milestone in the countdown - two years to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games.In total Royal Mail will issue 30 1st Class stamps in the run-up to the 30th Olympiad and London 2012 Paralympic Games, as part of its role as an official licensee of the Games.
The latest issue, subtitled ‘On Track for 2012’, goes on sale on 27 July and features a fresh set of ten dynamic images championing Olympic and Paralympic sports. The stamps feature established Olympic and Paralympic sports like hockey, goalball and football, and more recent additions including taekwondo and BMX cycling.
Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: "This series of stamps is creating a fascinating montage of the sports which make the Olympics and Paralympics one of the greatest events on the planet.
"In addition to appearing on millions of letters, the stamps also form part of a wonderful sporting collection to celebrate the 30th Olympiad."
All stamps in the series feature either the London 2012 Olympic Games or Paralympic Games logo, and the third and final set of stamps will be issued in 2011.
Singpost’s ‘Things Box’ Surprises 5,000 Consumers With Attractive Gifts - July 22, 2010
[Press Release.]DMrocket, a direct mail division of SingPost, has produced a directmail pack branded as Things Box with the tagline, “surprises for grabs”, to make direct mailmore attractive. Each issue of Things Box promises something surprising.
Things Box distributed on a limited basis to selected subscribers is a box of assorted itemsfrom multiple consumer organisations.
Mr Steve Ng, Vice President (Marketing) of SingPost said, “Marketers are always looking fornew ways to build brand awareness for their products. Things Box, a creative direct mailinitiative of SingPost, provides another innovative and refreshing approach to direct mail,helping customers to reach their targeted audience. It is a box full of interesting things thatrecipients can play with, read or use as decorative displays. Our message is clearly to look out for pleasant surprises in Things Box.”
In the inaugural Things Box, 5,000 subscribers who fit the pre-determined demographics willreceive a limited edition magnet, a hamburger designed stress ball, a miniature herbs sample,a fan, a platinum beauty salon membership card, and cosmetic samples from 13 July to 26July 2010.
The 2nd Things Box is expected to be released in December 2010. Customers who wish toreceive the Things Box can sign up via our website, www.singpost.com/thingsbox.Registration is one-time and it is free.
Things Box joins our suite of other creative direct mail initiatives such as DMrocket Purse DMand DMrocket sampling package
Ukraine Government Approves 2010 Financial Plan For Ukrposhta - July 21, 2010
[Hellmail.]
The Ukraine Cabinet has approved a forward going plan to increase total revenues of the Ukraine postal service (Ukrposhta) to $4867.3m USD - 3.4% more than in 2009. The net income target from sales of goods and services is $3609.0m - 6.0% more than last year.
The plan centres on increasing revenues across the range of services provided with particular attention being paid to increasing mail volume and other business services, including international shipments and priority items.
Total expenditure (including income tax) is expected to be $4835.3m, which is 3.4% more than in 2009. The average monthly wage for one employee is forecast at $1469.2, increased last year by 8.8%. Net income in 2010 will reach 32.0 million.State funding is expected to be $1158.7m - 5.6% more than in 2009.
Ukrposhta is to devote $124.9m of capital investment, 6.3% more than last year with Investment funds neing used to develop information systems and communication networks as well as the introduction of automated services. Work is also going on to upgrade vehicles and modernise the post office network.
Experts Find Security Problems In Germany’s New De-Mail Service - July 21, 2010
[Press Release.]Experts cited serious security risks on Wednesday in Germany’s new De-Mail system, which is set to let users send official letters and documents over the internet starting next year.
The government aims to use the system to banish the need to use printed pages for sensitive material such as letters and documents to lawyers, banks and government officials. Though it’s not set to go into full effect until 2011, major German email providers began registering customers earlier this month ahead of final government approval.
But IT expert for the country’s federal lawyers council (BRAK) Thomas Lapp told daily Frankfurter Rundschau that he believed the system was not secure.
“I have serious doubts about the De-Mail law,” he told the paper. “The security gaps cannot be overlooked.”
The problem lies in how servers must briefly decrypt documents for processing, he said, likening the process to a letter opened at least twice and then placed in a new envelope on the way to its destination.
“The promise to be as secure as a letter is therefore not kept,” he told the paper, adding that it would theoretically possible for hackers to copy or manipulate documents if they gained access to the system.
Elmar Müller, head of the DVPT association form postal services, IT and telecommunication, also acknowledged the risk.
“These issues must be fixed immediately,” he told the paper.
But head of the De-Mail programme for Deutsche Telekom Gert Metternich said that he had no concerns about the process.
“In the De-Mail system the messages are opened for a fraction of a second and decrypted by the provider servers, and immediately re-encrypted and sent on,” he said, adding that the servers were up to government standards.
“As far as that goes I have no doubts that the De-Mails are secure,” he said.
Alliance Healthcare To Use UK Mail Hybrid Service - July 20, 2010
[Hellmail.]Alliance Healthcare, the leading international provider of pharmaceutical wholesale and member of Alliance Boots, has selected imail to send more than 6,000 letters each month to business and residential addresses across the UK. The company is using UK Mail’s innovative hybrid mail solution to streamline the mail operation within two of its UK businesses, Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd and Central Homecare, to lower overheads, reduce administrative requirements and enhance the service provided to customers.
Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd is using imail to send up to three thousand credit notes each month to independent pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Meanwhile, online pharmacy service Central Home Care is sending between three and four thousand items each month that are made up of statements, invoices and other forms of customer correspondence.
Both companies have previously used traditional postal services, with all items printed, enveloped and mailed manually using internal resources or specially-employed temporary staff. By automating the mail process using imail, it has been possible to remove internal administrative requirements, which had proved to be uneconomical in terms of time and financial costs. It has also been possible to further reduce mail overheads by no longer needing to procure stationery, ink, printers and franking machines to support in-house mail needs.
In addition, an Application Programming Interface (API) has enabled the imail system to be integrated with back-office systems. This has meant that the submission of mail items has been fully automated with a cut-off time of 6pm for same-day printing, so that all customer communications arrive two days after posting. This has not only improved cash flow, but also improved client perception by ensuring all letters are mailed in a timely fashion.
Head of Finance at Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) Ltd. commented: “Using imail our mailings can now go out quicker, cheaper and without the manual labour required to print, envelope and prepare letters ready for collection. We have already making substantial savings when compared to our previous processes, whilst creating a mail solution with high levels of added flexibility, simplicity and responsiveness.”
Andy Barber at UK Mail said: “imail offers an effective means of streamlining a company’s mail operation by providing a wide range of benefits. imail has established itself as the leading hybrid mail solution in the marketplace by achieving real savings and boosting operational performance for a growing number of corporate and SME businesses.”
USPS: Print Catalogs Deliver Digital Orders - July 20, 2010
[Press Release.]The U.S. Postal Service is reaching out to e-tailers with a campaign showcasing the power of catalogs with the potential to double online transactions and achieve revenue lift of over 100 percent by creating print extensions of their Internet shopping websites.
“Getting Started in Catalogs” is a USPS promotional campaign featuring a “Catalogs and e-tailing” instructional DVD and a live webinar series. The DVD features testimonials from widely recognized companies such as Dell and Zappo’s, who built their businesses into market leaders within their respective industries by adding catalogs to the marketing mix.
The first of three free webinars takes place July 20, with tutorials on catalog production and the smartest and most cost-efficient ways to produce a catalog. Additional webinars will be held July 28 and Aug. 24. Follow-up support from sales personnel with the Postal Service also is available.
“Putting a focused, attractive catalog in the hands of your customers has a unique ability to engage their attention, and prompts them to browse your site and place orders,” said Steve Hernandez, acting vice president, Sales. “For e-tailers looking to push their sales to the next level, catalogs are a proven medium for delivering transactions and enhancing customer loyalty.”
A market study by comScore shows that among visitors to retail websites, twice as many catalog recipients made a purchase as those who did not receive a catalog – more than doubling the online conversion rate. A revenue increase of 163 percent resulted from a comparison of purchases and money spent by catalog recipients versus those who did not receive a catalog in the comScore study, and 28 percent more items were ordered by catalog recipients.
Customers can learn more about growing their businesses through the use of catalogs, order a free DVD, and register to attend the free webinars at:http://www.usps.com/promotions/catalogs.htm.
Ordering the DVD and registering for the webinars also is available through a targeted direct mail campaign incorporating Business Reply Mail, along with Web ads appearing in online retailer publications.
New Regulator to Overview Indian Postal Tariffs - July 26, 2010
New Postal Law Enacted In Paraguay - July 26, 2010
New Zealand Post Announces Postage Increases - July 26, 2010
USPS Surpasses Green Facilities Goals - July 23, 2010
Royal Mail Issues Olympic Stamps - July 23, 2010
Singpost’s ‘Things Box’ Surprises 5,000 Consumers With Attractive Gifts - July 22, 2010
Ukraine Government Approves 2010 Financial Plan For Ukrposhta - July 21, 2010
Experts Find Security Problems In Germany’s New De-Mail Service - July 21, 2010
