The French post office is adjusting its strategy and will once again concentrate on its core business – carrying letters. It is planning to sell its air transport subsidiary Europe Airpost – which was known by the name Aeropostale until the year 2000 – to South Africa’s Imperial Holdings, owner of the airline Safair, this semester. Jean-Paul Bailly, La Poste’s president said that, together with state-owned rail operator SNCF, La Poste has plans to establish a … [Read more...] about French post office adjusts strategy

Senior officials from postal service providers across the GCC gathered in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, last month to discuss the creation of a unified, region-wide delivery service. According to a report in the Arab News daily newspaper, the offi cials discussed “fi nal details” of a plan to create a single company that would provide surface and airmail services throughout the GCC. However, in a nod to the glacial speed of delivery that customers currently endure in the GCC, the … [Read more...] about GCC postal units mull unified service

Australia-based Toll Group has offi cially opened its new Logistics Optimisation Centre (LOC) in the northern Melbourne suburb of Campbellfi eld, to support its automotive customers in Australia. The 17,500 m2 centre is focused on providing a wide range of automotive logistics services to companies such as Ford, Toyota, Holden and a number of domestic and international components manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers. Toll Group managing director Paul Little said that Toll constantly … [Read more...] about Toll opens new logistics centre

GAC Group has established a 50:50 joint venture with independent South African logistics group, Laser Logistics. The joint venture company – GAC Laser International Logistics – combines GAC’s existing local infrastructure and resources with Laser Logistics’ seventy years of expertise in air and sea imports and exports. The joint venture company will offer a more comprehensive suite of freight forwarding solutions through its three offi ces in Johannesburg, Durban and … [Read more...] about GAC boosts South African network

Over 70 percent of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders in China responded in a survey that there should be improvements including, among others, transportation infrastructure and adoption of technology in China, according to fi ndings of the UPS Asia Business Monitor 2007. The report says that the SME leaders also want to see improvements in supply chain management expertise, customs clearance, shipping processes, reliability of logistics advisors/partners and the … [Read more...] about SMEs want improved logistics in China

After heightened resistance from service providing associations, including freight forwarders and courier companies, the Indonesian directorate of excise has abolished the regulation 178/2006, which the companies said was business-unfriendly. Chairman of INFA for Soekarno Hatta International Airport, Arman Yahya said: “We are happy with the decision of the excise directorate. At least the government is listening to us, which hardly happens.” According to Yahya, the … [Read more...] about INFA pleased with withholding tax exemption