Tag: USA

Pitney Bowes receives USPS CASS certification on SmartMailer and AddressRight Pro software solutions

Posted by | Jul 17, 2007 | |

Pitney Bowes Inc. announced that its SmartMailer 7 and AddressRight Pro mail management software solutions have received U.S. Postal Service CASS certification for the upcoming Cycle L requirements, scheduled for release on August 1, 2007.

The U.S. Postal Service estimates it spends nearly USD 2 billion each year handling mail that cannot be delivered as addressed. In an effort to cut this cost in half by 2010, the Postal Service is becoming much more stringent on discounts offered to mailers designed to encourage greater accuracy of their address lists. Starting on August 1, 2007, postal automation discounts will only be applicable to mail pieces with a confirmed primary address through the DPV and LACSLink products. Pitney Bowes’ CASS Certified SmartMailer 7 and AddressRight Pro software will include both capabilities.

The DPV™ product verifies that an address is recognized as a valid delivery point by the Postal Service and helps identify inaccurate, incomplete or erroneous addresses. LACSLink™ processing provides mailers with a converted physical address when a 911 emergency system has changed a rural-style address to a city-style address.

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U.S. Postal Service is investigating the possibility of closing Waco’s mail sorting plant

Posted by | Jul 17, 2007 | |

Waco leaders, residents and veterans spent several years trying to convince Veterans Affairs officials to not close the Waco VA Medical Center.

Now the U.S. Postal Service is investigating the possibility of closing Waco’s mail sorting plant, a move that could cost the jobs of up to 240 processing clerks while worsening local mail service.

Postal officials must not allow a deterioration of local mail service.

It’s difficult to imagine how trucking the daily average of 326,000 pieces of mail in the Waco processing plant to Austin and Fort Worth could improve pickup and delivery services for Waco customers.

If a Waco resident or business simply wanted to mail a bill or letter across town, the USPS consolidation plan being studied would have all local mail taken first to Austin or Fort Worth for processing before being trucked back to Waco for local delivery.
Postal service officials announced they had begun a study to maximize mail delivery efficiency and cost savings by consolidating the Waco plant’s operations in January 2006.

The postal service has conducted 52 similar consolidation studies across the country since 2004. Nine of those studies resulted in consolidations, 30 were canceled and 13 are ongoing.

Earlier this year, consolidation studies in Bryan and McAllen were halted after postal officials determined it would negatively impact service quality.

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Postmaster General Discusses 'Vote By Mail' at Conference

Posted by | Jul 17, 2007 | |

Mail can play an important role in helping citizens chose their elected officials and the U.S. Postal Service has resources officials need to create Vote by Mail programs.

Those were the two main points shared by Postmaster General John E. Potter during a keynote address at the National the Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) summer meeting here. Stressing proven experience, commitment and available resources, Potter said the Postal Service is a ready partner in states’ efforts to reach voters and conduct elections through the mail.

Founded in 1904, NASS is the nation’s oldest, nonpartisan, professional organization for state officials. The summer meeting, “A First-Class Experience,” is hosted by Bill Bradbury, Oregon’s Secretary of State. Oregon is the only state in the nation to vote exclusively by mail. Twenty six additional states are considering Vote By Mail initiatives.

The Postal Service plays no role in how elections are carried out in the United States, although it is fully authorized to inform and educate election officials about available USPS products and services.

Those services were put to the test last year when the Postal Service worked closely with the Louisiana Secretary of State and other officials to help locate and deliver election and voting information to tens of thousands of residents displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in time for statewide elections as well as the New Orleans mayoral race.

The Louisiana legislature declared June 2, 2006, “United States Postal Service Day,” recognizing the dedication and commitment Postal Service employees showed after the hurricanes and specifically acknowledging successful efforts in the elections.

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DHL introduces reusable return envelope

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

DHL , has introduced an environmentally friendly reusable envelope for customers that ship and return legal-size documents. The new envelope provides businesses with a quick, simple and eco-friendly return solution.

DHL’s reusable legal envelope can be filled with up to 8 oz of material, and has a built-in closure mechanism that allows it to be re-sealed and used twice. Business shippers requiring a signed or completed legal contract or application by another party can now reduce materials and waste by using a reusable shipping envelope. The envelope also features two separate “tear off” strips and associated “glue strips” so users can be assured the package contents are secure for two trips.

The new reusable envelope may be used with DHL’s return labeling solutions — shippers can create and include the return label in the outbound shipment. These preprinted return labels or “EZ Return” labels can be ordered directly from DHL or created from DHL’s EasyShip® system. The receiver of the shipment may also reuse the envelope with a standard DHL waybill.

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Tighter standards for addresses prompt new look at mailing practices

Posted by | Jul 16, 2007 | |

The new standards are designed to bring greater efficiency and lower costs to the mailstream. One of the biggest sources of waste in the current system is mail that lacks a valid address and cannot be delivered. The Postal Service estimates it spends nearly $2 billion each year to handle this mail, and mailers waste billions of dollars more creating mail pieces that ultimately cannot reach their intended recipient. The Postal Service has committed to cutting undeliverable mail by 50 pct by the year 2010.

The root cause is address lists that are not updated to reflect the tens of millions of changes that occur every year as families move, new households are created, new buildings open, old buildings close or are repurposed, and streets are built or renamed. In tests conducted by Pitney Bowes, up to 12 pct of the letters in a typical mailing may have substandard addresses.

Effective August 1, the Postal Service will no longer provide automation discounts for mail that lacks what the USPS calls a “valid delivery point,” tacking up to six additional cents on to the postage for each such piece. For a mail drop of 100,000 pieces where 6 pct lack valid delivery points, this could result in more than USD 230 in higher postage costs for the mailer. Multiplied across the billions of letters that enter the mailstream every year, the potential financial hit reaches tens of millions of dollars.

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