IDEAlliance held its annual Print Distribution conference earlier this week and I had a chance to hear about some of the major themes from Don Landis, who is vice chair of the IDEAlliance Postal Operations & Technologies Committee as well as VP, postal affairs at Arandell Corp. Instead of the traditional focus on regulatory changes related to mail, the big issue at this year’s meeting was how to manage data through the supply chain in order to be able to do the full-service Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb), said Landis. Here's what he had to say about the issue: CT: Why was data exchange such a big issue at this year’s meeting? DL:  The concern is being driven by full-service IMb, which requires that the data related to a mailing and mail drop all be connected. This means appointments have to be connected to containers, containers connected to individual pieces as well as mail pieces connected to serial numbers and postage payment systems. As a result, the entire printing, catalog world has turned into a major exchange of data. CT: Has the transition to full-service IMb been a smooth process? DL: Because this is new to everybody, there are bugs everywhere. The trucking companies that are making the appointments with the Postal Service for mail drops now have to be exchanging data with the Postal Service and they’ve never had to do that before. Another factor driving the concern about data exchange is how big the supply chain has gotten. The mail supply chain used to be just the mailer and the Postal Service but, now there are all these third parties involved, such a reshippers. So the issue is how we get to these people, teach them what has to be done so we can push the data through and everybody can read it. The data exchange around full-service IMb is so complex, even a major hauler is going to have to be trained again and again. CT: What are the implications if the issues around data exchange aren’t ironed out? DL: Starting in November, when you make appointments with the Postal Service for a mail drop, if you’re not able to link the contents of the appointment to the mail, you lose your full-service IMb discount. But the fear from those in the mailing industry is that not only will the Postal Service take away the discount, it might also add on a penalty charge. This seems to be something the Postal Service is doing right now. CT: What’s being done to address the problem? DL: Mailers are working with third-party providers and consultants to help them better manage the data. They can also take advantage of webinars on the topic being offered by IDEAlliance as well as the Postal Service. CT: Was there any other news at the meeting? DL: There was one thing that startled a lot of people, which was when Ruth Goldway, who is chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, said that the Postal Service’s projected cumulative loss of $238 billion by 2020 is fabricated.  When she said during a speech that there is no basis in fact for this projected loss, it sent a gasp through the audience.