Wheeling, Ill., March 21, 2007 -- BOWE BELL + HOWELL, a leading provider of document processing and postal solutions, has enhanced its Flexisort flats sorter to better facilitate presorting discounts and mail-handling capabilities. These enhancements include the addition of a high-speed linerless labeler “in-line” as part of the sorting process, and the improved ability to handle mixed mail as well as flats, enabling mailers to process a wider spectrum of mail. Already the leading flats presorter as measured by install-base in the United States, Flexisort is now even better­ suited to handle the flats-sorting needs of high-volume mailers. Flexisort is one of the many solutions BÖWE BELL + HOWELL will be showcasing in Booth No. 701 at the National Postal Forum, March 25 through March 28 in Washington, D.C. With the impending postage hikes taking effect in May, mailers of one- or two-ounce flats will be further compelled to shift their volumes to a letter format, if feasible, in order to save on postage. “We believe the new shape-based postage rates that will significantly increase the cost of non-automated flats will drive significant changes,” stated Michael Swift, president of BÖWE BELL + HOWELL’s Postal and Sorting Products Division. “For mailers who prefer to stay in a flats format, the cost increase can be fully mitigated – particularly for heavier flats – by applying a delivery point barcode and presorting. Flexisort offers a great alternative for mailers to maintain their current document format while controlling their postage costs.” Linerless labeler improves barcode printing and throughput BÖWE BELL + HOWELL previously provided more than 1,600 flats labelers to the U.S. Postal Service to create clear zones on flats. This same proven technology has now been integrated into Flexisort. As linerless labels typically are one-third the cost of “linered” labels, this in-line labeler is very economical. The Flexisort’s labeler helps standardize barcode printing by providing a common clear zone, thus maximizing system throughput. While it is possible to adjust the position of the barcode area on the document, this process can slow throughput, given the multiple set-ups for what are often small batches of flats. The labeler provides a more consistent approach that maximizes throughput and labor efficiency. Maximize worksharing discounts The enhancements to Flexisort have also improved its ability to handle mixed mail and flats. BÖWE BELL + HOWELL implemented various optimizations to the sorting transport to enable handling of a wider spectrum of flats documents up to 3/8” at speeds of up to 18,000 pieces per hour. For mailers who do not fully utilize system capacity sorting flats, Flexisort can also serve as a letter sorter – providing additional capacity for sorting letters at speeds up to 32,000 pieces per hour. These enhancements are supported by the proven software technology that is used on all BBH sorting platforms. The MMT SABRE software-based reading system facilitates address recognition, and can support hand-print recognition with the option of MMT SABRE Plus. Compliance with all USPS requirements and reports is accomplished through WinSort, BÖWE BELL + HOWELL’s industry-leading intelligent sorting software for outgoing applications. The design of the sort bins in Flexisort provides an added advantage in mail processing over the traditional tub design. Sorting mail in subsequent re-passes to maximize five-digit qualification becomes much easier because the mail is stacked properly in the bins. Repassing mail sorted to tubs is more time-consuming because of improper stacking, especially with mixed mail. For more information on the Flexisort high-speed sorter, please contact Ted Seward at 919-767-4338 or [email protected], or visit www.bowebellhowell.com.