STAMFORD, Conn., May 02, 2011 – Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today announced it is introducing the Reliant™ Sorting Solution to provide lower-volume mail producers with a cost-efficient way to sort a variety of outgoing mail to obtain USPS® postage discounts and to speed the delivery of incoming mail. Ideal for enterprises and government agencies, the new solution features a small footprint, making it easy to add to existing mail operations. In addition, the Reliant Sorting Solution can help organizations manage private, high-integrity mail in one location for their transactional print and mail operations.

“Changes in technology, mail volumes, mail patterns, USPS® processes, and economic conditions are causing more organizations to reconsider their strategy for obtaining postage discounts,” said Grant Miller, vice president, global strategic product management and North American sales, Document Messaging Technologies, Pitney Bowes. “Our new Reliant Sorting Solution makes it viable for organizations with lower mail volumes to sort their mail in-house to take advantage of deeper postage discounts.”

The Reliant Sorting Solution can sort letters up to 18,000 per hour and flats up to 16,000 per hour. Measuring only 9.9 feet long by 34 inches wide, the small footprint of the solution makes it seamless to add to existing mail and print operations. The Reliant Sorting Solution enables mailers to access U.S. Postal Service® outbound sorting, in-bound sorting, and Vote by Mail applications. The solution is also backed by a single service and support team for peak efficiency and performance. The Reliant Sorting Solution is available immediately for order.

Pitney Bowes press release

COPENHAGEN, Denmark– Zumbox announced today that it will showcase the latest version of its Zumbox digital postal platform at Post-Expo 2010 in Copenhagen. In addition, the company’s CEO, John Payne, will speak during the conference at the World Postal Business Forum, organized in association with the Universal Postal Union, with a presentation entitled “Physical or digital postal mail – same address for delivery.”

In May of 2010, Zumbox announced the availability of its Zumbox Platform as a locally deployable, carrier grade, white label software solution for license by postal authorities and commercial entities worldwide. In August, Zumbox introduced the next major version of its Zumbox Platform, Zumbox 2.0, which includes High Volume Transactional Output APIs, the Zumbox Mobile Reader and other new capabilities that are now available under the Zumbox Platform licensing program.

Additionally, in recent months Zumbox has announced important agreements with DST Output, a leading provider of print and electronic output solutions, Crawford Technologies, a leader in print-stream transformation and document re-engineering software solutions, and GovDelivery, the leading provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions. These partnerships represent major milestones in further developing Zumbox’s digital postal system in the United States.

“Our focus on street address based digital mail systems enables a gradual migration by mailers and consumer recipients,” said John Payne, CEO of Zumbox. “Most businesses have 100% of the street addresses of their customers and less than 20% of their email addresses, many of which are bad. Digital postal mail directed by street address is a logical migration for postal agencies as a complement to their core, paper delivery offerings.”

As part of the World Postal Business Forum, organized in association with the Universal Postal Union, Mr. Payne will explore in more detail the importance of street addresses in digital postal services in a session titled “Physical or digital postal mail – same address for delivery” on Friday, October 8, 2010, followed by a panel discussion.

To schedule a meeting at Post-Expo with Zumbox or for other inquiries regarding the Zumbox Platform, please contact Adam Schneider, VP and General Manager of Zumbox Software at adam@zumbox.com.

STAMFORD, Conn.– Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today introduced its newest entry in the mail sortation market, the Pitney Bowes® Vantage™ Sorting Solution, designed to automate more mail sorting processes, including weighing and postage metering, saving time and reducing expenses. The new system is exhibited at the 2010 Graph Expo exhibition and conference in Chicago, IL, in Booth #3601 and also at Post Expo in Copenhagen, Denmark, in Stand #2020.

The Vantage™ Sorting Solution is intended to deliver superior performance along a number of dimensions, including productivity, reliability, flexibility and ease of use, for a greater total return on investment. Its new feeder technology allows for greater variability of mailpiece thickness than current systems, without compromising system speed. The increased loading capacity and L-shape feeder deck design simplifies workflow. Sorting integrity—a critical component of meeting stringent postal and business requirements—is enhanced by tracking each mailpiece to its final sort pocket destination and by an innovative new double-detection technology that can even distinguish tabbed mailpieces.

“This solution is the culmination of countless conversations with our global customers about the specific capabilities they require. In fact, the Vantage™ Sorting Solution is designed specifically to help mailers to create real value in the mail sorting process,” said Grant Miller, vice president for global strategic product management at Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. “Posts, service bureaus, presort shops, enterprise mailers and mail consolidators will all find this powerful, flexible and scalable new solution can help deliver results for their business.”

One of the key value propositions, Miller noted, is the ability to offer integration of mail sorting with other processes, such as inline weighing and postage metering. This automation of more mail processes not only streamlines the overall way mailpieces are handled, but also allows mailers to accept mail from more sources and expand their service.

The Vantage™ Sorting Solution’s ergonomic design takes the safety and comfort of its operators into account as well. All optional equipment, such as printers, are housed in the chassis and behind covers for improved accessibility and quieter operation.

Pitney Bowes backs up the Vantage™ Sorting Solution with optional service packages that can help keep the system operating with superior performance over the long haul. Pitney Bowes’s specially trained customer service organization can help the system run at its optimal efficiency, enabling mailers to provide aggressive Service Level Agreements to their clients.

”The Vantage™ Sorting Solution takes our years of experience in mailing technology and exceptional customer service and puts it all together. It delivers superior quality, higher overall throughput speed and ease of operation that will enhance our customers’ business operations.” commented Miller. First placements of the new systems are expected in the fourth quarter of 2010.

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement reacting to the Postal Regulatory Commission’s planned six month review of the US Postal Service’s proposal to end Saturday Delivery:

“I’m pleased that the Postal Regulatory Commission will be taking steps in the coming weeks to thoroughly examine the Postal Service’s proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery and hear the views of stakeholders on both sides of the issue.

“I am concerned; however, that the proposed timeline that the Commission has laid out for the completion of its work might mean that a final advisory opinion from Commissioners might not come until October or later. As I pointed out at a hearing I chaired last week, this seems to me to be an awfully long period of time, especially when you consider the fact that the 9/11 Commission came out with its report just seven months after President Bush signed the bill that created it into law. With the Postal Service at risk of running out of cash and borrowing room sometime in 2011, it is important that postal management and Congress hear from the Commission sooner rather than later on the advisability of finding savings by eliminating Saturday delivery. My understanding is that the law and Commission regulations envision the Commission being able to complete work on proposals like the Postal Service’s proposal on Saturday delivery within three months. I recognize that this is an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about but I hope that the Commission can make its views known on a quicker timeline, particularly given the dire financial circumstances currently facing the Postal Service.”

CARLSBAD, CA — 02/22/10 — In today’s challenging economy, businesses are looking for an advantage to help them pull out of the recession and avoid losses, layoffs, or worse. Companies are focusing on a single task — increasing sales. To help businesses in Texas learn how to quickly implement powerhouse direct mail marketing campaigns proven to sell, Modern Postcard is providing an exclusive opportunity to learn the tools, tricks and techniques behind capturing better leads for new customers and driving increased revenues. The Direct Mail Crash Course, a national seminar series, will be presented for the first time in Texas in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) where attendees will receive new and proven strategies to increase business leads and revenues. Read the rest of this entry »