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Visibility Strategy

Visibility Strategy. September, 2006. Visibility Today. CONFIRM provides piece level mail processing data that can be used for tracking for letters and flats 218 CONFIRM subscribers with an average of 353 million pieces per month Each piece receives an average of 2.4 scans

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Visibility Strategy

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  1. Visibility Strategy September, 2006

  2. Visibility Today • CONFIRM provides piece level mail processing data that can be used for tracking for letters and flats • 218 CONFIRM subscribers with an average of 353 million pieces per month • Each piece receives an average of 2.4 scans • Limited start-the-clock capabilities • Some flats bypass processing equipment • No container tracking data available

  3. Recent Visibility Advancements Recent technology improvements enable more robust visibility offerings than previously available. • Deployment of Surface Visibility • PostalOne! capability to support Large/Medium/Small customers • Deployment of FAST • Deployment of passive tray scanning capabilities • New unique barcodes for pieces and containers • Implementation of common customer identifier across visibility systems (Business Entity ID)

  4. Scanning Systems USPS has deployed a number of systems that can provide visibility data. • Surface Visibility: Tracking of handling units and containers via surface transport • Surface-Air Support System (SASS): Tracking of handling units and containers via air transport • PostalOne!: Handling Unit, Container & Piece electronic documentation • PostalOne! Transportation Management System: Tray tracking • CONFIRM: Letter and flat piece-level mail processing data • IBI-Track and Trace: Meter and internet postage piece tracking • FAST: Advance Notification • Integrated Dispatch and Receipt (IDR): Tray tracking • Mail Handling System (MHS): Tray tracking

  5. PostalOne! Expansion PostalOne! provides a comprehensive approach to submit electronic documentation for all mail classes. • Provide makeup of mail by Handling Unit, Container, Piece • Enables nesting of visibility data • Provides advance notification that enables planning • First-Class Mail via Mail.dat Enabled in November via MAIL.DAT Mailer PostalOne! Standard Periodicals via Web Services First-Class Postage Statement Wizard Parcels

  6. Barcodes - Piece Three barcode types enable mailers to uniquely identify all letter and flat mailpieces. PLANET Code • 13 digits • Limited to CONFIRM only Four State Customer Barcode (4CB) • 31 digits • Used for multiple services (CONFIRM, OneCode ACS, etc) Information Based Indicia (IBI) • 256 bytes

  7. Barcodes - Container New barcodes have also been created to enable unique identification of containers. • Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL) • Used on trays, sacks, and tubs • Uses BEI as customer identifier • Interim solution allows for both 10 and 24 digit label • Surface Visibility Mailer Placard Barcode • Used on pallets, APCs and other large containers • Uses BEI as customer identifier

  8. New Barcodes USPS has recently release specifications for three new barcodes that enable unique identification. • Surface Visibility Mailer Placard Barcode: Pallets • Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL): Trays • Four State Customer Barcode (4CB): Pieces Surface Visibility Mailer Placard 21 Digits Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL) 24 Digits Four State Customer Barcode (4CB) 31 Digits

  9. Business Entity Identifier • Initially, 20 BEIs will be granted per Customer Location • Obtain BEI by calling PostalOne! help desk initially, will automate in future • BEI can be 6 or 9 digits • 6-Digit BEIs provided to customers that require additional digits to maintain unique serial IDs over 90 days • Will be used to identify a mailer in the Four State Barcode (4CB), Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL) and Mailer Placard barcodes • Used to determine who to disseminate Confirm and OneCode ACS data • Enhances existing USPS services and offerings and provides a foundation for additional services and offerings to customers of any size.

  10. P 1 ! TMS Scan Visibility Enabled – Air Transport There are many visibility points that are available for containers transported via air. • 24 digit EDL first scanned by P1! TMS to associate to D&R tag • D&R tag scanned on average 3 times • Air Transportation Supplier nesting of D&R to containers provides additional visibility D&R Tag Assignment Tray Container Tray Tray

  11. Visibility Enabled – Surface Transport Significant visibility also exists for surface transport. Key Surface Visibility scan points • Tray to Container Scan at Origin • Container Load and Unload at Origin and Destination • Tray to Container Scan at Destination • Container Arrival at Delivery Unit (next phase) • Each pallet receives, on average, one scan

  12. Visibility Uses Robust visibility enables new capabilities that benefit both mailers and USPS. • Respond to Customer Needs for Expanded Visibility • Seamless Acceptance • Network & Transportation Optimization • Start-the-Clock • Service Performance Measurement • Enhanced Products and Services: CONFIRM

  13. Seamless Acceptance Unique piece and container identifiers and accurate mailer documentation are critical to Seamless Acceptance. • Presort: Piece scan patterns have been used to verify presort of ZIP groups • Mailpiece Count: Number of inducted pieces has been determined from piece scans • Short Tray Validation: Actual piece counts by ZIP group from scan data have been used to verify mail makeup • Evaluating the use of the following: • Accurate Barcode Verification: Read rate for mailing can be compared to End-Of-Run (EOR) read rate for all mailings and eMIR reports for problem pieces • Valid Barcode: POSTNET of piece documentation can be compared to the Delivery Point File (DPF Now) file to determine if valid POSTNET applied

  14. Start-the-Clock Accurate electronic documentation and nesting information enables robust Start-the-Clock capabilities. • Electronic documentation will link • Pieces to trays • Trays to pallets • Pallets to shipment • Plant Loads • Truck arrival and unload scans can be used to Start-the-Clock • Pallet scans provide specific unload details (time and location of each pallet) • Tray scans provide assurance that mail is being worked

  15. Service Performance Measurement Container and piece data can be combined to determine true end-to-end service performance. • Tray scans used to measure performance between plants • Piece scans used to measure performance within plants

  16. Enhanced Products and Services: CONFIRM The CONFIRM infrastructure will be leveraged to provide additional scan data to customers. • Single source/subscription for all visibility data • Piece and container scans combined in a single source for mailers • New subscriber levels will be defined • Customers will get scans based on program participation and subscriber level (i.e. Seamless Acceptance participants will get applicable scans)

  17. Requirements for Visibility Data • Requirements for expanded visibility to include Pallet, Tray, Sack, Tub Scans • Advanced Notification • Electronic Documentation & Postage • Unique Barcodes on Handling Units and Containers

  18. Requirements for Visibility Data • Advanced Notification • Induction Location • Induction Date and Time • Plant Load Mailing Indicator and Last Process Location • Recurring (Frequency) or One-Time Mailing • Pre-sort of Handling Units (HU) • Average HU weight • Destination ZIP code of HUs • Number of Containers (Rolling Stock or Pallets) • Mail Shape

  19. Requirements for Visibility Data • Electronic Documentation & Payment • Manifest Mailers/List/MLOCR • Tray • Unique Physical/Logical Tray Identification (unique) • Pre-sort • # of Mailpieces per Tray • ZIP Code Range(s) • Piece Level • Processing Category • Batch/Itemized Manifest ID • Unique 4 CB barcode/POSTNET (for Seamless Acceptance Only) • Container • Number of Containers (Rolling Stock or Pallets) • Unique Surface Visibility Mailer Placard Barcode • Unique Identifier for a Mailing

  20. USPS acceptance and delivery are the most important data elements. Predicted delivery date and how well it was processed are less important to mailers. This data represents 12 interviews with mailers in various industries and does not show differences by shape. Mailer Interest in Visibility Data Mailers have shown significant interest in receiving visibility data.

  21. Information Needs • Raw data preferred to individual inquiries • Hold data elements for 90 days • Timeliness of data – Real Time, Near Real Time, Daily • Parcel mailers in real time where and when • First-class, standard mailers near real time where & when • Periodical mailers daily • Mailers have highly varied uses for the data • Provide better customer service through increased information. • Actively manage the supply chain. • Optimize call center staffing to reduce labor costs. • Prevent or reduce fraudulent claims. • Improve marketing and fulfillment planning.

  22. Questions for Group • Visibility Scan Approach for Letters & Flats • Integration with Confirm • Raw Data • Unit Scans – Piece, Tray, Container • Frequency of dissemination • Data Elements to be included • Mail Class Distinction – First, Standard, Periodicals

  23. CONFIRM Scan Elements • Scan ID: sequential scan identifier • Scan Facility ID: 5 digit ID of the facility • Operation Code: 3 digit code of the operation • Scan Date/Time • Scan POSTNET: the POSTNET of the piece • Scan Tracking Code: the 4CB of PLANET code on the piece

  24. Transportation Visibility Scan Elements • ID Tag: the unique identifier on the container • Scan Facility ID: the identifier of the location at which the scan occurred • Scan Date/Time • Scan Type: the type of scan that was conducted (i.e. possession, delivery, unload, load, etc.) • Nested Info: the identifier if a parent or child record exists

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