UNI Apro Post & Logistics
1 POSTAL NEWS No 08-2022
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1.Ukrposhta is buying 17,000 banking terminals. January 28, 2022.
2.Menulog riders win minimum rights and protections for the first time. January 28, 2022.
3.Average delivery time across postal service network stable at 2.7 days. January 27, 2022.
4.Warehouse Giant Prologis to Offer More Peripheral Services, CFO Says. January 26, 2022.
5. Australia Post delivers 52 million parcels in another bumper Christmas. January 24, 2022.
1.Ukrposhta is buying 17,000 banking terminals. January 28, 2022.
Ukrposhta has announced a tender to purchase 17,000 banking terminals, operating in the country’s most remote villages, where banking services have never existed before. According to the Prozorro website, the expected value of the auction for the purchase of 17,000 terminals is UAH 290M ($10.1M), including VAT. The auction is scheduled for March 25, 2022. After installing the banking terminals, people will be able to receive a pension or salary in these small villages. According to the CEO of Ukrposhta, Igor Smelyansky, since the installation of the first terminal in 2018, there are already 7,500 of them today. Smelyansky added that the transaction volume at Ukrposhta terminals exceeded UAH 1B ($35M) in December.
Source : https://ubn.news/ukrposhta-is-buying-17-000-banking-terminals/
2.Menulog riders win minimum rights and protections for the first time January 28, 2022
The TWU says the extension of minimum rights and protections to riders employed by Menulog is a monumental leap forward in the industry, after the Fair Work Commission held food delivery riders were covered by the Road Transport and Distribution Award.
TWU National Assistant Secretary Nick McIntosh welcomed the win as a testament to the bravery of food delivery riders who fought for years to lift industry standards. “Today’s decision is a momentous win in the fight to end insidious exploitation in the gig economy. This decision is confirmation of what we have always known: that food delivery workers are entitled to the same minimum rights and protections as other workers in the road transport industry”. “At the time, we welcomed Menulog being the first gig company to rollout an industry-first employment trial, and we look forward to continuing to work constructively with the company to implement the Award conditions. Menulog’s trial and approach has shown companies can deliver the flexibility gig behemoths like UberEats and Deliveroo deny is possible”. While celebrating the decision as a significant win for food delivery riders, the TWU is calling on the Federal Government to implement urgent regulatory intervention to protect companies like Menulog attempting to do the right thing. “Lifting standards and providing minimum rights regardless of employment status throughout the industry is the best way to put food delivery riders on the front foot to end deadly gig exploitation. Scott Morrison has had his head in the sand for too long, and it’s time to rein in the gig behemoths”, McIntosh said. The gig model of exploitation is built around underpaying workers minimum rates. In transport, gig workers are under deadly pressure to make as many deliveries in as short a period as possible, or they risk being terminated by their employers. This pressure incentivises risk taking and increases the likelihood of serious injury or death. In 2020, seven food delivery workers were killed on the job. In one case, Uber tried to cover up the death by claiming the rider killed wasn’t working for the company at the time of his death, even though he was logged into the app and receiving orders when he was fatally struck. In April 2021, the TWU and its food delivery rider members withdrew from a shambolic NSW Government Taskforce set up after a spate of worker deaths, over its sustained silencing of riders on exploitation and insistence that regulatory change was ‘beyond scope’
The TWU has taken several cases against gig economy companies and is currently fighting an appeal from Deliveroo over the unfair sacking of rider Diego Franco.
Source : https://www.twu.com.au/press/menulog-riders-win-minimum-rights-and-protectionsfor-the-first-time
3.Average delivery time across postal service network stable at 2.7 days January 27, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Postal Service reported new delivery performance metrics showing the average time to deliver a mailpiece across the postal network remained stable at 2.7 days between the period Jan. 1 and Jan 21. The Postal Service continues to implement mitigation plans due to recent winter storms to move mail and packages effectively with First-Class Mail performance showing steady signs of improvement over the second week of January.
Additional second quarter service performance scores covering Jan.1 through Jan. 21 included: • First-Class Mail: 86.9 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points from the fiscal first quarter. • Marketing Mail: 91.7 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a decrease of 1 percentage point from the fiscal first quarter. • Periodicals: 80.6 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fiscal first quarter.
One of the goals of Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for achieving financial sustainability and service excellence, is to meet or exceed 95 percent on-time service performance for all mail and shipping products once all elements of the plan are implemented. Service performance is defined by the Postal Service as the time it takes to deliver a mailpiece or package from its acceptance into our system through its delivery, as measured against published service standards. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Source : Average Delivery Time Across Postal Service Network Stable at 2.7 Days - Newsroom - About.usps.com
4.Warehouse Giant Prologis to Offer More Peripheral Services, CFO Says January 26, 2022
At present, the company derives 84% of its revenue from rental income. It plans to bolster revenue by offering extras, like solar power, forklifts, logistic tech and more at some of its locations.
Warehouse giant Prologis Inc. plans to generate more revenue from renting out equipment and providing other add-on services as it benefits from strong demand amid ongoing supplychain strains.
The San Francisco-based company operates warehouses around the world for customers such as e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc., retailer Walmart Inc. and shipping firm FedEx Corp. Prologis, a real-estate investment trust, generates about 84% of its revenue from rental income from warehouses.
Last year, total revenue increased 7% from a year earlier, to $4.76 billion, as customers paid more rent and signed new leases to keep up with pandemic-driven shifts in consumer demand, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Olinger said. Profits roughly doubled to $2.93 billion. Demand for warehouse space has surged over the past year as retailers have confronted supply-chain backlogs and challenges delivering goods to consumers on time, analysts said. Global rents at Prologis properties rose 18% during 2021 over 2020 and are expected to go up another 10% or more this year, Mr. Olinger said. Occupancy at the company’s warehouses reached 97.4% in the past quarter, an all-time high. Prologis is now looking at ways to grow its non-real estate services to customers and boosting revenues further. The company, through what it calls its “essentials” business, offers customers the ability to purchase solar energy from panels on top of its warehouses, among other services. It plans to expand its offering this year to include equipment rentals for items including forklifts, racking systems and generators, Mr. Olinger said. Prologis expects the essentials business, which launched in 2018, to generate $75 million in revenue this year, about double the amount last year, and has said it has the potential to someday generate $1 billion. Prologis also works on providing customers access to automation and other technology, as companies across industries are paying up for low-wage workers and struggling to fill warehouse vacancies because of the tight labor market. Automation could help them reduce costs. Through its venture capital arm, the company has invested around $135 million in startups focused on warehouse robotics and other logistics tech. It is currently using or piloting the technology at some customers’ warehouses, Mr. Olinger said. “We are hearing our customers loud and clear,” he said, referring to customers’ labor-market challenges. Warehouse rents are forecast to remain above average for the foreseeable future, in part because retail customers expect quicker delivery of goods, said Michael Carroll, an analyst at investment firm RBC Capital Markets. “If you want things that next day, you need more industrial space,” he said. Prologis’s competitors include private-equity firm Blackstone Group, which in 2019 acquired a network of U.S. logistics warehouses from Singapore-based GLP.
Strong demand for warehouse space is bolstering Prologis’s business, and add-on services could help the company retain customers and justify further rent increases further down the road, said David Rodgers, a research analyst with investment firm Robert W. Baird & Co. The investments Prologis has made in technology are a key way to differentiate itself from rivals, Mr. Rodgers said. “For a vast majority of our large customers, we’re their largest landlord. What other services can we help provide them?” Mr. Olinger said, discussing how the company plans to expand its essentials business.
Source : Warehouse Giant Prologis to Offer More Peripheral Services, CFO Says – WSJ
5.Australia Post delivers 52 million parcels in another bumper Christmas January 24, 2022
Australia Post has again delivered a huge Christmas, with 52 million parcels delivered through the December peak and more packages moving by air than ever before.
More than 5.6 million Australian households shopped online to spoil friends and family in the lead-up to Christmas Day, and with volumes in October and November also higher than in previous years, it demonstrated a desire to plan ahead and shop early. Australia Post had up to 25 dedicated freighters taking to the skies each night, and more than 8.7 million kilos of parcels were flown across the country throughout December, up 13 per cent on the previous year, with a massive 556 tonnes moved on the busiest December day. Australians also managed their deliveries through Australia Post's app and website in record numbers, with more than 83 million visits, while almost 5 million new ETA (estimated time of arrival) alerts in December helped customers plan during the busy festive season by notifying them of the two-hour window parcels were to arrive ahead of Christmas. More than 20 million customers visited Post Offices to send cards and gifts and collect packages, including more than 3.9 million from PO Boxes, while more than 475,000 items were also collected from Australia Post’s free parcel lockers around the country during December, the most ever in a month. Group Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director Paul Graham said many months had been spent preparing for the festive season and despite the continuing challenges presented by the pandemic, the entire Australia Post team had delivered a great Christmas for Australians.
"That we have seen another 52 million parcels delivered at Christmas demonstrates the dedication of the people in our Post Offices, our Licensed Post Office Partners, and everyone working across our processing, delivery, customer teams including more than 5000 new team members who helped make it possible. “We thank Australians for their patience and support during these challenging times, and with so many customers heeding our call to shop and send early we saw a really big November for both deliveries and online shopping ahead of our traditional December peak," Mr Graham said. Among the top online buys for Christmas were books (up more than 22 per cent) and specialty food (up more than 5 per cent), while there was also an increase in the purchase of pharmacy items (up more than 9 per cent on the previous month).
Source : Australia Post delivers 52 million parcels in another bumper Christmas | Australia Post Newsroom (auspost.com.au)
UNI Apro Post & Logistics
1 POSTAL NEWS No 07-2022
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1.Average of two post offices closed each week in Britain, finds report. January 28, 2022.
2.bpost to sell Ubiway retail. January 27, 2022.
3.FedEx, Microsoft extend partnership to offer 'logistics as a service'. January 26, 2022.
4.PostNL announces share buyback programme of €250 million to neutralise dilutive impact of dividends over 2021-23. January 25, 2022.
5.The Federal Government amends the Canada Labour Code to include paid sick leave. January 25, 2022.
1.Average of two post offices closed each week in Britain, finds report January 28, 2022
Analysis from financial guidance charity Citizens Advice has revealed that 206 British post offices have permanently closed in the last two years, averaging two closures a week.
The ‘Gaps in the network’ report also found that 1,291 post offices are referred to as being ‘temporarily closed’, but almost six in 10 of these have been shut for more than two years. One in three rural post offices are now offered as part-time outreach services, open for an average of just five-and-a-half hours a week. Thirteen percent (totaling 233) of outreaches are open for only one hour a week, and the charity found that one outreach is only open for 10 minutes a week.
Citizens Advice has said that this has led to huge gaps in the service. People have reported to the charity that they now spend more time and money accessing post office services, and feel a loss of independence and even increased isolation since their local office was shut. One woman who relied on the post office for paying bills and topping up her energy meter reported that after she moved house she was unable to afford the bus journey to her nearest post office, the one closest to her new house having closed. Research undertaken by Citizens Advice found that certain groups are more reliant on post office services than others. Despite closures, when asked, 18% of people said they still visited their post office weekly. This increased to 23% of those living in rural areas, 27% of carers, 22% of over 65s, and 21% of disabled people.
The charity warns that the Post Office must increase investment in rural locations to ensure communities across the country maintain their connection to vital services. Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said, “Post offices sit at the center of our communities. They help many small businesses thrive, stop already isolated communities being cut off entirely, and enable people to carry out essential tasks, like paying bills. But they’re at breaking point. We’re currently losing two post offices a week, and outreach services often aren’t an adequate replacement. Maintaining post office investment is crucial or the service will never keep pace with the needs of the communities it’s intended to serve.” Responding to the report, a Post Office spokesperson said, “Post Office does not accept that this report accurately reflects our network of 11,500 post offices, which has been stable for a decade. While banks and traditional retailers have reduced their presence on the high street and in towns and villages, Post Office is sustaining and strengthening its network across the UK. In 2019 alone, Post Office opened over 200 branches across the network; and last year we responded to the pandemic with the fastest net growth in the network for decades. From the end of March 2021 to end December 2021, the net growth in the network was 181. Sometimes branches do close, for example if a postmaster has decided to retire after many decades of service. “We are grateful to nearby postmasters who step up to help, and will always seek to find a permanent replacement while the original branch is recorded as temporarily closed. In many locations, an existing nearby post office or another new branch will open to serve that community and meet the access criteria, with 99% of the public living within three miles of a post office and 90% within one mile. Some of our branches, including many outreach post offices, are supported by a dedicated subsidy from the government to ensure a sufficient service for the number of customers in those communities. The costs of operating the network are not fixed, and the government should reflect this in determining the appropriate level of subsidy if it wishes to maintain current levels of service and accessibility.”
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/retail/average-oftwo-post-offices-closed-each-week-in-britain-finds-report.html
2.bpost to sell Ubiway retail January 27, 2022
bpost group announces that a binding takeover agreement for Ubiway Retail was signed with Golden Palace Group
bpost, Ubiway and Golden Palace entered into a binding agreement on the sale of 100 % of the shares of Ubiway Retail SA/NV, the integrated retail network operating Press Shop, Hubiz, Ubi and Relay brands (170 stores) to Golden Palace. Two members of the current management of Ubiway Retail will also become shareholders of the company. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place by the end of February 2022.
bpost said: “The Ubiway Retail activities were no longer core to bpost strategy as bpost group is focusing on the acceleration of its transformation into an international e-commerce logistics player. Golden Palace wants to diversify its activities and intends to further develop the Ubiway Retail network.” bpost was advised by Degroof Petercam for this transaction.
Source : https://postandparcel.info/146397/news/e-commerce/bpost-to-sell-ubiway-retail/
3.FedEx, Microsoft extend partnership to offer 'logistics as a service' January 26, 2022
· FedEx and Microsoft are extending their partnership and offering a cross-platform "logistics as a service" solution that will leverage FedEx’s shipping data on a Microsoft platform to help businesses better fulfill, ship and serve customer orders, the companies announced in a joint press release Monday. • Data integration between FedEx, Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management and shippers' existing e-commerce platforms aims to help companies optimize fulfillment and provide real-time delivery status and convenient return options to their customers. Theservice is expected to be available to U.S. customers in the second half of this year, both companies said. • This is part of the companies' multi-year partnership to produce logistics solutions using data and AI in order to make deliveries more efficient. "The next phase of our collaboration will continue to connect the unmatched supply chain insights from the FedEx network with the Microsoft Cloud to improve e-commerce experiences for brands, merchants and consumers," Raj Subramaniam, president and COO of FedEx, said in a statement. FedEx continues to expand its logistical capabilities in order to help shippers meet the rise in e-commerce demand.
· The transport company built its network to handle demand forecasted for 2025. But the sharp rise in package volume filled network capacity "two to three years earlier" than expected, David Lusk, director of the FedEx Global Security Operations Center for FedEx Services, said in April. The U.S. domestic parcel market is set to grow to 110 million packages a day in 2022 – with 86% of that growth expected to come from e-commerce, FedEx said in the press release. In response, FedEx has made adjustments such as adding more automated facilities to its network and announced its partnership with Microsoft to help shippers have more control over deliveries. The use and expansion of data, tech, and AI have been at the forefront of many supply chain partnerships over the past few years. Unilever partnered with Maersk to develop and manage the CPG's control tower to centralize its ocean shipping and air transport. C.H. Robinson also partnered with Microsoft in 2020 to provide inventory visibility for shippers. In addition, UPS launched UPS Premier to track health care shipments using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. "More than ever, it's clear just how critical having a resilient supply chain is for every organization’s success in the modern economy," said Satya Nadella, Microsoft chairman and CEO in the statement.
Source : https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/FedEx-Microsoft-AI-tools-logistics/617638/
4.PostNL announces share buyback programme of €250 million to neutralise dilutive impact of dividends over 2021-23, January 25, 2022
The Hague, the Netherlands, 25 January 2022 - Today, PostNL announced a share buyback programme to neutralise the assumed dilutive impact of shares issued in relation to dividends over 2021-23. The company will repurchase ordinary shares of PostNL N.V. to value of around €250 million, spread over 2022 and 2023.
Based on PostNL’s strong financial position and in line with its capital allocation framework, the company is well positioned to launch a share buyback programme. The confidence in the successful execution of its strategy gives comfort around the longer term business performance and cash generation perspective. PostNL will continue to focus on value creation for all stakeholders through growth opportunities, cost savings initiatives, acceleration of digitalisation, environmental and social initiatives. The programme further optimises PostNL’s capital structure while adhering to its financial framework. The company is steering for a solid balance sheet with positive consolidated equity, aiming at a leverage ratio not exceeding 2.0 and applying strict cash flow management. Based on preliminary figures, at year-end 2021 the leverage ratio is expected to be ~0.5. The announced share buyback programme will be executed using cash on balance sheet.
The share buyback programme intends to neutralise the assumed dilutive impact from shares to be issued in relation to the dividends over the years 2021-23. The dividend will develop in line with business performance. The first tranche will be executed in 2022 and is set at between €160 million and €170 million, covering the assumed amount of stock dividend over the financial years 2021 and 2022. The execution of the programme will start after 28 February 2022 and is expected to be completed no later than October 2022. The second tranche will be executed in 2023. The first tranche of the share buyback programme will be executed within the limitations of the existing authority granted by the Annual General Meeting on 20 April 2021, and will be carried out in compliance with the Market Abuse Regulation. Based on the closing price of PostNL’s ordinary shares on Euronext Amsterdam on 24 January 2022, the share buyback of between €160 million and €170 million to be executed in 2022 represents approximately 9.5% of ordinary shares issued. PostNL intends to use any repurchased shares under the programme to cover its obligations under share-based remuneration arrangements and to deliver future dividend that may be partly paid in stock, at the choice of the shareholder. The remaining number of the bought-back shares will be cancelled. PostNL has engaged an independent broker to start the execution of the share buyback programme on its behalf and to make trading decisions independently of PostNL. In accordance with regulations, PostNL will inform the market about progress made in the execution of this programme through press releases and via its website.
Source : https://www.postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/press-news/press-releases/2022/postnlannounces-share-buyback-programme-of-250-million.html
5.The Federal Government amends the Canada Labour Code to include paid sick leave ; January 25, 2022
The Federal Government has passed BILL C-3, an Act to amend the Canada Labour Code. It received Royal Assent and became law on December 17, 2021. This amendment is not currently in effect and we don’t know when it will come into force. This legislation amends medical leave and bereavement leave under Part III of the Canada Labour Code. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has reached out to the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) concerning these changes. CPC has informed us they are waiting for the Federal Government to set up consultation with the affected employers for guidance on how to implement these changes within their organizations.
Paid sick leave “The legislation amends medical leave under Part III of the Canada Labour Code to provide that: • thirty days after these provisions come into force employees will earn their first three days of paid sick leave to help ensure employees have adequate paid sick leave should they need it; • for new employees, they will earn the first three days of paid sick leave thirty days after starting a new job:• employees are entitled to earn one day of medical leave with pay for each month of employment with an employer, up to a maximum of ten days in a calendar year; • any day of medical leave with pay that an employee does not take in a calendar year carries forward to January 1st of the following calendar year and counts toward the ten days that can be earned in the new year; and • the maximum number of days of medical leave with pay that an employee can take in a calendar year is ten; and • employers are permitted to request a medical certificate for medical leaves of absence with pay that are five days or longer.”
Bereavement leave In addition, the legislation amends bereavement leave under Part III of the Canada Labour Code to provide up to eight weeks of leave for employees who lose a child or experience a stillbirth. This builds off of the three days of paid leave currently available for employees who have completed three months of continuous employment. If collective agreements provide more generous leave provisions, those provisions may prevail. CUPW has also been in contact with our legal representatives, to review the new legislation and to provide information on what effects this new legislation will have.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en/federal-government-amends-canada-labour-code-includepaid-sick-leave
