APT - Automated Production Tracking
IMB Based Mail Production Tracking
What is Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB)?
Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB), the USPS mandate, formerly referred to as the 4-State
Customer barcode, is a new Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and
flats. The Postal Service is promoting use of the Intelligent Mail barcode because it
expands the ability to track individual mailpieces and provides customers with greater
visibility into the mailstream. The mailers have the option to use the Intelligent Mail
barcode on letters and flat mails for the Confirm® Service, referred to as OneCode
Confirm™ and; a version of Address Change Service™ (ACS™) called OneCode
ACS™. This makes it a valuable part of an Enterprise Address Mail Management
strategy. The new deadline for the mandate is May, 2009.
For detailed information on how to populate the Intelligent Mail® barcode, please
access the Intelligent Mail® barcode specification and Technical Resource Guide from
http://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/
APT Support with IMB
APT system tracks every mailpiece through out every production steps. The tracking is
based on the unique ID on the mailpiece. Before the IMB is implemented, all the tracking
activities are done through a regular 1D or 2D barcode such as Code 128, PDF417,
Datamatrix, or QR Code, etc. Since USPS mandates IMB on every mail, it creates a
unique ID for each mailpiece during a long period of time. USPS uses IMB to track mails
in the mail delivery cycle. APT can track mailpiece with IMB in the mail production cycle
to provide close-loop integrity and complete mail production life cycle audit. It is a great
compliment for this mandate effort. Plus, APT provides a great production monitoring
and management tool for productivity and SLA services.
IMB Based Mail Production Tracking
What is Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB)?
Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB), the USPS mandate, formerly referred to as the 4-State
Customer barcode, is a new Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and
flats. The Postal Service is promoting use of the Intelligent Mail barcode because it
expands the ability to track individual mailpieces and provides customers with greater
visibility into the mailstream. The mailers have the option to use the Intelligent Mail
barcode on letters and flat mails for the Confirm® Service, referred to as OneCode
Confirm™ and; a version of Address Change Service™ (ACS™) called OneCode
ACS™. This makes it a valuable part of an Enterprise Address Mail Management
strategy. The new deadline for the mandate is May, 2009.
For detailed information on how to populate the Intelligent Mail® barcode, please
access the Intelligent Mail® barcode specification and Technical Resource Guide from
http://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/
APT Support with IMB
APT system tracks every mailpiece through out every production steps. The tracking is
based on the unique ID on the mailpiece. Before the IMB is implemented, all the tracking
activities are done through a regular 1D or 2D barcode such as Code 128, PDF417,
Datamatrix, or QR Code, etc. Since USPS mandates IMB on every mail, it creates a
unique ID for each mailpiece during a long period of time. USPS uses IMB to track mails
in the mail delivery cycle. APT can track mailpiece with IMB in the mail production cycle
to provide close-loop integrity and complete mail production life cycle audit. It is a great
compliment for this mandate effort. Plus, APT provides a great production monitoring
and management tool for productivity and SLA services.
Automated
Production
Tracking (APT)
Automated
Reprinting
Closed Loop
Integrity &
Piece Level
Audit Trail
Real Time
Multiple Line
Reconciliation
Real Time
Production
Monitoring
Real Time
Productivity
and SLA
Reporting
File-based
Upgrade
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| Advanced Productivity Technology |
| Tactical Investments for Strategic Results |
| Featured: Multi-Line Tracking multiple production line reconciliation Work In Process real time production monitoring Productivity live productivity measurement SLA Management real time SLA management IMB Based Tracking APT for IMB initiative Single Line Upgrade single line document integrity and file based insertion |
| © 2008 Ironsides Technology. All rights reserved. |
The key benefits using Intelligent Mail® Barcode (IMB)-based APT are
The implementation of IMB-based APT is not too much different from regular barcode based APT system providing
the IMB implementation effort is done properly. Most of camera systems can read an IMB or can be upgraded to
read it. There are few fields related to IMB need to be added in job tickets for APT system to work with.
Transpromo Support with IMB and APT
By making the IMB unique to both the mailing and addressee, mailers can identify mail pieces in production tracking
systems such as APT even before the piece is mailed. This provides support for downstream marketing promotions
printed on transaction documents - “Transpromo”.
- Comply with USPS mandate
- Multi-purposed piece level identification
- Use for piece level tracking and reporting
- Leverage existing piece level tracking system to manage SLA and customer communication
- Closed loop piece level tracking and auditing throughout production cycle, print-mail
- Automated reprint process
The implementation of IMB-based APT is not too much different from regular barcode based APT system providing
the IMB implementation effort is done properly. Most of camera systems can read an IMB or can be upgraded to
read it. There are few fields related to IMB need to be added in job tickets for APT system to work with.
Transpromo Support with IMB and APT
By making the IMB unique to both the mailing and addressee, mailers can identify mail pieces in production tracking
systems such as APT even before the piece is mailed. This provides support for downstream marketing promotions
printed on transaction documents - “Transpromo”.
