RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES FOR 2006

2005 was for the Universal Postal Union a year of transition, marked by vigorous activity, in which the UPU’s Telematics Cooperative played no small part. The past year saw the development and implementation of a new strategic plan for 2005-2008. Given the essential involvement and role of the Cooperative in building a world postal network with three dimensions (physical, electronic and financial), this plan aims to strengthen its actions in order to achieve the objectives of the Bucha-rest World Postal Strategy, particularly as regards the improvement of quality of service and the provision of universal service.

2005 also provided an opportunity for the UPU – and with it, the entire postal sector – to stake out its position as a major player in the information society. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are vital for the postal sector to succeed in today’s fast-changing world with many new challenges, particularly in helping to reduce the digital divide. In this context, the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis in November 2005 was a landmark event, enabling the postal sector to showcase its capabilities and experience as a dynamic player in building an information society accessible to all. The Summit formally included the postal sector in its conclusions, and identified the UPU as a possible moderator for the e-business action line.

2006 is set to be a watershed year: November’s Strategy Conference in Dubai will provide an opportunity for UPU member countries to review the progress they have made, particularly in the area of new technologies. Expecta-tions in this area are high, and the UPU is determined to act, with the cooperation of all parties, to ensure that, far from being a threat, the development of new technologies represents an asset and a true lever for the growth of the postal sector.

POST*InfoIn this issue

February 2006 Issue n°05 © 2006 Universal Postal Union – Postal Technology Centre page 1

The newsletter of the Universal Postal Union’s Postal Technology Centre

Front Page Message from the Director General

Mail services IPS – Celebrating its 10th anniversary

Finance services IFS Light pilot project

E-business Hybrid Mail

News in brief Focus on a PTC employee

For your planner

n°88 - September 2005N°05 – February 2006English

Online glossary

The development of new technologies represents an asset and a true lever for

the growth of the postal sector.

Edouard DayanUPU Director General

Edouard Dayan and Abdullah Al Daboos, Director General of Emirates Post, signing the agreement for the 2006 UPU Strategy Conference.

United Arab Emirates

With a cooperative approach, IPS was designed from the very beginning to be a universal sys-tem for Posts of all sizes, with different habits in their mail processing and speaking different languages. Thanks to this, we managed to keep a single IPS system for all, with more and more features over the years, and more and more customers. Combining development, support and deployment within the same team also helped us making the right decisions for the long term.

IPS Light was added in 2000 to cover the needs of small Posts with limited volumes. At first it gave them the possibility to easily exchange electronic information (EDI messages), and later to also generate all labels and documents attached to international mail.

IPS has now reached a level of maturity with stable and rich features. It is a widely recognized solution with a large number of users. The PTC is receiving more and more requests from Posts and UPU working groups about IPS.

What IPS does and how it does it, has a real impact on international mail exchanges. For example, if the IPS family starts handling a new EDI message, it can be ex-pected that within a period of 18 months which is a realistic time for full deployment, almost 100 Posts will be able to exchange this message.

Operation team (from left to right)Vincenzo Russo, Deployment & Support Project Manager; Saïd Regragui, Deployment & Support Project Manager; Michaela Manta, Operations Support Specialist; Stéphane Herrmann, Systems & Networks Specialist; Eric Herrmann, Service & Support Manager; Gus-tavo Damy, Technical Support Specialist; Yoann Orfeuvre, Technical Support SpecialistMissing on the picture: Claude Guillemain, Deployment & Support Project Manager; Olivier Bernieu, Systems & Networks Administrator

IPS – Celebrating its 10th anniversary

POST*Info n°05 - February 2006

February 2006 Issue n°05 © 2006 Universal Postal Union – Postal Technology Centre page 2

Year Features

1996 International operational process of EMS

1997 Air letters & parcels added

2000 PSD (Portable Scanning Device) software for Symbol PDT3100

IPS Web Tracking

REIMS operational

Improved performance

IPS Light

2003 Reviewed inbound process (more flexible)

Surface & domestic dispat-ching

Verification notes

XML interfacing

Web Client (operational functions available on web pages)

2005 Full accounting module

New PSD (Portable Scan-ning Device) software based on Windows CE

The International Postal System (IPS), now in use by 58 postal organisa-tions, came about because of the cooperation and sharing of knowledge between postal administrations under the umbrella of the Telematics Cooperative. Developed by the PTC, it is complete software capable of managing the entire mail process. It can be adapted to the needs of any organisation and can be easily interface with other applications.

specialspecial10 years10 years

IPS IMPORTANT DATES:

IPS ACHIEVEMENTS

‘IPS FAMILY’ USERS:

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

IPS

Lig

ht

IPS

311

25 2831

4030

42

45

4752

58

33

53

7075

83

98

100

80

60

40

20

0

by Jean-Marc Coeffic, Product and Quality Manager

POST*Info n°05 - February 2006

February 2006 Issue n°05 © 2006 Universal Postal Union – Postal Technology Centre page 3

EDI IS THE FUTURE!

Although EDI messages for international mail have existed for years, their usage is still limited and they do not yet replace any paperwork. It is expected that EDI messages will continue to grow in the years to come, not only in volumes, but also in variety, covering many new areas.

Several UPU standard working groups are putting in place new messages that will make it possible to exchange more information between more entities involved in international mail. One promising area on which work has just started and where the PTC wants to be active, is the creation of new EDI messages for the international accounting process to replace the paperwork and ease the whole process. The authenticity of such electronic forms could be secured with an EPM (Electronic Post Mark), another area in which the PTC is very active.

The demand is also high for a solution for COD (Cash On Delivery). A new EDI message could be developed for linking the tracking of the goods (with IPS) with the payment (in IFS). Such a solution will help Posts to develop their activities in eBusiness.As part of the PTC involvement, IPS might be a pilot system for these messages.

IPS – Celebrating its 10th anniversary IPS CHALLENGES

Technical challenges:Keeping the family of products homogeneous and up to date is a permanent challenge in itself. The PTC is putting in place procedures to optimize this challenge in the coming years and at the same time utilizing the best of new technologies such as .Net and SQL Server 2005.

User friendliness and efficiency:This is an area where a system can always be improved. In the near future, the PTC will revise all the operational functions in IPS to make them more flexible. For example, the number of mandatory steps in the outbound dispatch processing will be reduced to help Posts save time and reduce costs.

Evolution of standards and regulations:The evolution of all UPU standards and regulations are closely followed and associated changes in our products are rapidly provided. Our objective is to become more active in this area in order to promote what we think is best for all Posts, based on the feedback from the large number of Posts we deal with. (See EDI is the future).

The PTC does not expect all Posts to adopt IPS or IPS Light. There will always be room for various systems and solution and this is why we work with UPU standards rather than creating our own. Our ambition is to provide Posts with the best IT tools to have a smooth, fast and reliable international mail flow and be very competitive in a very competitive market.

IPS development team (from left to right)Craig Peirson, Developer; Lati Matata, Technical Project Manager; Sue Latham, Technical Writer; Jean-Marc Coeffic, Product & quality Manager; Silviu Lita, Technical Project Manager; Ranjan Mujoo, Developer; Aleksander Ciepal, Developer

Product IPS IPS Light

Modules Full international mail operations

EDI exchanges

Domestic ope-rations

International Accounting

International mail operations (including genera-tion of labels and documents)

EDI exchanges

International Accounting

Extensions Web Client

(IPS operational features through the web)

Portable Scanner (PSD)

Web Tracking (for customers of Posts)

‘IPS FAMILY’ TODAY:

specialspecial10 years10 years

‘‘Before IPS each Office of Exchange worked in a different way and it was difficult to establish standards. Now with IPS, information is updated at the same time, speedily and reliably. All the procedures are standardized, and all the forms and labels are printed automatically.

IPS was created with the participation of postal administrations and is always being adjusted to the needs of clients. For the Brazilian Postal Ad-ministration it has become indispensable. The administration would like to congratulate the IPS team for what has been achieved up to now.’’

IPS IN BRAZIL by Luiz Carlos Villela de Andrade and Natália Querido Hissa Technical Coordinators of the International Business and Operations Department

IPS – Celebrating its 10th anniversary

POST*Info n°05 - February 2006

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SIX COUNTRIES SHARE THEIR OWN IPS EXPERIENCE

IPS IN AUSTRALIA by Maxime Burzlaff, Australia Post IPS Program Manager

‘‘The introduction of IPS into Australia Post commenced 10 years ago and today we can see and measure the benefits. IPS allows Australia Post to process international mail in a quick and efficient manner, according to all international regulations and standards.

The use of EDI information combined with scanned data has automated a large part of the bill and verification notes data entry processes. IPS has also enabled a fast and easy track and trace system that is used in our International Gateways, Customer Call Centres and on the Internet.’’

IPS IN HUNGARY by Tibor Rapai, IT manager, International Business Unit, Hungarian Post Co.

‘‘Posts are serving the human community worldwide, and they form a special com-munity themselves. At Hungarian Post we think IPS is one nice face of the postal community. This feeling was behind our choice of technology development when we started using IPS from its beginning. Being an IPS user is somewhat similar to be married - together we can solve the pro-blems successfully. There might be those who claim “this system is perfect, just according to my need”, but we at Hungarian Post regard it as the best existing and common solution. We are looking forward to continue our fruitful PTC partnership.’’

IPS IN KENYA by Mary W. Mbatia, IPS System Administrator, PCK, Kenya

‘‘Since implementation of the system four and a half years ago, Kenya Post has the benefit of knowing first hand every detailed movement of its international import and export EMS items. The information captured is accurate and is available at the touch of a button. This is crucial for timely management decisions and confidence from our collaborators and customers.

IPS has also given Kenya Post the necessary impetus to face competitors whose key advantage has been derived from technology. Customers can now get information on their consignments fairly fast with sufficient proof.Despite the minimal fees we pay, Kenya Post now has access to and exchange elec-tronic messages with over 70 countries.’’

specialspecial10 years10 years

since May 1997

since July 1997

since January 1998

since May 2001

IFS LIGHT: LAUNCH OF THE PILOT PHASE WITH TAJIKISTAN AND UZBEKISTAN

Workshops as part of the pilot phase for the development of IFS Light were held in Tajikistan and in Uzbekistan at the beginning of January 2006. The first exchanges through IFS Light were carried out during this training.

IFS Light is being specifically developed for Posts with a low vo-lume of exchange of money orders. It will be a cheap application compared to a big system such as IFS. Although the application will be easy (“light”) to install, to administer and to operate for the end user, it will have the same high level of security as IFS or STEFI.

The UPU in cooperation with the countries involved in the pilot project will decide when to end the pilot phase. The first version of IFS Light should be available in the second quarter of 2006.

Financial services

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February 2006 Issue n°05 © 2006 Universal Postal Union – Postal Technology Centre page 5

IPS – Celebrating its 10th anniversary

IPS IN GREECE by Theodor Tountas, Head of Division of International Mail Accounts

‘‘IPS is a valuable tool for all our operational and accounting procedures. It provides reliable data and at the same time requires less human sources. It guaranties quality of service and speediness.

For Hellenic Post (ELTA) which is a REIMS member, it is of great importance to obtain accurate and reliable data (both sampling and accounting) whenever we ask for it. IPS covers all our needs!!’’

‘‘With IPS, the Tunisian Post is growing and serving its customers better and faster.IPS has made it possible for us to undertake modernization activities enabling both corpo-rate and private customers to send and receive express mail, parcels and packets, as well as registered letters, in very short delivery times.IPS Web-Tracking instantaneously provides customers with comprehensive electronic data on the processing and whereabouts of their domestic and international items, from posting to delivery.

Rolling out the IPS application to distribution centres and local post offices, and adapting its use, has clearly contributed to improving quality of service, which has enabled the Tunisian Post to obtain Universal Postal Union «Level A» certification in 2003, and certification for com-pliance with the international standard ISO 9001 – for the quality management of its express mail network (Rapid-Poste) – in 2004.’’

IPS IN TUNISIA by Chokri Ellili, Head of International Relations Division Tunisian Post Corporation

specialspecial10 years10 years

since July 2001

since January 2002

FOCUS ON A PTC EMPLOYEE

David Avsec

Job Title: IT Development Manager

Date of joining the UPU/PTC: 1998

“I joined the PTC as a software developer in 1998, when the UPU decided on in-house IT development instead of outsourcing. Along the years, the team grew in size and I could experiment with most of the positions: from software development, support, deployment, project management, product management and,

recently, responsibility for the IT department. I had a lot of satisfaction with all these roles, doing my best to contribute to the Cooperative’s challenge of making standard software, flexible enough for answering both developed and developing world needs. Nearly 60 missions in more than 30 countries really helped me to realize how we could best adapt our products to fit all environments.

The year 2006 will be an exiting one. At last, our line of software will be complete for both mail and financial services. Then, a new challenge is ahead of us: keep modernizing our systems and make them even better!”

david.avsec@upu.int

http://www.solystic.com

http://www.siemens.com/postalautomation

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Postal Technology CentreInternational BureauUniversal Postal UnionCase postale 133000 BERNE 15SWITZERLAND

postinfo@upu.int

For further information on the Te-lematics Cooperative, the Postal Technology Centre and its products please do not hesitate to contact Valérie Bataille at:

valerie.bataille@upu.int

POST*Info n°05 - February 2006

News in brief

UPU Postal Operations Council (POC), UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland 26 Mar. - 07 Apr. 2006

IMS User Group meeting, UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland (Montgomery Blair meeting room A 09:00/12:30)

31 Mar. 2006

AES User Group meetings, UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland(Montgomery Blair meeting room A 14:30/18:00)

31 Mar. 2006

IFS User Group meeting, UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland(Montgomery Blair meeting room B 09:00/18:00)

30 Mar. 2006

Telematics Cooperative Management Board, UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland (3rd floor meeting room )

01 Apr. 2006

Telematics Cooperative General Assembly, UPU.IB, Bern, Switzerland(Montgomery Blair meeting room 14:30/18:00)

03 Apr. 2006

Post Expo 2006, Amsterdam RAI, Netherlands 10, 11, 12 Oct. 2006

UPU Strategy Conference, Dubai 14,15,16 Nov. 2006

February 2006 Issue n°05 © 2006 Universal Postal Union – Postal Technology Centre page 6

HYBRID MAIL

The latest UPU Statistics Compendium on Hybrid Mail provides an inte-resting insight into the global situation for Hybrid Mail within the postal sector. The survey is conducted annually based on information received from Postal Administrations. Hybrid Mail is used by 63 countries to boost their letter volumes. The AESUG is considering developing UPU Standards

for International Hybrid Mail interoperability to help with the development of the market.

A summary of the official statistics received from 181 UPU member countries as part of the 2004 survey, is available on the following link: http://www.ptc.upu.int/ps/hybrid.shtml

E-business