UPS Pushes the Envelope with New Mail Processing Technology

UPS Mail Innovations, the business mail services unit of UPS (NYSE: UPS), has deployed an advanced technology system that represents a significant innovation in the processing of business mail.
The system, known as the Automated Processing System (APS), reduces the manual handling of flat business mail, a major advance from current industry practices. APS streamlines the processing of “flats,” which includes items such as annual reports, brochures and calendars, by handling the weighing, sorting, application of proper postage and the verification of addresses.

Customers also will benefit from added versatility and flexibility. The new system accepts a variety of materials, including paper, plastic and cardboard, and can process multiple sizes of mail pieces.

UPS used its industrial engineering expertise to develop the software program that serves as the system’s “brains,” evaluating how to best route a mail piece. With this information in hand, the system sorts, weighs and applies proper postage and determines the most efficient path. An additional feature of APS is its integration with the U.S. Postal Service’s system, which allows a piece of mail to be tracked to its final scan prior to delivery.

“Our customers can ultimately expect improved service, higher reliability when compared to manually sorted mail, an increased acceptance rate by the U.S. Postal Service and quicker alerts to nonexistent addresses,” said Steve McNutt, the head of UPS Mail Innovations.

APS is deployed in nearly all of the UPS Mail Innovations processing centers in the U.S.

APS enables a customized process down to the smallest detail, including instructions for responding to invalid addresses, which are isolated once detected. Following address validation, mail pieces are separated, sorted by location and loaded into tubs that are automatically replaced as they are filled.

UPS Mail Innovations expedites flats, mail pieces less than one pound and bound printed matter for businesses by providing the upstream mail processes, such as pick-up, sorting, weighing, applying postage and inducting them into the U.S. Postal Service for final delivery.

Operating 11 mail processing centers throughout the United States, UPS Mail Innovations is a national account of the U.S. Postal Service and participates in its work-share programs.