Pitney Bowes secures long-term Communisis contract

Communisis has appointed Pitney Bowes as a long-term transactional mail hardware and software supplier in a move it said will drive productivity and continuous improvement initiatives.

The 10-year contract will see Pitney Bowes roll out mail insertion equipment and software at Communisis’ 9,290sqm Copley, Yorkshire-based Transactional Print & Mail Centre of Excellence.

The contract, which also includes consultancy services and on-site support, builds upon the success of the company’s first Transactional Print & Mail Centre of Excellence in Liverpool, which was also supported by Pitney Bowes.

Communisis already operates more than 40 Pitney Bowes machines and the business has so far added four additional inserting systems and one additional Vantage Flexline sorting system at its Copley site as part of the contract.

Communisis said the contract would "transform" the transactional mail services it delivers to its clients by boosting efficiency, reducing costs, driving change and creating a positive impact on customer communications.

Communisis managing director, Produce, David Herridge said: “Our relationship with Pitney Bowes goes back around eight or nine years and we’ve always had a good experience with them.

“It makes sense to have a single supplier from hardware through software, consulting and general market knowledge in order to give us a real end-to-end customer experience in the most straightforward, cost-effective and security conscious way.

“To keep the same manufacturer’s hardware and software on the floor means you’ve got a joined-up approach with one person to go to if you’ve got a problem and need a solution.”

He added: “This enables us to deliver critical documents with precision and accuracy and run an effective continuous improvement programme across our business, which supports our mission of becoming a world-class leader in intelligent communication management.”

Communisis, which currently employs around 2,200 people, achieved a 3% rise in turnover in the six months to 30 June, from £169.3m to £174.6m, while pre-tax profits, after exceptional items, came in at £3.2m compared with £2.9m in the same period last year.

“We’re constantly winning new clients and I would expect that in 2016 there will be both equipment replacing and updating, which is part of our ongoing strategy to make sure we’ve got the best kit, as well as a need to increase our capacity in both Copley and Liverpool in Q1 2016 due to client acquisition,” said Herridge.

Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies president Jason C Dies added: “A clear requirement emerged for a new, transformational mailing strategy which would integrate high-performance solutions with sophisticated software platforms.

“This is exactly what Pitney Bowes has rolled out for Communisis. We have on-site engineers until 2024 at both the Print and Mail Centres of Excellence, to ensure the seamless operations and maximum performance of our technology.”

Earlier this month Pitney Bowes launched the AcceleJet, a new roll to cut-sheet print and finishing colour inkjet system aimed at transactional printers handling short to medium-length runs.