The challenges brutal competition, internal quality improvement programs, regulatory issues and especially the necessity of having to adhere to strict budget discipline are piling up, and they're testing operations management with a series of tough questions. Is it time to transition to a next-generation, high-volume, high-speed inserter? What can such an upgrade accomplish? What new inserter technologies are available, and can they meet our current and future needs?
From my perspective, the answers are clear: There has never been a better time, or a more strategically important time, to upgrade. Pressure is flowing from the board room to the mail center, and it's demanding that new insertion technology support the most efficient business processes, the lowest cost per piece and the highest levels of mailpiece integrity. In response, companies are turning to a best practices initiative called customer communications management (CCM). Its objectives are business-critical: to retain customers and recruit new ones, build revenues, strengthen brands and defeat competitors.
Delivering Greater Throughput and Reliability
The good news is that the enabling technologies in both hardware and software are available today to provide highly reliable, upgradeable insertion platforms that lower the cost per piece and bind your organization more closely to its customers.
While many of the technological advances have been in software, hardware platforms continue to evolve. Individually controlled and highly reliable technologies such as the servo motor bring automation to a new level. These motors have replaced the traditional mechanical array of clutches, brakes, solenoids, chains as well as gears with simplified, computer-issued commands.
The servo technology has enabled high-speed insertion systems to deliver throughput of up to 22,000 cycles per hour, while providing exceptional reliability and productivity. It extends intervals between preventative maintenance procedures and at the same time substantially reduces unscheduled downtime. For example, these servo-powered inserters typically operate five to 10 times longer eight to 10 million cycles before they even require maintenance; moreover, the production mailers who have inserters with servo motors typically report that their uptime exceeds 95%.
Another benefit of servo technology is that you can "hit the ground running." Servo-powered inserters don't need ramp-up time or tweaking to reach optimum processing speeds because they're instantly "on." Also, their precision in the event of a stoppage reduces material spoilage by avoiding ancillary or secondary jams, thus cutting the time and cost associated with reprinting mailpieces.
Optimizing Production Mail Integrity
An incorrectly assembled mailpiece is a loss across the board, but today, the stakes are even higher. With mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley, compliance to new financial accountability and privacy standards require production mailers to take steps to ensure and account for complete mailpiece integrity.
File-based processing is critical in achieving the highest integrity in the production mail environment. Some applications are so complex that each mailpiece must be processed or constructed differently. Only file-based processing can deliver such a high level of intelligent inserter control that mailers can uniquely process each piece.
File-based technology typically links codes on documents to a database that contains sophisticated information about customers, production mailpieces and jobs. This link also enables features such as inline printing for customized messaging, but the most significant attribute of file-based processing is its ability to monitor and improve mail stream reliability and integrity.
Through features such as scan error correction, reduction or elimination of scanner-created delays and automatic job reconciliation, file-based processing has addressed crucial integrity concerns. Real-time regeneration can instantly and accurately verify the status of each mailpiece and identify any inconsistencies or errors. If a piece is damaged, file-based processing automatically orders a regeneration of the mailpiece in real time.
Enabling More Efficient Workflow and Processes
Inserter control systems and software can deliver multiple productivity gains. Features such as their ability to store setup parameters in memory for instant retrieval reduce both job changeover time and the possibility of operator error. Operating systems with piece tracking eliminate guesswork by providing full visibility of the processing mail stream on inserting platforms.
High-speed inserters can predict possible points of failure, reducing downtime and boosting production through proactive preventive maintenance. Intelligent analytical tools don't just isolate events that may have occurred they identify their root causes as well. They help support work process improvements and enterprise quality initiatives such as Six Sigma. Some high-speed inserters also offer a direct link to remote diagnostic capabilities that help reduce downtime and boost production by enabling service personnel to avoid travel-related delays.
There have been advances in software tools as well. These tools support piece-level tracking and postage accounting, which allows managers to balance workloads and shift volumes from equipment or sites that are overloaded to those with available or excess capacity. Together, these technologies enable production mailers to perform at the highest and most efficient level. Customers can even verify this performance remotely through interfaces that give them up-to-the-minute visibility into the status of jobs and ensure that the mailers' performances meet Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Saving Space, Saving Labor, Saving Money
While new high-speed inserters are raising the bar for speed and throughput, there are other important factors that make these solutions stand out. They enable companies to rigorously audit and streamline their operations, from the physical layout of facilities to staffing requirements.
By replacing two or even three legacy, low-throughput inserter systems with one high-speed system, mailers can significantly reduce labor costs and improve overall control through centralized operation of a single system. This type of consolidation creates the opportunity for more streamlined, cost-effective workflows. For example, operators processing 90,000 one-ounce mailpieces in a shift typically lift and carry more than two tons of material during the shift. Today's new high-speed inserters are also ergonomically designed to increase operator productivity and alleviate some of the physically demanding aspects of the operator's job. An ergonomically designed inserting system also minimizes the steps required under normal operating conditions.
How Can New Technologies Be Harnessed?
Implementing advanced technology is only one aspect of upgrading from legacy insertion systems to the next-generation of high-speed systems. Companies that understand the rewards that such an upgrade promises also need assurance that potential risks be mitigated. Ideally, they should begin the process by consulting a strategic partner that knows the changing nature of customer communications management the business resources and processes and offer the right inserting and operating system technologies that support their operational objectives.
Today, there are also high-speed digital mailing systems that complement high-speed inserting systems that enable production mailers to achieve maximum uptime. This combination of speed, reliability and integrity can provide a virtually non-stop production environment.
High-speed inserters deliver the lowest cost per piece, maximize uptime, improve overall productivity and ensure the highest quality and integrity of mailed communication. They're a strategic and visible technology investment that aligns the mail center with the boardroom's objectives providing an immediate solution to a pressing need.
Clint Dally is Vice President, Product Line Management of Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. Dally is a 20-year veteran of Pitney Bowes and the mailing industry. For more information, please call 877-536-2736 or visit
The challenges brutal competition, internal quality improvement programs, regulatory issues and especially the necessity of having to adhere to strict budget discipline are piling up, and they're testing operations management with a series of tough questions. Is it time to transition to a next-generation, high-volume, high-speed inserter? What can such an upgrade accomplish? What new inserter technologies are available, and can they meet our current and future needs?
From my perspective, the answers are clear: There has never been a better time, or a more strategically important time, to upgrade. Pressure is flowing from the board room to the mail center, and it's demanding that new insertion technology support the most efficient business processes, the lowest cost per piece and the highest levels of mailpiece integrity. In response, companies are turning to a best practices initiative called customer communications management (CCM). Its objectives are business-critical: to retain customers and recruit new ones, build revenues, strengthen brands and defeat competitors.
Delivering Greater Throughput and Reliability
The good news is that the enabling technologies in both hardware and software are available today to provide highly reliable, upgradeable insertion platforms that lower the cost per piece and bind your organization more closely to its customers.
While many of the technological advances have been in software, hardware platforms continue to evolve. Individually controlled and highly reliable technologies such as the servo motor bring automation to a new level. These motors have replaced the traditional mechanical array of clutches, brakes, solenoids, chains as well as gears with simplified, computer-issued commands.
The servo technology has enabled high-speed insertion systems to deliver throughput of up to 22,000 cycles per hour, while providing exceptional reliability and productivity. It extends intervals between preventative maintenance procedures and at the same time substantially reduces unscheduled downtime. For example, these servo-powered inserters typically operate five to 10 times longer eight to 10 million cycles before they even require maintenance; moreover, the production mailers who have inserters with servo motors typically report that their uptime exceeds 95%.
Another benefit of servo technology is that you can "hit the ground running." Servo-powered inserters don't need ramp-up time or tweaking to reach optimum processing speeds because they're instantly "on." Also, their precision in the event of a stoppage reduces material spoilage by avoiding ancillary or secondary jams, thus cutting the time and cost associated with reprinting mailpieces.
Optimizing Production Mail Integrity
An incorrectly assembled mailpiece is a loss across the board, but today, the stakes are even higher. With mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley, compliance to new financial accountability and privacy standards require production mailers to take steps to ensure and account for complete mailpiece integrity.
File-based processing is critical in achieving the highest integrity in the production mail environment. Some applications are so complex that each mailpiece must be processed or constructed differently. Only file-based processing can deliver such a high level of intelligent inserter control that mailers can uniquely process each piece.
File-based technology typically links codes on documents to a database that contains sophisticated information about customers, production mailpieces and jobs. This link also enables features such as inline printing for customized messaging, but the most significant attribute of file-based processing is its ability to monitor and improve mail stream reliability and integrity.
Through features such as scan error correction, reduction or elimination of scanner-created delays and automatic job reconciliation, file-based processing has addressed crucial integrity concerns. Real-time regeneration can instantly and accurately verify the status of each mailpiece and identify any inconsistencies or errors. If a piece is damaged, file-based processing automatically orders a regeneration of the mailpiece in real time.
Enabling More Efficient Workflow and Processes
Inserter control systems and software can deliver multiple productivity gains. Features such as their ability to store setup parameters in memory for instant retrieval reduce both job changeover time and the possibility of operator error. Operating systems with piece tracking eliminate guesswork by providing full visibility of the processing mail stream on inserting platforms.
High-speed inserters can predict possible points of failure, reducing downtime and boosting production through proactive preventive maintenance. Intelligent analytical tools don't just isolate events that may have occurred they identify their root causes as well. They help support work process improvements and enterprise quality initiatives such as Six Sigma. Some high-speed inserters also offer a direct link to remote diagnostic capabilities that help reduce downtime and boost production by enabling service personnel to avoid travel-related delays.
There have been advances in software tools as well. These tools support piece-level tracking and postage accounting, which allows managers to balance workloads and shift volumes from equipment or sites that are overloaded to those with available or excess capacity. Together, these technologies enable production mailers to perform at the highest and most efficient level. Customers can even verify this performance remotely through interfaces that give them up-to-the-minute visibility into the status of jobs and ensure that the mailers' performances meet Service Level Agreements (SLA).
Saving Space, Saving Labor, Saving Money
While new high-speed inserters are raising the bar for speed and throughput, there are other important factors that make these solutions stand out. They enable companies to rigorously audit and streamline their operations, from the physical layout of facilities to staffing requirements.
By replacing two or even three legacy, low-throughput inserter systems with one high-speed system, mailers can significantly reduce labor costs and improve overall control through centralized operation of a single system. This type of consolidation creates the opportunity for more streamlined, cost-effective workflows. For example, operators processing 90,000 one-ounce mailpieces in a shift typically lift and carry more than two tons of material during the shift. Today's new high-speed inserters are also ergonomically designed to increase operator productivity and alleviate some of the physically demanding aspects of the operator's job. An ergonomically designed inserting system also minimizes the steps required under normal operating conditions.
How Can New Technologies Be Harnessed?
Implementing advanced technology is only one aspect of upgrading from legacy insertion systems to the next-generation of high-speed systems. Companies that understand the rewards that such an upgrade promises also need assurance that potential risks be mitigated. Ideally, they should begin the process by consulting a strategic partner that knows the changing nature of customer communications management the business resources and processes and offer the right inserting and operating system technologies that support their operational objectives.
Today, there are also high-speed digital mailing systems that complement high-speed inserting systems that enable production mailers to achieve maximum uptime. This combination of speed, reliability and integrity can provide a virtually non-stop production environment.
High-speed inserters deliver the lowest cost per piece, maximize uptime, improve overall productivity and ensure the highest quality and integrity of mailed communication. They're a strategic and visible technology investment that aligns the mail center with the boardroom's objectives providing an immediate solution to a pressing need.
Clint Dally is Vice President, Product Line Management of Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. Dally is a 20-year veteran of Pitney Bowes and the mailing industry. For more information, please call 877-536-2736 or visit www.pbdmt.com.
