Other News (archive)

26 November 2010 – The “Take control” campaign, which promotes TNT’s Express Import service, was awarded “Best international campaign” by B2B Marketing Magazine, a reference publication for the sector. TNT received the award at the 2010 B2B Marketing Awards in London on 25 November. Contenders included Vodafone, IBS and Colt. The campaign devised by 438 Marketing for TNT Express features an engaging music conductor at the office to illustrate how customers can orchestrate many complex imports into a sound and orderly symphony. The online and offline campaign ran from February 2010 in more than 60 countries worldwide. It included a microsite, direct mail, flash and static banners for websites and press advertising.

11 November 2010 – Starting today, TNT is combining rail with road to move consignments between its European road hub in Duiven (the Netherlands) and Barcelona (Spain). The multimodal connection will be in use every weekend. TNT will first truck the goods from Duiven to Bettembourg (Luxembourg). There, it will load the truck trailers onto a train bound for the south of France. The final stage to Barcelona will again be carried out by truck. With this approach, TNT will avoid weekend road restrictions in France, save costs, and reduce CO2 emissions. TNT already uses the road-rail-road combination to connect Duiven and Milan (Italy). The company is considering using trains to deliver to Madrid, San Sebastian, and other European destinations as well.

13 October 2010 – TNT Express Benelux and DHL Express Netherlands together held a driving competition near The Hague called DriversChallenge. 16 teams, consisting of a DHL and TNT driver each, competed among each other to win the title of the fastest, most fuel efficient, safe and customer-oriented driver. Being competitors in everyday life, the atmosphere at the DriversChallenge was spirited among the individual teams yet one of camaraderie between DHL and TNT. Both companies believe that corporate responsibility initiatives are efforts that should not be competed on. In fact, such partnerships will drive developments to further heights. The DriversChallenge is a spin off from TNT’s global Drive Me Challenge and is open to even more competitors in the coming years.

16 September 2010 – TNT Express France is deploying 15 zero emissionelectric vehicles for parcel deliveries in Paris, including one Modec truck, two cars, and twelve 3-wheelers. The “Maxitrikes” electric tricycles are perfect for dodging traffic jams. Each one has a volume capacity of 2 m3 and can carry up to 175 lbs. TNT will use them to deliver about 20,000 parcels (below 30 kg) per month to some 12,000 Parisian customers. The Modec truck, with its payload of 2 tonnes, will be used for bigger deliveries. TNT Express France now operates a total of 45 zero emission vehicles in ten cities.

13 September - TNT successfully completed a special assignment to transport 11 rally cars from Liege, Belgium, to Japan's Shin Chitose airport on the country's northern island Hokkaido. The cars were delivered on time to compete in the “Rally Japan” (Sapporo, 9 – 12 September), which is part of the FIA World Championship. This was the first time a TNT Boeing 747-400 ERF touched ground in Japan. The aircraft was especially chartered from TNT for the delivery of the cars. During the season, the priceless rally cars follow a strict schedule and heavily rely on on-time deliveries and safe handling.

27 August 2010 – TNT is providing local assistance to the relief effort by the United Nations’ World Food Programme in flood-hit Pakistan. The company is providing warehouse space in Multan and Islamabad, as well as the necessary resources to operate these warehouses, such as operations and security personnel and fork lift capacity. TNT employees are raising funds to help six Pakistani colleagues who have lost their home. Nearly a month after the first floods hit Pakistan, monsoon rains continue to ravage the country. As flood waters in the northwest have begun to recede, a second wave of flooding has hit the Sindh and Balochistan regions in the south.

26 July 2010 – TNT is opening up its Economy Express service to Cyprus for 50 additional countries outside the European Union. The service offers customers a door-to-door, two- to five-day delivery of shipments of up to 2000 kg, including customs clearance, through use of road and air transport. The expansion opens more possibilities for companies in Asia, the Middle-East, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) looking for a cost-effective day-definite shipping service to Cyprus.

22 July 2010 – TNT Express has appointed Hardy H.T. Diec as Country General Manager for Vietnam. In his new role, Hardy will focus on accelerating TNT’s growth in the country. He will oversee all national operations, sales, marketing and customer service activities, as well as the further development and integration of TNT’s cross-border Asia Road Network in Vietnam. A Canadian Vietnamese, Hardy H.T. Diec has a broad international and local experience of the express and logistics industry. Before joining TNT, he held senior executive positions at other large express companies across Asian markets. TNT, which has operations in 23 Vietnamese cities and provinces, last year opened a new international and domestic operations centre in Ho Chi Minh City in order to handle more high-tech products, machine parts, and garments.

22 June 2010 – TNT will put new 12 Scania R-series trucks on SoutheastAsian roads in 2010. The move is part of a new €4.5 million investment to expand capacity on its Asia Road Network, which covers 127 cities in six countries, from Singapore to China. TNT saw volumes increase 70% year-on-year in January on the 7,650 km long network. Shipments include a growing proportion of high value electronic and healthcare products. 2010 marks the fifth birthday of TNT's Asia Road Network, which was created as a middle-choice between air and sea transport. International and domestic road freight volumes in Asia are set to grow by 8.4% a year through to 2014, according to L.E.K. Consulting.

On June 6, TNT employees worldwide helped raise money to provide a whole year of meals for 10,000 schoolchildren.

From Sydney to São Paulo, from Ouagadougou to Helsinki, TNT employees took to the streets and participated in the Walk the World event organised by the World Food Programme. The WFP wants to raise funds and awareness through this event. TNT is a main partner of the walk, together with DSM and Unilever.

Among the 150,000 participants in 70 countries were Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT, who joined the walk in Dutch Scheveningen and one TNT employee in New Zealand who braved stormy weather on his own as he created the smallest of the more than 150 walks worldwide.

“In an incredible wave of solidarity, the world came forward to say that child hunger is totally unacceptable,” said Josette Sheeran, WFP’s Executive Director. She added that Walk the World is an excellent example of how global partnerships, including those with the private sector, can make a huge impact in the fight against hunger.

17 May 2010 - In the last four weeks, TNT participated in a number of tests with aerodynamic SideWings which help reduce noise, CO2 emissions, and fuel consumption of trucks. These tests reiterate TNT's commitment to PART20, a platform which develops aerodynamic devices by combining the know-how of scientists from the Technical University of Delft with the practical experience from partners in the transportation industry. TNT is one of PART20's three founding partners. During the trials, TNT provided one ‘standard’ and one ‘streamlined’ truck which had an aerodynamic wing mounted to each side of its trailer to lower air resistance. On 21 April, the trucks took to the testing grounds in Lelystad (the Netherlands) to assess the benefits of the wings for CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. Three weeks later, TNT sent the trucks to a deserted air base near the Hague where an ‘acoustic camera’ measured the sound production of the passing vehicles by translating them into colours, similar to the images produced by thermal cameras. The results are now evaluated by TNT’s science partners and will be used for the further improvement of the side wings.

11 May 2010 – TNT and Con-way Freight are improving their joint freightservice between Europe and the United States with the addition of gateways at Miami and Los Angeles international airports. The new gateways will reduce transit times to and from the American Southwest and Southeast by up to two days. Until today TNT and Con-way Freight were connecting their networks through only one gateway at New York’s JFK International Airport. TNT will use belly capacity on passenger and cargo flights serving Miami and Los Angeles. TNT and Con-way Freight have linked their respective freight networks in Europe and the US since April 2009 to reach deeper into both regions.

8 April 2010 – Expresso Araçatuba is set to rebrand and become TNT Araçatuba as a result of the ongoing integration of TNT’s operations in Brazil. The name change coincides with a technology upgrade and the implementation of barcode scanners for shipments tracking. TNT kicked off the rebranding at the 16th Intermodal South America (Sao Paulo, 6-8 April), the largest transport event in the Americas, with the presentation of a new orange truck. "Our goal is that clients identify TNT as a single point of contact for several transport services," said Roberto Rodrigues, country general manager of TNT Express Brazil. TNT Araçatuba, which has a strong presence in Brazil’s Central West and North regions, will sit alongside TNT Mercúrio, whose strongholds are in the South, Southeast and Northeast, and TNT Express. “This way we can combine TNT’s reputation in the international transportation sector with brands widely recognized in the domestic market,” said Rodrigues. TNT acquired Expresso Araçatuba in April 2009 to become the sole express integrator with a self-owned nationwide transportation network. TNT’s road service connects 5,000 Brazilian cities and six South American countries (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia and Peru).

29 March 2010 – TNT and Con-way Freight expand their partnership with the launch of a day-definite road/air/road service for heavy freight shipments from the U.S. to Europe. As part of the new service, Con-way Freight will manage the pickup of U.S. shipments, followed by consolidation and loading to direct air cargo service from New York’s JFK International Airport to Europe. Upon arrival in Europe, TNT will manage customs clearance and deconsolidation at Liege Airport in Belgium. Shipments will then enter TNT’s integrated air and road network for delivery to their final destinations in Europe. Transit times from JFK Airport to destinations in Europe will typically range from three to six days. The service is for shipments weighing more than 150 lbs. It complements the freight service to the U.S. from Europe the two companies introduced in April 2009. The commercial partnership between TNT and Con-way Freight leverages their established networks to provide new freight services without adding costs. It allows TNT to capture freight traffic between Europe and North America, the world’s busiest intercontinental freight lanes. Con-way Freight is North America’s leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, running a network of more than 300 service centres.

17 March 2010 – TNT Express has expanded its international “Economy Express” freight service in Russia with a new road connection to Yekaterinburg, the largest city in the Urals with 1.3 million inhabitants. The service extension is geared towards importers and exporters looking for a cost-efficient, day-definite delivery service for shipments weighing up to 500 kg per piece (palletised). Typical transit times will be 5 business days from Amsterdam or Hamburg, 6 business days from London or Rome. Located 1,667 km east of Moscow, Yekaterinburg is the easternmost point of TNT’s European Road Network, which also connects Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhniy Novgorod and 39 European countries.

10 March 2010 – TNT Express has gained Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status for its activities in the Benelux. This ensures customers that TNT’s premises and processes are secure and customs compliant. In practice, AEO accreditation means priority handling by customs and fewer physical and documentary examinations of shipments crossing intra-EU borders, resulting in faster transit times. The European Commission created the AEO standard in 2008 to secure the international supply chain and modernise customs procedures within the EU. National customs authorities process applications and carry out the physical evaluation. TNT Express is the first express integrator to gain AEO status in the Benelux. TNT’s Express Road Network (ERN), too, recently became an Authorised Economic Operator.

2 March 2010 – TNT Express Italy has begun rolling out a new route planning computer tool to reduce miles and fuel consumption, while maintaining service levels. The first trial in Pisa, which involved 31 vehicles, showed a 2% decrease in carbon emissions from the fleet as an additional benefit. The new tool, called “Dynamic Round Planning,” was developed together with ACT Solutions. It lets TNT map the Italian territory down to street level, plan each driver’s daily route, and simulate the impact of last minute changes on costs and service level, such as arrival times. TNT Express Italy operates a fleet of 3,000 pick-up and delivery vehicles and more than 700 linehaul trucks. The rollout in Italy is part of a larger project to optimise TNT’s networks globally.

19 February 2010 – TNT Express France has secured certification to Certipharm, a quality standard for the transportation of medical products, such as medications, blood samples and medical devices. This accreditation guarantees healthcare professionals the use of strict procedures to store, package, label, and transport medical goods. TNT Express France delivers 50,000 pharmaceutical and clinical consignments per day (15% of its daily deliveries) to 22,000 pharmacies and 3,000 hospitals and clinics. The Certipharm accreditation has been awarded to TNT Express France for a period of three years by the German audit company Dekra. Healthcare is a key market for TNT Express, which has dedicated teams, services and facilities for this sector.

TNT on 23 January flew its first relief flight for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. A Boeing 747-400 ERF cargo plane carried 105 metric tons of high energy biscuits, the equivalent of 500,000 daily rations. A second flight is scheduled for the coming days. TNT has also committed to sending two to four logistics experts of its Emergency Response Team to support the World Food Programme. Moreover, TNT donated EUR 300,000 to Haiti relief, not to mention fundraising initiatives by TNT employees. On 12 January, the south of Haiti was struck by a disastrous 7.0-magnitude earthquake that paralysed its infrastructure and left 3 million people in need of immediate aid.

18 January 2010 – TNT Express France has started using tricycles to deliver light parcels in the centre of Paris. The carbon-free service will initially cover the 3rd arrondissement of the capital before extending to the entire city heart by June 2010. The initiative is conducted in cooperation with Green Logistics / Becycle, a new company specialising in ecological transportation. TNT already makes tricycle deliveries in eight other French towns (Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Dijon, Nancy, Rouen, Grenoble, and Valence). “Three other city centres will follow during the first half of 2010,” said Eric Jacquemet, the president of TNT Express France. Cargo tricycles have proved reliable, efficient and popular for inner city deliveries. They are an answer to noise, pollution, and traffic jams.

14 January 2010 – TNT Express is reducing road transit times for freight and parcels between Europe and Tangier, in the northern tip of Morocco. Transit times between Madrid and the city now run 2 days, cutting previous times in half or more. Many of TNT’s largest customers in the automotive, telecoms, electronics and textile industries operate factories or offices around the town. The regional economy is getting a boost from the Tangier-Med project –designed to be the largest maritime hub in Africa – and from the extension of the Tangier free zone (including a new Renault plant). TNT set up operations in Morocco in 2002 and opened an agency in Tangier early 2004. The company has provided its Economy Express ground service to Morocco since 2006, in addition to a daily air connection between Madrid and Casablanca. TNT also operates a daily road service to Rabat, Meknes, Fes, Marrakech and Tangier.

5 January 2010 – TNT Express UAE has taken delivery of 30 new trailers to build up capacity for increasing volumes on the company’s middle eastern road network. “Introducing added capacity is fundamental when logistics professionals are looking to consolidate distribution and lower their costs,” says Mark Woodcock, Sales and Commercial Director of TNT Express UAE. “Many of our customers are opting for road networks as opposed to air freight.” Besides, TNT Express UAE was recertified compliant with OHSAS18001 health and safety standards in December 2009.

5 January 2010 – TNT carried out a special project to transport a 44-meter yacht mast from Liege, Belgium to Singapore on time for final delivery to the Sydney-Hobart Race 2010 (26 December 2009). The mast, separated into two 22-metre sections, was nose-loaded aboard TNT’s Boeing 747 freighter en route to Shanghai, via Singapore. The 600 kg mast, which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, travelled a total of 20,000 km between Liege and Sydney.