News Releases

TOKYO and VLADIVOSTOK - Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo: 6502) today announced it has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding ("MOU") with Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Russian Post"  ("Russian Post") on comprehensive collaboration in the postal and logistics automation systems business in Russia. Based on the MOU, Toshiba and Russian Post will strengthen their strategic partnership and discuss collaboration. The signing ceremony took placed within the framework of the Second Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok on September, 2-3, 2016.

Toshiba is the system integrator for the implementation of Russian Post's project to introduce new equipment at FSUE Russian Post's Logistics Centre at the Moscow International Exchange Center. The company started installation of letter and parcel sorting machines in end of 2014, and customs inspection system will be installed by the end of year 2016.

Toshiba is delivering the system layout and the operation flow together with automated equipment that handles parcels and mails of various sizes. Progress made so far has already significantly improved productivity and realized positive results in Moscow.

Russian Post plans to automate several more of its international logistics centers across Russia, and based on the firm foundations achieved so far in joint implementation by Toshiba and Russian Post, Toshiba will seek to provide equipment and expand its postal and logistic automation systems business in Russia. Along with the MOU, Toshiba and Russian Post also signed an amendment to the current contract for an additional expansion of the system in Moscow. The total value of the contract for the Moscow facility, including the amendment, will be about 44 mln euro.

Russia is seeing a large increase in imported parcels with the growth of the e-Commerce market, and both parties recognize that automation of logistics and postal services in Russia is an important infrastructure for Russia's continuing economic development. The contract amendment will lead the way to efficient mail and parcel processing, and Russian Post positions the automation of the Moscow International Exchange Center as a model for upgrading its other international exchange hubs.

"Toshiba's deployment of the automated system at Moscow allowed us to successfully handle the 2015 year-end peak in postal traffic," said Alexey Skatin, Deputy General Director of Russian Post. "We greatly appreciate Toshiba's contribution to promote efficiency. We have high hopes of Toshiba as a strategic partner for realizing our plans of automation. On the sidelines of the EEF, we also had a business meeting with Toshiba's management and discussed further cooperation of two Companies in modernization of Russian Post's logistics, including introduction of technologies for improvement of export operations."

"Since developing the world's first automated OCR mail processing system, Toshiba has supplied postal and logistics automation system to about 20 countries, including Canada, Serbia, Brazil, Singapore, and Australia," said Sadao Sekine, Vice President, Toshiba Corporation Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Company. "As a total system integrator for postal and logistics, we are committed to providing best-fit solutions to customers around the world. Following the MOU with Russian Post, we are keen to contribute more to an efficient postal and logistics network, and aim to grow our postal and logistics automation systems' business in Russia."