Arlington, Texas — Siemens today announced the release of an Optical Character Reader (OCR) solution for the USPS OneCode. Siemens Postal Automation is the first OCR supplier with the capability to read, spray and sort a mail piece coded with the unique serialized USPS OneCode bar code.
Implementing this solution will enable the USPS to sort and track mail using OneCode, the next generation of USPS bar code technology. The Postal Service has announced that all commercial mailers will have to read OneCode by January of 2009 to qualify for USPS workshare discounts.
The OneCode Pilot was conducted as part of the USPS Seamless Acceptance on a MLOCR-D+ system at ZipSort, Inc. of Minneapolis, a long-standing Siemens customer. ZipSort is one of the largest processors of both standard and first class letter mail. Siemens and ZipSort will continue to test the system and increase the daily test mail volume as part of the pilot. Siemens plans to roll out OneCode capabilities on all new and existing sorter systems within the next few months.
In addition to being processed and packaged into a Mail.Dat® file, the test mailing was electronically uploaded to PostalOne!® using the Siemens Ensemble Host System powered with Postal Reporter from AddressVision Inc.
"Through our strong working relationship with USPS and Siemens and the current testing of 'Seamless Acceptance' and 'OneCode Solution', our clients will be among the first to test the 'OneCode' barcodes,” said Don Berry, CEO, ZipSort, Inc.
"We always look for ways to simplify the mail acceptance process,” said Hank Martin, AddressVisions' OEM Sales Director. "Working with industry leaders like Siemens and ZipSort, Inc. to accomplish this key USPS milestone will dramatically advance the mail acceptance process.”
"Siemens has long been recognized as a producer of the highest quality, best value systems in the marketplace,” said Chuck Scott, Sales Director at Siemens Postal Automation. "The fact that our engineers were the first to read and spray the OneCode for the USPS is testament to Siemens position in the marketplace and its ability to design solutions to meet the needs of our customers.”
About AddressVision Inc.
AddressVision, a Groupe Bull Company, provides software solutions to help organizations more accurately and efficiently organize, process, and deliver mail, and increase mail-piece effectiveness, while decreasing processing times and costs. Its solutions include software designed for use on multi-line optical character recognition (MLOCR) and Delivery BarCode Sorters (DBCS) automation equipment that enables organizations to consolidate and assign 11 digit barcodes to mail pieces in compliance with United States Postal Service® (USPS®) guidelines to gain postage discounts, and software to help organizations manage and personalize marketing lists. These solutions have been used by the USPS, international postal services, telephone carriers, print-and-mail service companies, and other companies which manage and depend on large mailing lists.
About ZipSort Inc.
ZipSort is one of the country's top mail processing companies handling more than 4 million pieces of mail per day, totaling more than 1 billion pieces per year. With cutting edge technology and the latest sorting equipment, ZipSort specializes in commingling mail, First-Class presort and a wide variety of lettershop services to help customers save time and money.
Established in 1987, ZipSort was one of the first companies to provide First-Class presort services in the Midwest. The company has a tradition of generating ideas that are revolutionizing the industry, including full service solutions that meet the needs of customers nationwide.
For more information, call 800-821-0237, write to ZipSort's corporate office at 63 Saint Anthony Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55418 USA, fax 612-788-1776 or visit:
www.zipsortinc.com
About Siemens
Siemens Postal Automation, a division of the Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group, is a global market leader in mail sorting, reading and coding as well as parcel and freight handling solutions. In the U.S., Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. represents the I&S Group within Siemens AG. I&S is the systems and solutions integrator for industrial and infrastructure facilities and global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation and operation across the entire life cycle. I&S uses its own products, systems and process technologies to enhance productivity and improve the competitiveness of companies in metallurgy, water treatment, pulp and paper, oil and gas, marine engineering, open-cast mining, airport logistics, postal automation, intelligent traffic systems and industrial services. In fiscal 2006 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 36,200 people worldwide and achieved total sales of EUR 8.819 billion. For more information, please visit:
www.sea.siemens.com or www.industry.siemens.com.
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $107.4 billion in fiscal 2006. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $21.4 billion and employs approximately 67,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 475,000 people in 190 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States:
www.usa.siemens.com.