Windsor, UK – Pitney Bowes today announced a collaboration with Sitma Machinery S.p.A. to develop a next generation mail finishing platform to help mail operations produce high quality customer communications at a lower cost per piece.

The platform will combine Pitney Bowes's expertise in high-speed inserters, software solutions, and service with Sitma Machinery's innovative wrap solution.  This new mail finishing platform will help Pitney Bowes customers to better manage costs for their mailing and printing operations, without compromising integrity.

"Expectations for improvements and greater return-on-investment from mailing and printing solutions run high on the production floor every year," said Grant Miller, vice president, global strategic product management and North American sales, Document Messaging Technologies, Pitney Bowes.  "Our collaboration with Sitma Machinery will provide our customers with a next generation mail finishing platform that can help increase efficiency, decrease costs, and serve as an important component to integrate mail and print operations."

"Sitma Machinery is delighted to be collaborating with Pitney Bowes to create an integrated mail finishing solution that will help deliver greater productivity to high-volume mailers," said Aris Ballestrazzi, president and co-owner of Sitma Machinery.  "As an important component of the platform, Sitma Machinery's wrapping solution will help increase work cell efficiency and flexibility with jobs."

Pitney Bowes customers can preview this innovative mail finishing platform at the annual global Customer Summit, June 6 – 8, 2011, which is hosted by the company's Document Messaging Technologies business group in Danbury, Connecticut.

The new mail finishing platform will be an important component for delivering more powerful, relevant customer communications. Pitney Bowes offers a unique end-to-end solution that can help print and mail operations migrate to an all white paper factory. Pitney Bowes IntelliJet Printing System, Production Intelligence output management software and high-speed mail finishing systems with the Print+ Messenger Colour Inkjet module enable unprecedented levels of productivity and operational cost savings. All these systems are backed by a single service and support team for peak efficiency and performance. Together, these elements result in a truly integrated solution for companies where mail plays a strategic role in customer communications.