Tag: USA

USPS seeks comment on proposed uses of Intelligent Mail barcodes

Posted by | Dec 26, 2007 | |

The US Postal Service is seeking feedback on proposed rules related to the use of Intelligent Mail barcodes.

The notice is expected to be published in the Federal Register sometime in January. Once published, a 45-day comment period will begin.

The Intelligent Mail barcode was developed by the USPS to encode routing and tracking information on mail. While the PostNet barcode only contains the routing code, the Intelligent Mail barcode includes fields that identify the mailer and class of mail, encode special services, and uniquely number each mailpiece.

According to the notice, mailers will have to use one of two proposed options in order to qualify for automation prices for letters and flats as of January 2009. As of this date, automation prices will no longer be available for PostNet barcode users.

The first option, which the USPS is calling “Full Service,” will require that unique Intelligent Mail barcodes be applied to the following three categories: letter and flat mailpieces, handling units such as trays and sacks, and containers. Postage statements and mailing documentation will also need to be submitted electronically. The second option, referred to as “Basic,” will require mailers to use Intelligent Mail barcodes on mailpieces, but not on trays and containers.

In the future, the USPS plans to issue a separate notice addressing mail characteristics impacting machineability and delivery efficiency for letters and flats.

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EU raises doubt over US trade deal

Posted by | Dec 23, 2007 | |

The high hopes that greeted a transatlantic trade deal ostensibly ending a dispute over online gambling have been almost immediately dashed by a look at the small print.

The European Union last week hailed an agreement with Washington to open up its warehousing, courier and testing service sector as compensation for closing the online gaming market to foreign companies last year.

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said the US Postal Service had allowed foreign competitors to handle overseas mail for 20 years. All it was doing was making the decision legally binding so it could not be reversed. Sensitive sectors such as domestic delivery and storage at ports and airports would remain closed.

An official added that this had “real value” and the EU agreed. “It gives the sector legal certainty. There is real value in binding the commitments,” said a spokesman for Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner.

However, company officials and their lobbyists on both sides of the Atlantic are not so sure. “To us, this market was already liberalised and we have been operating in it for many years. It is too early to evaluate what long-term benefits this decision would have,” said a spokesman for the German courier.

World Trade Organisation officials said that it was up to the US and trading partners to agree adequate compensation between them. Washington would then notify the WTO of changes to US services commitments.

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Initiate Systems Teams with Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software

Posted by | Dec 20, 2007 | |

Initiate Systems, Inc., and Group 1 Software, Inc., a Pitney Bowes company, today announced a strategic alliance to jointly market a master data management (MDM) solution. This solution will comprise the Initiate Master Data Service™ Platform for accurate matching and linking of data and Pitney Bowes’ Group 1 customer data quality (CDQ) platform with third party reference data for up-to-date names, addresses and other data.

The combined solution improves the overall value of customer data integration (CDI) and MDM initiatives. Initiate identifies all of the data entities and builds a comprehensive view of the data associated with those entities, while Pitney Bowes helps ensure the address data attributes associated with those entities are correct and up-to-date. This single, accurate, enterprise-wide view of the customer will help companies make better business decisions, strengthen customer relationships and improve the bottom line.

“Combining Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software’s CDQ platform and Initiate Systems’ high-performance, matching and linking software will provide a complete, end-to-end MDM solution for companies seeking to sharpen their business decisions and deepen their customer relationships,” said Christopher Baker, president of Pitney Bowes Group 1 Software. “Improving data quality, integration and management across the enterprise can have an immediate impact on the bottom line.”

Initiate Systems’ President and CEO Bill Conroy said interoperability between the Initiate Master Data Service integration platform and Pitney Bowes’ Group 1 Software CDQ data platform can accelerate the deployment of an integrated MDM solution and the realization of business value from such a project.

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USPS updates its Transformation Plan to reflect new law and new technologies

Posted by | Dec 20, 2007 | |

The Strategic Transformation Plan 2006-2010, the Postal Service roadmap for the future, has been updated to reflect changes from last year’s passage of the Postal Act of 2006. The law makes a number of changes to postal oversight and regulation, but does not alter the Postal Service’s mission – providing trusted, affordable and universal service. Among the opportunities is new flexibility to customize products and prices to meet customer needs. The Postal Service now also has the ability to retain earnings and invest profits back into the business. New challenges include the Consumer Price Index-based price cap for mailing services such as First-Class Mail and Standard Mail. The update notes that cost-control strategies will be expanded beyond the aggressive efforts taken so far. The Postal Service will continue to reduce costs by at least USD 1 billion every year by expanding standardization and automation. This effort will be given a boost in the coming year as the Postal Service begins deployment of its new Flats Sequencing System. Known as FSS, this new equipment automatically sorts flat-shaped mail in the order in which it will be delivered. The update also describes how technology is being applied to add customer value. Most significant is the Postal Service’s rapid expansion of Intelligent Mail, which uses new barcodes and systems to provide end-to-end visibility of mail. Intelligent Mail will also enable an expanded service measurement. The system will be developed and tested in 2008 in tandem with implementation of modern service standards for all mailing services.

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FedEx Corp. Reports second quarter earnings

Posted by | Dec 20, 2007 | |

FedEx Corp. reported earnings of USD 1.54 per diluted share for the second quarter ended November 30, compared to USD 1.64 per diluted share a year ago.

Second Quarter Results

FedEx Corp. reported the following consolidated results for the second quarter:
• Revenue of USD 9.45 billion, up 6pct from USD 8.93 billion the previous year
• Operating income of USD 783 million, down 7pct from USD 839 million a year ago
• Operating margin of 8.3pct , down from 9.4pct the previous year
• Net income of USD 479 million, down 6pct from last year’s USD 511 million
Operating margin declined primarily due to the net impact of substantially higher fuel costs and continued weakness in the U.S. economy, which is limiting demand for the company’s U.S. domestic express package and lessthan-truckload (LTL) freight services. Last year’s second quarter results included USD 0.25 per diluted share net impact of costs associated with the pilot labor contract, mostly offset by the benefits from the timing of net fuel impacts and Hurricane Katrina insurance proceeds.
Total combined average daily package volume in the FedEx Express and FedEx Ground segments grew 8pct year over year for the quarter, due to growth in ground and FedEx International Priority (IP) shipments and an increase in international domestic express shipments resulting primarily from recent international acquisitions.

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