SAGE DIRECT SETTLES FOR NOTHING LESS THAN PERFECTION IN ITS AUTOMATED DOCUMENT FACTORY (ADF)

When Demand Peaks--So Does the Need For Productivity and Accuracy

Sage Direct, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, offers a broad range of mailing, marketing and database services, but they are known best for their expertise in statement processing. Each month, they produce and mail hundreds of thousands of statements for over 100 credit unions.

Speed is essential. Statements must be produced and mailed within days of receiving a data file - and virtually all of their clients generate end-of-month files on the same day. With only a five day window of opportunity to complete every job, Sage Direct ramps up to three shifts with around-the-clock operations. And because they manage personal financial information, accuracy and integrity are crucial.

"Today, the security of personal information and identity theft are on everybody's mind," notes Gary Sage, the firm's founder and president. "People are concerned with privacy now more than ever. Even the slightest error in the handling of a statement could be a major problem. We needed to provide our clients with data and document integrity - as well as the ability to prove when a statement was mailed." For greater speed and accuracy, Sage Direct turned to Pitney Bowes.

File Audit Renders Error-Free Processing

"We're known for our accuracy and attention to detail," Sage recalls. "But we never had quite the error-free processing we were looking for - until now."

Now, Sage Direct employs FPS Flexible Productivity Series Inserters. In addition to speed and flexibility, the Pitney Bowes FPS system provides greater accuracy and mailpiece integrity with file-audit processing and output scanning. As a result, Sage Direct can provide their clients with end-to-end assurance from basic mailpiece quality to total automated job reconciliation.

The Pitney Bowes FPS system scans 2D codes on each page of each statement at several points throughout the process, tracks the mailpiece from input to stacker with MasterTrack, and then audits results against the original data file. Everything from page counts, sequencing, assembly, inserts and window position are tracked and verified automatically.

"Barcodes tell the machines what's coming up, how many pages, and how much postage," Sage explains. "Statements are tracked from beginning to end and if anything is out of sorts or unexpected, it gets diverted to a vertical stacker. Overall, these inserters help us ensure that the right information - and only the right information - gets delivered to the right person. Pitney Bowes has totally rebuilt and re-engineered our system. Now we get document integrity throughout the entire process."

The closed-loop file-audit system helps ensure that a mail file or mailpiece is not processed twice and provides an ability to pull statements for special handling. If a mailpiece is damaged or if an error is detected, the FPS system rejects the statement and notifies Sage that a reprint is required. The statement is reprocessed and the file is not closed until each mailpiece has been completed.

Increased Speed, Productivity and Flexibility

Under the terms of their SLAs, Sage Direct has only five days to reconcile and reformat data files, verify addresses, then process, print, insert and mail in excess of 750,000 statements for over 100 different clients. Each client has unique needs, which means Sage Direct must prepare for over 100 job set-ups in a single week.

Sage Direct has incorporated both rotary and friction feeders into their system so they can handle all types of inserts with ease. "Some inserts are professionally printed on quality paper and are well packaged," Sage notes. "Others come in poorly folded, poorly packed. We're expected to insert them all - and we do."

Fortunately, the modular interchangeable design of the FPS system gives Sage Direct the scalable flexibility they need to move quickly from one job to the next with minimal downtime. And once a job is configured, it runs fast. The two-up continous form feeder, dual accumulator, 50k cutter, 6-Roller folder and servo-driven inserter module work together to create a seamless operation that can run up to 4-page collations as fast as 12k per hour.

And with the ergo-dynamic on-edge stacker, remote operator controller, zip marker and U-shaped configuration, one operator can run the machine and offload finished pieces.

Stepping Up for Today and Tomorrow

While Sage Direct invests in technology to meet the needs of their clients - the staff at Sage Direct have benefited greatly from the purchase of the Pitney Bowes systems. "Stress levels have gone way down," Sage reports. "The new inserters are so much easier to run with fewer problems. Plus, we're getting done faster. We now complete our monthly runs in half the time it would normally take."

Today, Sage Direct is better equipped to meet the needs of their clients. And they are making it easier for their clients to step up to today's corporate demands. Detailed output files provide clients with the disposition of each individual mailpiece, so clients can prove when a communication was mailed.

With this enhanced statement integrity, Sage Direct is now helping clients save money through advanced techniques, such as householding. For example, Sage Direct can program the system to insert both a credit card and deposit statement into a single envelope - eliminating the entire cost of a second mailing.

Overall, company president Gary Sage is excited about the new levels of integrity and what it means for the future of his business. "Attention to detail is everything," Sage notes. "It is no longer good enough to simply 'mail the statements'. If companies are taking accuracy and privacy issues seriously, they are going to choose an ADF that has the type of capabilities we offer."