Cuban Postal Service Aims for Efficiency in Package Delivery, Battling Internal Challenges
Havana, Cuba – The state-run International Courier and Trade Company, part of Correos de Cuba, is undergoing a transformation. Facing mounting pressure from customers experiencing lengthy delays and lost packages, the company has unveiled plans to significantly boost its efficiency in delivering international parcels.
Rubén Morales Enamorado, Vice President of the Correos de Cuba Business Group, announced ambitious targets during a recent broadcast of the program A Round Table. He stated the company aims to increase its daily distribution capacity to a remarkable 180 tons of parcels. To achieve this, they intend to process between 3,000 and 6,000 shipments per hour, a figure that will fluctuate based on the weight of each package.
Driving this ambitious initiative is a modernization effort incorporating cutting-edge technology. X-ray systems and advanced automated sorting tools are being deployed to streamline the handling of parcels arriving from customs.
"We aim to process between 3,000 and 6,000 loads per hour," Morales stated, highlighting the company’s commitment to speed up the process.
However, the path to efficiency is fraught with challenges.
Cuba’s chronic power outages have significantly hindered operations, disrupting continuous workflows and delaying deliveries. Adding to these difficulties is the ongoing fuel shortage, which has created logistical nightmares in transporting packages across the island nation.
Acknowledging these hurdles, the company has pledged to install a new solar-powered backup system to mitigate the impact of power blackouts. Furthermore, Correos de Cuba is collaborating with Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to handle the "last mile" delivery in certain areas and municipalities.
Despite this partnership, the recent past has seen Correos de Cuba placing the blame for delivery delays squarely on the shoulders of these MSMEs, a move that drew criticism from both the MSMEs and the public.
Officially, Correos de Cuba promises delivery times ranging from 72 hours to five business days. But stories circulating among customers paint a far grimmer picture, with reports of packages languishing for months, or even worse, disappearing altogether. To highlight this alarming trend, one recent report detailed a package where the contents had been stolen and replaced with screws.
The combination of archaic infrastructure, power outages, and bureaucratic complexities has fueled a growing wave of public discontent. Complaints and criticisms continue to cascade across social media platforms, underscoring the urgent need for Correos de Cuba to address these systemic issues and provide reliable and efficient service to its customers.
The future of Cuba’s postal service hangs in the balance, with a promise of transformation overshadowed by persistent challenges. Only time will tell if these ambitious plans can overcome the deeply entrenched obstacles and deliver on the promise of reliable package delivery for the Cuban people.
