Jean-Pierre Streich, directeur général de Swiss Post International
Swiss Post International (SPI) is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Swiss Post and employs some 1,200 staff in 11 European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy and France, as well as in the United States and 4 Asian countries. The company is currently seeking new partners in India and the Arab Emirates. SPI’s turnover has risen dramatically, standing at 648 million euros in 2006 of which 215 million euros was generated by its foreign subsidiaries. SPI already accounts for more than 13% of Swiss Post’s overall turnover of some 4.7 billion euros. “SPI provides all the products and services our private and commercial clients need for international postal exchanges with Switzerland,” explains Jean-Pierre Streich, managing director of Swiss Post International. “In addition, SPI, in collaboration with its foreign subsidiaries, has available a comprehensive international postal dispatch offer for commercial clients that ranges from the processing of commercial dispatches and complete services in the direct marketing field to the dispatch of small-sized goods including the start-to-finish distribution of newspapers and periodicals and subscription management.”
Admitting to being sometimes a little dearer than its rivals, Jean-Pierre Streich highlights the quality and reliability of SPI services. He cites, for example, two high added-value services for international clients: the International Address Guide, available in 3 languages (English, French and German), and the International Holiday Calendar containing information about public holidays country by country and region by region. The 2008 edition has been available since October.
SPI France sets an example
Founded in 1997, SPI France, the 2nd subsidiary founded by the SPI consortium, has established itself as one of the major players in the French postal community, with 20 million envelopes processed and more than 300 clients. “The jewel in SPI’s crown,” confides Jean-Pierre Streich with undisguised delight. “Today, 12 countries can be reached directly from France, whereas 10 years ago the link was exclusively between France and Switzerland,” he says. Still with a view to offering its clients high added-value solutions and in view of the constantly increasing volumes of mail, SPI France has acquired cutting-edge technology that enables it to process up to 15,000 envelopes an hour.
Let’s not forget either that SPI is also developing its B to C business for small goods, in particular those sold via Internet. It is also evident that companies are once again investing more in advertising, particularly in the field of direct marketing. Lastly, in June 2006, SPI acquired a franchised company in Singapore. This expansion in Asia represents a decisive move for SPI, which intends to become a truly international group. It is not neglecting its expansion in Europe however, where it occupies 5th place in the international letters market (Switzerland included), a market shared between twelve postal service providers.
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