Would the Royal Mail benefit from being partly privatised?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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After a plan to privatise 30% of the Royal Mail was published, we ask if service would improve

Andy Fox, managing director, The Finishing Company

“As an ex-Royal Mail employee I think it can only be a good thing. I guess people may question who is going to buy into a business that is losing money, unless they plan on turning it around. But the Royal Mail is too old school, there are too many people doing little. A company like TNT would go in there and give it a major shake-up – it would be for the best. For example, as part of my pre-sort arrangement, Royal Mail is supposed to supply me with consumables –things like cages. I walked into my factory this morning and I had absolutely no cages. The Royal Mail lets you down on the little things, that’s where a sale could make a difference.”

Gary Walker, group business development manager, NEMC Group
“Yes and no. I would say it’s difficult to know without first fully knowing the implications of partial privatisation. That said any investment that would help improve Royal Mail is a good thing. I think the benefits that such outside investment could bring would be outside the area of postal delivery. Companies like TNT could bring expertise in logistics but ultimately, Royal Mail is one of the best postal providers. You only have to look at countries such as Holland to see that privatisation of the sector has worked, but ultimately, I think it’s too early to decide how much of a positive thing privatisation could be.”

Tim Peppiatt, chief executive, Paperhat
“There are so many credible alternatives to the Royal Mail now, I’m not sure it would be such a bad thing to partially privatise it. I think it would be good for our business if it creates true competition. We’re already using alternatives to Royal Mail anyway and I think unavoidably they are behind the curve. You’ve only got to look at the emergence of people like Deutsche Post and UK Mail to realise that there is a more dynamic market out there and they’re not playing a part in that at the moment.”



Peter Wise, managing director, Minuteman Press
“I think the service the Royal Mail provides is shocking and it has the biggest case for privatisation – second only to the Royal Family. It would really benefit from being market-orientated and not employee-orientated. We’ve had experiences ourselves when we’ve been let down. There is a lot of competition out there and of course not all are good, but in running your business you’re only as strong as your weakest link and often that is the Royal Mail. It has been left to develop without focus but outside investment would change that and it would give it a focus.”

[Thorby Bislam]

Peter Wise, managing director, Minuteman Press
“I think the service the Royal Mail provides is shocking and it has the biggest case for privatisation – second only to the Royal Family. It would really benefit from being market-orientated and not employee-orientated. We’ve had experiences ourselves when we’ve been let down. There is a lot of competition out there and of course not all are good, but in running your business you’re only as strong as your weakest link and often that is Prince Edward.

He's a bit late. The royal family has already been taken over by the germans.

[DGP1]

Peter Wise, managing director, Minuteman Press
“I think the service the Royal Mail provides is shocking and it has the biggest case for privatisation – second only to the Royal Family. It would really benefit from being market-orientated and not employee-orientated. We’ve had experiences ourselves when we’ve been let down. There is a lot of competition out there and of course not all are good, but in running your business you’re only as strong as your weakest link and often that is the Royal Mail. It has been left to develop without focus but outside investment would change that and it would give it a focus.”

What's wrong with being employee-orientated? After all it's the employees who do all the work (usually inspite of the mismanagers).

PS If there is a lot of competition then why doesn't he just use them (answers on a postcard please).

[Broxi51]

http://www.printweek.com/business/news/ ... rivatised/

After a plan to privatise 30% of the Royal Mail was published, we ask if service would improve

Andy Fox, managing director, The Finishing Company

“As an ex-Royal Mail employee I think it can only be a good thing. I guess people may question who is going to buy into a business that is losing money, unless they plan on turning it around. But the Royal Mail is too old school, there are too many people doing little. A company like TNT would go in there and give it a major shake-up – it would be for the best. For example, as part of my pre-sort arrangement, Royal Mail is supposed to supply me with consumables –things like cages. I walked into my factory this morning and I had absolutely no cages. The Royal Mail lets you down on the little things, that’s where a sale could make a difference.”

Gary Walker, group business development manager, NEMC Group
“Yes and no. I would say it’s difficult to know without first fully knowing the implications of partial privatisation. That said any investment that would help improve Royal Mail is a good thing. I think the benefits that such outside investment could bring would be outside the area of postal delivery. Companies like TNT could bring expertise in logistics but ultimately, Royal Mail is one of the best postal providers. You only have to look at countries such as Holland to see that privatisation of the sector has worked, but ultimately, I think it’s too early to decide how much of a positive thing privatisation could be.”

Tim Peppiatt, chief executive, Paperhat
“There are so many credible alternatives to the Royal Mail now, I’m not sure it would be such a bad thing to partially privatise it. I think it would be good for our business if it creates true competition. We’re already using alternatives to Royal Mail anyway and I think unavoidably they are behind the curve. You’ve only got to look at the emergence of people like Deutsche Post and UK Mail to realise that there is a more dynamic market out there and they’re not playing a part in that at the moment.”



Peter Wise, managing director, Minuteman Press
“I think the service the Royal Mail provides is shocking and it has the biggest case for privatisation – second only to the Royal Family. It would really benefit from being market-orientated and not employee-orientated. We’ve had experiences ourselves when we’ve been let down. There is a lot of competition out there and of course not all are good, but in running your business you’re only as strong as your weakest link and often that is the Royal Mail. It has been left to develop without focus but outside investment would change that and it would give it a focus.”

I can only assume that in the company of the above geniuses that they know something I dont. I see part privatisation as prices rocketing upwards onto a parity of our european neighbours. Postal deliveries will continue to get later as targets still have to be achieved with fines for not, so TNT(RM) Ltd will push for later deliveries so that they can have more time for missorts to arrive. Mail volumes will plummet because of the higher prices. Businesses are using us to deliver their advertising because we deliver products you can read anytime you want unlike the medium of tv and radio but underTNT(RM) Ltd it will no longer be cheap enough to do so. VAT will be added to postage that currently do not apply to RM. I honestly fail to see what part privatisation can offer to the benefit of the people of the UK and that is why I am against it. The service that RM have provided for the past 350 years as a wholly public company and could continue to do so again as a wholly public company whilst making a profit outweigh my pension fear.

[borders]

top class post my friend, in my mail centre where i have worked for 13 years there has been no investment, other than adding extra boxes on the LSMs and maybe some new software, whatsoever. we have had MC managers come and go and none of them has introduced anything new or inspiring. the job is labour intensive and repetitive and the only way of engaging the workforce seems to be the stick.

[Phantom]

Leighton and Co have done a very good job in damning the service that companies have had no option but to use another courier. RM and Postcomm(Government) have created an unworkable Royal Mail which is criminal. Private funding will do f**k all to improve the service.

[johnsouthwales]

uk 1st class letter 240x165x5 mm is currently 36 pence for up to 100grammes. large letter 353x250x25 up to hundred grammes is 52 pence.
germany standard letter is 235x125x5 up to 20 grammes is currently 55cents (50.9 pence). a compact letter similar dimensions except 10mm thickness and up to 50 grammes is 90cents (83.3 pence)
in germany, a large letter 353x250x20 51-500 grammes costs 1.45 euro (£1.34). i cannot find a large letter tariff under 50 grammes.

on those prices, britain is the cheapest in those examples.

a 6 kilo parcel sent from vienna via austriapost AG costs 18 euros. with dhl it costs 21 euro.

[andy2007]

No, it wouldn't!