BOLINGBROOK, Ill. & DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two leaders in mailing communications have teamed up to find new efficiencies through a mail process called co-palletization, or co-pal. Fairrington and Mail Services LLC, longtime hubs for mailers, have served as integral parts of the supply chain by achieving operational efficiencies, postage savings and on-time delivery. Combining Mail Services’ solutions with Fairrington’s co-pal has helped achieve and increase these results.
Fairrington’s Co-Palletization
Fairrington’s co-palletization service is a fully automated process that helps customers capitalize on postal discounts, even for mailings too small to make a pallet. By sorting trays and sharing pallet space with other mailers, enough combined volume is created to exceed the USPS minimum. Fairrington customers avoid container charges and realize greater SCF entry with the associated discounts.
Postage accounts for more than 70 percent of many marketing budgets, but targeted mailing—with different versions for sub-groups creating multiple mail streams--has diluted postal presort and entry discount opportunities. Fairrington’s co-palletization brings these versions back together to not only allow drop shipping, but drop shipping at an 80 percent SCF penetration.
“From our Midwest to our East Coast operations, efficiencies from services like co-pal are essential tools to improve response rate, drive down costs and increase efficiency. Our goal is simple: to help our customers conquer time,” said Fairrington President Greg Rocque.
Mail Services’ Solutions
Mail Services LLC offers a wide variety of communication and mailing solutions ranging from printing, list acquisition to mailing services, including one that allows mail from multiple clients to be combined into one large mailing. This co-mingle process brings together not only mail from multiple clients, but mail of different weights and postage payment types, greatly reducing postage.
Recently, Mail Services LLC decided to take an additional step to drive out more costs by using Fairrington’s FlexiSHIP co-palletization service.
“Continued innovation to improve operations and still achieve communication goals is an absolute must. Evaluating co-palletization was a natural opportunity to explore,” said Jerry Porter, Operations Manager at Mail Services, LLC.
10 Production Line Hours Saved
The results of Mail Services LLC and Fairrington working together were beyond the companies’ expectations, providing unexpected savings. In the first job run, Mail Services was able to eliminate time that would have been spent building lower discount pallets. By shifting those to co-palletization, the postage savings stayed intact but without the creation of many small pallets. What would have been about 90 drop ship pallets became 7 user pallets, saving about 10 production line hours.
“The operational savings were achieved. We are reviewing other mail streams as potential candidates for co-pal,” Porter said.
About Fairrington
Founded in 1981, Fairrington is built on entrepreneurial visionary leadership and trusted values. Fairrington is the largest, full-service, single-source printer-independent mailing logistics provider in the United States. Behind the power and promise of Full Impact Logistics, Fairrington offers a wide range of mail service solutions that includes consolidation, co-pal, co-mail and a full range of logistics solutions focused on timely delivery and good response rates. Fairrington is headquartered in Bolingbrook, a suburb just west of Chicago. The success of our customers' campaigns is one of a series of small steps in its journey to be the world class provider of delivery solutions that move the world by conquering time. www.fairrington.com
About Mail Services, LLC
In 1987, Mail Services began as an organization that provided reliable, high-quality mail sorting services. More than 25 years later, the company is still going strong. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, we continue to follow the principles upon which Mail Services was founded. Thanks to our centralized location and expert staff, Mail Services has become a leader in the mail industry. Mail Services understands the needs of its customers and works hard to meet their highest expectations. Today, the company is part of a $900 billion industry that employs 8 million people, taking pride in its long-standing reputation among our customers for providing prompt, high-quality, courteous service--all in compliance with USPS requirements. www.mailcommunicationsgroup.com
