Rate Changes Effective May 12
On May 12, prices will be adjusted for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Parcel Return Service and International Mail. For the first time, the pricing includes commercial volume and contract prices, rebates, online price reductions, in addition to other new incentives. Some of the highlights include switching Express Mail to a zone-based pricing system, resulting in customers paying less for nearby destinations. Customers will receive a three percent price reduction by purchasing Express Mail online or through corporate accounts. Additional price reductions are available for those who ship quarterly minimums. Meanwhile, Priority Mail will have an average 3.5% savings for customers who use electronic postage or meet other requirements.
Pricing has always been important to the Postal Service. Now, with greater pricing flexibility than ever, our customers have more choices, and we can price quickly in response to customer needs and the marketplace, said Pricing and Classification Vice President Stephen Kearney.
Free and green. Those are the goals of a pilot program launched by the U.S. Postal Service that allows customers to recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges by mailing them free of charge. The Mail Back program helps consumers make more environmentally friendly choices, making it easier for customers to discard used or obsolete small electronics in an environmentally responsible way. Customers use free envelopes found in 1,500 Post Offices to mail back inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players without having to pay for postage.
Postage is paid for by Clover Technologies Group, a nationally recognized company that recycles, remanufactures and remarkets inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges and small electronics. If the electronic item or cartridges cannot be refurbished and resold, its component parts are reused to refurbish other items, or the parts are broken down further and the materials are recycled. Clover Technologies Group has a zero waste to landfill policy: it does everything it can to avoid contributing any materials to the nations landfills.
It was this philosophy that won Clover the contract with the Postal Service, besting 19 other companies, said Anita Bizzotto, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for the Postal Service. As one of the nations leading corporate citizens, the Postal Service is committed to environmental stewardship, Bizzotto said. This program is one more way the Postal Service is empowering consumers to go green.
The free, postage-paid Mail Back envelopes can be found on displays in Post Office lobbies. There is no limit to the number of envelopes customers may take. The pilot is set for 10 areas across the country, including
Best Way Technologies Partners with Endicia to Add PC Postage Capabilities
Best Way Technologies, Inc. has partnered with Endicia to provide its multi-carrier parcel shipping customers with a simple, efficient way to ship via the U.S. Postal Service. ProShips new automated, web-delivered postage authentication service also replaces the inefficiency of single-location meters and individual postage stamps. It is available to new customers as well as all existing ProShip users.
Justin G. Cramer, executive vice president of Best Way, noted that the USPS is a valuable resource for parcel shippers. USPS delivers to all 50 states with no rural or residential fees, has the ability to delivery to Post Office Boxes, has free Saturday delivery and, in many instances, offers very attractive rates. Our new Endicia service is an efficient way to take advantage of these benefits since it is a charge per transaction service. Alternative ways to ship via USPS include: manifesting, which requires a permit and a time-consuming audit process; postage meters, which requires a long-term contract; good old piece-by-piece stamp pasting; or a combination of any of these, including Endicia. This new service makes establishing the best USPS system even easier.
Philo Named Postal Service IT Chief
Ross Philo, an international leader recognized for enabling business transformation through innovative IT solutions, has been named executive vice president and chief information officer of the U. S. Postal Service. Ross Philo, who comes to the Postal Service after a long career in energy-related information services, will support the development of growth, service and administrative initiatives by ensuring that planning and development are linked with appropriate technology strategies.
Before joining the Postal Service, Philo was director of global energy solutions at Cisco Systems. Prior to that, he was CEO at Visean, Inc., a provider of data transfer services to oil and gas companies. He served as senior vice president and chief information officer at Halliburton Energy Services, held a series of IT leadership roles at Schlumberger Limited and has extensive international business experience. He holds an engineering degree from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London.
Philo will lead a department that has for the fourth year in a row been named as one of the best places to work in the IT industry by Computerworld magazine and which supports more users for less money than any other federal government agency. Philo will report to the Postmaster General and serve on the agencys Executive Committee.
