05.13.2015
Bell and Howell understands that mailing operations that handle small parcels have different needs than those that mainly handle large ones. The company’s new Smalls ParcelMgr™ sorting system will help maximize U.S. Postal Service discounts for organizations that routinely ship more than 2,000 small parcels (under 5 lbs.) per day. Smalls ParcelMgr support numerous USPS® rate categories including First Class package services, priority mail and flats; and Bell and Howell’s software suite is evolving to meet future needs of parcel shippers.
Smalls ParcelMgr can add speed and value to organizations such as eCommerce and prescription fulfilment operations, flats mailers and operations that send padded mailers under 16 oz. or polybags in volume.
The Smalls ParcelMgr system is designed to meet all USPS regulatory requirements for parcels mailing, including the Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMpb). Users can minimize operational expenses by automating the labeling process to earn even larger postal discounts. For shippers that receive intermixed flats mail and parcels from their customers, ParcelMgr automatically processes “on the fly” using the most economical shipping method based on a customer’s business rules, and can simultaneously process different types of mail and parcels.
“If your mailing operation uses an online stamp retailer to buy, calculate and print your postage, you will definitely want to take a look at what Smalls ParcelMgr could potentially save you,” says Mike Swift, Vice President and General Manager, Sorting and Parcels Business Unit. “By our estimates, an operation that ships 4,000 small parcels a day could save up to $1,880 per day in potential postage spend. That’s $450,000 in potential annual postage savings plus significant additional labor savings from automating your parcel-labeling operations typically by at least 15-fold productivity vs. manual processing. For consolidators, shippers and mailers that are already processing flats mail, ParcelMgr can provide a strong payback by reducing existing labor and postage costs while providing a platform for future growth by serving parcel shippers.”
The Smalls ParcelMgr takes advantage of current and future parcel-pricing discounts. Shippers can save up to $3 by sorting parcels into existing USPS postage products when compared to shipping them at a single-piece postage rate. They can also save $0.51 per piece when sorting to 5-digit as compared to Commercial Based Mixed ADC.
Savings via sortation
- The Smalls ParcelMgr system employs a unique process to operate efficiently and maximize savings.
- Product introduction – parcels enter the system
- Product separation – parcels are gapped to ensure a clear zone
- In-motion weighing – parcels are weighed
- Scan and track – optical character recognition (OCR) address and lookup
- Output conveyer – hosts print-and-apply labeler
- Sortation – sorts via conveyor with eight output increments with up to 104 or more outputs: basket trucks or USPS sacks/other receptacles
- Software – the system is controlled and powered by Bell and Howell’s proven Netsort® and MMT Sabre® software that conforms with USPS IMB® and IMpB barcodes and Mail.dat® and eVS electronic reporting
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