Took early decision to paint all vehicles brown.Now: Operates in more than 200 countries with 320,000 staff.Performance: 1994 sales, $17.2bnPlans: "UPS will not step in and offer a solution to the strike situation and I do not want to raise consumer expectation that we will do so," explained Colin Beesley, the UK marketing director "We don't see this as an opportunity. In just a month no one would be able to put that kind of infrastructure in place."HaysBritish transport and distribution group, already operates one of the country's biggest private postal networks, called Britdoc.Now: Service has 28,000 members, such as banks, building societies, law firms and NHS trusts and handles 750,000 items each night Service costs two-thirds the price of first-class post. The Post Office is a pretty good operation and offers a good service when you compare it with others around the world."UPSUnited Parcel Services was founded as a telephone message service in 1907 by Seattle teenagers Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. Total staff: 107,000.UK: 1,000 staff, mainly out of depots in Stansted and Prestwick.Performance: 1995 sales, $9.4bn Profits: $298mPlans: "It's not really our market. No current plans to introduce a domestic mail delivery service.Federal ExpressFounded in the late 1960s by American Fed Smith who saw the need for an overnight delivery service.Now: Offers package and delivery service in the US and 192 countries but specialises in intercontinental deliveries No domestic service in UK or within Europe. Started flying shipping documents to and from Hawaii.Now: operates in 223 countries with 31,000 staff.Performance: 1994 sales of $3.1bnUK: 46 offices, employing 2,700 people handling 14 million parcels a year.Plans: Core business is international express delivery: "We will have extra people to handle extra volumes, which have risen by 15-25 per cent in previous strikes." Supports a uniform postal service at a uniform price.

Says it would offer a nationwide service at a uniform price and possibly install orange post- boxes to collect the mail. Would seek subsidies and a duopoly arrangement similar to that of BT and Mercury.DHLFounded 1969 in San Francisco by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn (D, H and L). But says it is interested in setting up a rival operation to the Royal Mail if the monopoly is lifted permanently. Possible candidates include WH Smith - which is run by former Post Office chairman Bill Cockburn and has 53 depots serving 25,000 outlets - and Northern Foods, one of the country's biggest milk delivery businesses..

TNT Australian-based company founded in 1946 by Ken Thomas as Thomas Nationwide Transport. Now: Worldwide sales of Aus$2.8bn and 31,000 staff.UK: 35 depots and 8,500 staff.Plans: No interest in competing for just a month. Amtrak, for instance, said if something were posted in Truro at 5pm, it could get it to Edinburgh by 9am next day.Less obvious competition could come in the form of companies in unrelated industries, but with big delivery networks. "If any of the other big couriers think they can cover every nook and cranny of the UK as they stand, then good luck to them," said Cliff Morley, head of public relations for Federal Express in Europe. "The Post Office does a superb job, probably the best in Europe," he added.What deters the big players from setting up a system that even begins to compare with the Post Office is the sheer cost - as well as the uncertainty surrounding future ownership and regulation of the Royal Mail.But operators such as Amtrak, City Link and Business Post may be able to offer local services. What the public want is a uniform service at a guaranteed rate. I believe we can provide a service that competes on both price and on quality.