Postal Hub podcast

Vienna has set up a carrier-neutral parcel locker network called Wienbox. Some of Wienbox's key proponents discuss the parcel locker network's development and future. Monika Unterholzner, Deputy Director General of the Wiener Stadtwerke Group, whose responsibilities include logistics, Prof. Dr. Andreas Breinbauer, Head of the Logistics Department at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, who led academic support for Wienbox project, and David Strauß, Researcher Logistics and Transport Management, University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna cover:

• City issues such as emissions, public transport, and city logistics
• Creating a framework for city logistics
• Creating a parcel locker policy for City of Vienna
• Testing parcel lockers as a city logistics instrument
• Use of public space
• Developing a masterplan for city logistics in Vienna
• Involving various stakeholders in creating policy
• Using parcel lockers as micro hubs for logistics
• Developing use cases for parcel lockers, including public transport lost and found
• City utilities and municipal departments involved in Wienbox
• Backing up the project with science and academic research
• Parcel locker partners
• Looking for best practice in white label parcel lockers worldwide
• Critical factors for parcel locker network success - cost, location, environment, and customer satisfaction
• Customer perspectives of parcel lockers
• Results of customer survey
• Factors that increase likelihood of customers using parcel lockers
• Realising potential environmental benefits of parcel lockers
• Who can use Wienbox parcel lockers (including delivery companies)
• Criteria for parcel locker locations
• Lockers excluded from public space in Vienna
• Relationship between parcel locker network density and speed of parcel collection
• Future developments planned for Wienbox parcel lockers
• Size and spread of the Wienbox parcel locker network
• Mobile app for parcel locker access

Mustafa Tonguç, Managing Director at DHL Express Germany, discusses supply chain resilience and the growth in global B2B e-commerce:

• Why supply chain resilience is crucial
• Manufacturing being stimulated around the world
• DHL helping customers create new supply chains
• Enabling late customer checkout times for next-day delivery
• Omni-shoring, near-shoring and friend-shoring
• Sustainability and ethically sourced materials
• Digitalisation, automation and labour market issues
• Growth in B2B e-commerce
• Examples of B2B retailers selling online
• Expectations of B2B e-commerce shoppers
• Tips for improving cross-border B2B sales
• Two-person delivery
• On-demand delivery

Kate Muth, Executive Director at IMAG (International Mailers Advisory Group) discusses developments in international mail.

• Being awarded the Megan J Brennan Award by Women in Logistics & Delivery Services (WILDS)
• US de minimis threshold - currently $800
• Modernisation of US Customs
• STOP Act 2.0 update
• AED / EAD exemptions
• Opioid crisis, counterfeiting and forced labour
• Inbound parcel volumes under the de minimis threshold
• US outbound international mail
• ICS2
• Brazil e-commerce compliance
• Indonesian regulations on e-commerce and social media
• Making cross-border shopping seamless
• Improving AED/EAD compliance

Luke Lloyd, Head of Markets, IPC (International Post Corporation) discusses the 2022 results of the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System.

• Background to development of the IPC's SMMS
• Carbon emissions, health & safety, circular economy
• 31 postal operators report under SMMS, including 100,000 buildings, 600,000 vehicles, and 1.3m employees
• Progress towards 2030 targets, including renewable energy, alternative fuel vehicles, and recycling, and CO2 emissions
• Scrutiny of reporting
• Sharing of best practice
• Electrifying the middle mile
• Sustainable aviation fuel
• Using rail to reduce carbon footprint
• Reusable packaging
• The change from letters-focus to parcels-focus
• Exploring carbon footprint of cross-border items
• Consumer, retailer and regulator demand for greater visibility of delivery emissions

In this special end-of year episode, Jonathan Bouaziz (Kardinal), Kevin Seller (Escher), Will Simpson (Kantar) and David Spottiswood (Hurrican) cover different aspects of the postal and delivery world. Jonathan Bouaziz, CEO at Kardinal, discusses:

• Optimising PUDO networks
• Understanding the implications of making changes to a PUDO network
• Merging letter and parcel delivery
• Creating delivery efficiency in combining letter and parcel last mile delivery
• Frequency of delivery, including in rural areas

Kevin Seller, Chief Sales Officer at Escher, covers:

• Analysis of major issues facing post office networks
• Variabilizing costs in fixed networks
• Using self-service in post office networks
• Tailoring range of services in different post offices
• Returns at post offices
• Post offices at e-commerce distribution hubs
• Simplifying IT in post office networks

Will Simpson, Client Direct at Kantar's Postal & Logistics unit, discusses:

• Changes in postal regulatory environment
• Service quality, price, and competition
• Regulation and parcel delivery
• Sustainability in delivery and logistics
• Measuring effectiveness of mail

David Spottiswood, co-founder at Hurricane, covers:

• ICS2 implementation update
• Providing the right data to ensure uplift with airlines
• New legislation and de minimis changes
• Enforcement of existing cross-border legislation
• Customs and border protection
• Cross-border returns
• C2C cross-border shipments, including post office lodgements

Mike Plunkett, President at PostCom, and Mark Fallon, President of the Berkshire Company, discuss the state of affairs at the US Postal Service.

• Vacancies on USPS Board of Governors and impact on day-to-day USPS operations
• Employee headcount
• Letter pricing and price increases
• PRC's role in postal pricing
• Letter volume decline
• Ambiguity in the USA's Universal Service Obligation
• Driving efficiencies in letter delivery
• USPS losses and legislative reform
• Optimized Collection, Delivery Unit consolidation and changes to mail collection times
• Leveraging the USPS post office network
• Handling non-postal business at the post office
• Upgrading and improving the USPS logistics network in 2024
• Are postal employees prioritising Amazon parcels?
• USPS parcel lockers
• Optimising post office locations

Dean Maciuba, Managing Partner (USA) for Crossroads Parcel Consulting, analyses the major trends in the US last mile over the past 12 months.

• Observations on 2023 peak season parcel volumes
• Technology allowing shipper diversifications and managing multiple carriers
• Surcharges pushing shippers to find alternatives to UPS or FedEx
• UPS and FedEx being aggressive in discounting
• Retailers taking delivery in-house
• Local delivery services allowing retailers to offer fast delivery
• Using local stores as delivery centres
• Retailers setting up sortation centres
• Walmart GoLocal delivery service delivering for other companies
• Delivery allowing Walmart and Target to compete with Amazon
• Amazon shipping more parcels than UPS and FedEx
• Amazon's B2B e-commerce business
• Amazon up-selling to businesses
• Economic conditions impacting e-commerce and delivery

Denmark has been at the vanguard when it comes to changes to letter delivery and digitisation of letter services. But new changes to the universal service obligation will have far-reaching implications for letter and parcel delivery in Denmark. Mindaugas Cerpickis and Jacob Østermann from Copenhagen Economics analyse the changes and implications for the postal world.

• Background to the USO being "abolished"
• Post Denmark's freedom to vary letter pricing and delivery schedules to save costs
• Digitisation of government communications
• USO as we know it being abolished
• Drastic letter volume declines
• Parcel volumes reaching parity with letter volumes
• Internet penetration in Denmark
• e-Boks digital mailbox
• Centralising government services
• Replacing USO with tender process for targeted services
• Market delivering services
• Post Danmark's ability to provide USO without government support
• EU Postal Services Directive and UPU requirements
• Three aspects of USO being put out to tender: island communities, services for the blind, and international mail
• Expectations that the market will cover the rest of the USO
• Letterboxes and parcel lockers in island communities
• Universal access to delivery infrastructure
• Monitoring the market to see if there are any shortcomings in providing letter services
• Could the Danish model be used in other postal markets?
• Future of postal regulation
• Understanding social expectations of postal services

Roel Gevaers, Professor in Last Mile Logistics and Supply Chain, University of Antwerp, discusses new Belgian legislation targeting last mile parcel delivery.

• Definition of parcel delivery companies under the new law
• Obligations on delivery companies
• Minimum payment rates
• Intention behind this legislation
• Past scandals in Belgian parcel delivery
• Pay rates and social security payments
• Lack of oversight in delivery sector
• Complexity in the new legislation
• Returns seem to be exempt from the regulations
• Application to international companies delivering in Belgium
• Increasing compliance costs for delivery operators
• Huge administrative burden on small companies
• Last mile costs
• Out-of-home delivery
• The political cycle
• What will happen if other countries follow Belgium's lead?

Jack Hopkins, CEO and co-founder of Tradeaze - a same-day delivery service for the building and trades sector - shares how Tradeaze started and the delivery need it fills:

• What drove Jack to found Tradeaze
• The need for tradespeople (tradies) to have access to fast supply of parts
• How the parts market works
• How merchants service spare parts needs
• The Tradeaze platform for shipping spare parts
• Offering a same-day service alongside merchants' existing "milk-run" delivery services
• Using Tradeaze as a back-up delivery service
• The range of delivery options Tradeze offers, from vans down to e-bikes
• One hour, three hour, any time today
• How the B2B delivery service saves tradies time and money
• Timeliness of delivery as a critical factor in the building sector
• Engagement model with drivers (employee and self-employed)
• Delivering large and heavy items
• The tech that underpins the Tradeaze delivery service
• Tracking consignments
• Matching vehicles to orders
• Consolidating deliveries and getting vehicle loading right
• Managing damaged, partially fulfilled, or missing consignments
• Role of CCTV in accountability
• Tradeaze looking to expand beyond London
• Dealing with returns
• Potential for value added services