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News for Mailing Professionals

Remember: You now can use the same Priority Mail and Express Mail packaging whether you're shipping within the United States or to another country.

GLOBAL EXCELLENCE

The Postal Service's commitment to excellence knows no boundaries.

With the recent certification of the International Service Center (ISC) in Miami, FL, the Postal Service became the first national post worldwide to earn that International Post Corporation (IPC) honor for its entire international processing network. The IPC recognized this achievement during an event July 12 at postal headquarters in Washington, DC.

All five of the Postal Service's ISCs have been recognized with an IPC Certificate of Excellence for exceeding the highest international standards in mail processing. Chicago's J.T. Weeker ISC was certified in 2004, the New York (JFK) ISC was certified in 2006, and the Los Angeles and San Francisco ISCs were certified earlier this year.

"This demonstrates that our dedication to excellence throughout the entire Postal Service is paying off," said Postmaster General John Potter. "We're very proud of this achievement and the employees who earned it by delivering top-notch service for our customers every day."

Paul Vogel, managing director and senior vice president of Global Business for the Postal Service, calls it an "amazing achievement considering the volume of mail we handle for customers in nearly every nation in the world. We are proud to be an example for other countries as we work cooperatively to improve mail standards around the globe."

Achieving certification is a year-long process that includes stringent on-site reviews to verify that nearly 200 standards are met. The IPC awards certification for a three-year period, and conducts periodic validation to ensure that a facility maintains its high performance levels.

The IPC is a cooperative association of 23 national postal administrations and operators from North America, Europe and the Pacific.

ZIP CODE REALIGNMENTS

A series of ZIP Code changes are now in effect across the country. By aligning delivery territory and adding new ZIP Codes to accommodate area growth, the Postal Service will improve service to customers in these areas.

As a result of these realignments, there are three types of changes:

• A ZIP Code will be split into two while remaining in the same Post Office service area.

• New ZIP Codes will be created for PO Boxes.

• Delivery territory will be transferred from one Post Office to another, resulting in a redrawn ZIP Code boundary.

A list of these realignments was published in the May 10 Postal Bulletin, Issue 22206, Post Office Changes section. The list also can be found on the Rapid Information Bulletin Board System (RIBBS) website at http://ribbs.usps.gov/files/ZIPSPLIT.

The changes resulting from the realignments will be reflected in the Address Information Systems (AIS) subscription products (e.g., ZIP+4 File, Z4Change File, ZIP Move File).

Customer who have general questions about these changes or who need assistance ordering AIS products should call the National Customer Support Center at 800-238-3150. Anyone with specific questions concerning realignments should contact the Address Management Systems (AMS) office serving the affected ZIP Codes. You can find AMS office contact information at: www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/ams_office_locator.html.