DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!
By Ken Waddell
hen your mailing operation needs an “upgrade,” who do you call? That’s the question we want to help you with, and the HOT COMPANIES list is a great place to start. You face many challenges with your workflow, production, and mail
delivery, and having a go-to list of businesses with the equipment, software, services, and supplies you need would be a big help, right? Drum roll, please! Announcing the 2024-2025 HOT MAILING SOLUTION COMPANIES. In the following pages, you will find industry movers and shakers that will help ensure that your physical mail stream remains healthy and vibrant. Each of these 14 companies profiled within this special sponsored issue are experts at what they do, so they are willing to help you conquer whatever challenge your mail operation is facing. From solutions that help you with return mail or new equipment to make you more productive, these solution providers are some of the most trusted in the industry.
Take a good look at each one of these HOT COMPANIES, visit their websites, check them out on social media, and email or call them with questions. Today is a great time to start making the changes you need for next year and the years to come.
All the best,
President Chad Griepentrog
Publisher Ken Waddell
Editor Amanda Armendariz amanda.c@rbpub.com
Audience Development Manager Rachel Chapman rachel@rbpub.com
Advertising Ken Waddell 608.235.2212 ken.w@rbpub.com
Design Kelli Cooke
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MAILING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (ISSN 1088-2677) [Volume 36 Issue 5] is published six times per year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by MadMen3 PO Box 259098 Madison WI 537259098, 608-241-8777. Periodical postage paid at Madison WI and additional offices.
POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Mailing Systems Technology PO Box 259098 Madison WI 53725-9098
INTERNATIONAL MAIL SERVICES
Absolute Mail Logistics is there for you, whenever your company is in need of getting the maximum discount for postage for your mail addresses internationally without losing the speed of delivery. Reduce mailing costs, increase efficiency, and deliver a great customer experience!
If you often send out international mail, Absolute Mail Logistics can save you a lot of work, time, and money! We cater to the small and mid-sized mailings as well. All you need is a minimum of 10 pounds to enjoy the benefits we offer. We have been one of the leaders in international mailing for over 20 years! Our goals have always been to save you money when mailing to over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Absolute Mail Logistics leverages its extensive network of foreign postal administrations and the USPS consolidation program to support our diverse portfolio of clients. With the distribution of publications and direct mail, services including:
IPA / ISAL / PRIORITY AND STANDARD
CANADA AND LATIN AMERICA DIRECT ENTRY
We’ve received positive response to our Direct Entry Service to Canada and Latin America! Have you ever had the need for mailing printed material such as magazines, trade publications, professional journals, newspapers, newsletters, or books destined to Canada or even Latin America? Absolute Mail’s Direct Injection Service provides you not only the handling and delivery of your shipments but also a substantial cost savings on your postage when it’s processing within the country. *Utilizing this service, you’ll be able to enjoy receiving our invoice within 24 hours after mail injection!
Domestic Mail Services (BPM/Catalogues and Flat mail)
Through our partnership with the United States Postal Service, we pick up, process, and expedite your domestic mail to the USPS destination facility for the final-mile delivery. Our domestic mail services offer customers a high-quality range of services for mailing goods and documents around the corner or around the country. We handle your flats up to 15.1 ounces and for the BPM (Bound Printed Matter) up to 15 pounds.
Clear Image Technologies is a company focused on affordable, reliable solutions for the direct mail industry. With over 40 years of experience in direct mail, we understand that each mailer’s needs are different, and that one large, complex system is more than many companies need. Our goal to provide user-friendly, scalable, inserting alternatives. All our products are modular.
In 2007, we developed the Picture Perfect Match System for companies doing match mailings by hand or hand checking the mailing off the end of their inserter. This visual match system, retrofitted to a customer’s existing inserter, displays images of the mail components on a monitor to allow the operator to visually inspect to ensure match integrity. This provided a low cost, semi automated system to companies with medium volume match mailings.
In 2009, after many customer requests to stop the inserter in the event of a mismatch, we incorporated the ability to upgrade to optical character recognition and barcode recognition. Using the same cameras from the basic system, we could now decode the images to look for names and sequence numbers to match on and data recording of each piece processed.
In 2014 we teamed with Pitcairn Engineering and rewrote that software to employ the .net framework, Tesseract OCR engine, and Sauvola binarization to increase speed up to 300%.
In 2015 we added Read and Print. Using our reading technology, Norwix’s printing software and HP print technology, we can insert, match, and print in one pass.
By partnering with equipment dealers like Tri-State Mailing Equipment in New York, Peak Business Equipment in St. Louis, Mailing Equipment Company in Ft. Worth, SoCal Mailing Equipment in Los Angeles, and TLM and Associates in Clearwater, we’ve been able to provide sales, service and support to the U.S. and Canada.
We are constantly in the field, listening to our customers, the salespeople, technicians, and operators that use our products. Have a need not mentioned here? Call us!
GRAYHAIR SOFTWARE — THE ADDRESS IS YOUR ASSET
GrayHair Software transforms postal and address data into a strategic enterprise asset, enabling organizations to achieve unprecedented efficiency and growth in their mailing operations. Recognizing that accurate customer addresses are foundational to effective communication, GrayHair provides a comprehensive suite of solutions to overcome common challenges like data fragmentation, inconsistent formats, and limited real-time visibility across disparate systems.
GrayHair helps businesses turn traditionally undervalued postal data into actionable, real-time intelligence. Without high-quality address data, organizations face significant risks including regulatory penalties, poor customer experiences, increased fraud, diminished marketing campaign responses, and hard-dollar losses stemming from wasted postage on undeliverable mail, reprinting costs, and increased contact center volume for missing mail pieces. GrayHair addresses these pitfalls by providing essential tools and expertise to standardize data inputs, gain real-time visibility into mailpiece journeys, and significantly reduce reliance on inefficient manual workflows.
By embedding these solutions seamlessly within existing data architectures, such as integrating with data lakes via platforms like Snowflake, GrayHair empowers proactive decision-making, robust risk mitigation, and substantial operational efficiency.
This foundational change impacts various critical business functions, from accelerating the delivery of essential items like cards and enhancing customer onboarding processes, to elevating marketing effectiveness, improving compliance with postal regulations, and ultimately transforming the overall customer experience. GrayHair’s solutions offer comprehensive end-to-end tracking capabilities, granular delivery insights, and robust supplier monitoring, all of which lead to measurable gains and a stronger competitive advantage. GrayHair Software acts as a strategic data intelligence partner, committed to continuous innovation and dedicated support, ensuring address and postal data are treated as the critical enterprise assets they truly are.
Learn more by visiting our website: https://grayhairsoftware.com/transform-your-postal-data-into-a-high-performingbusiness-asset/
In mail management and card processing, Kern continues to stand out. As a family-run business, we’ve built a reputation for high-performance solutions, exceptional service, and a customer-first mindset. For over 75 years, Kern has helped businesses around the world work smarter and faster.
Our product range includes inserting systems, secure card solutions, and integrated automation engineered to boost efficiency, precision, and throughput. Now with Müller Apparatebau joining the Kern Group, we’re even better positioned to deliver powerful, adaptable solutions for evolving customer needs.
What sets Kern apart is our service. From day one to years down the road, we support every system with training, technical assistance, and a 10-year Customer Service Guarantee. Our teams ensure every client gets personalized attention and fast, reliable help when they need it.
We’re proud of our history, but even more excited about what’s next. With advanced technology, a growing portfolio, and a passion for helping customers succeed, Kern remains committed to delivering solutions that go the distance.
Mail-Gard® keeps your critical communications running, so nothing gets between you and your customers.
Whatever your emergency, from natural disasters to unforeseen business challenges, we provide the support you need to keep your mail moving. Mail-Gard’s Disaster Recovery experts have protected Fortune 1000 companies, local industries, and state and federal customers from serious business interruptions since 1996. Don’t wait for the unexpected — get protected today.
Melissa Direct, a division of Melissa, helps mailers stay current with domestic and international address quality. Melissa continues to strengthen its position as the address expert with the recent acquisition of ZipInfo, offering complete, comprehensive ZIP Code databases including associated MSA/PSA and CBSA data. In addition, Melissa has partnered with Global-Z International with a mission to help enterprises maximize the value of their global customer data while providing a unique consultative approach. Since 1985, Melissa has helped thousands of companies worldwide stay in touch with customers, reduce undeliverable mail, and increase ROI with address and other contact data quality solutions.
NCOALink® National Change of Address Processing
Melissa is a NCOALink® Full-Service Provider licensee of the USPS® and will match your list against the full USPS NCOALink dataset of over 160 million moves filed over the last 48 months. Plus, Melissa leverages mCOA and pCOA databases — millions of change-of-address records from multi-sourced and proprietary data — to reach those 40% of households that do not file a change-of-address with the USPS.
Melissa also provides NCOA services for many international countries. As one of only a handful of Canada Post® licensees, Melissa updates your file based on a dataset of 10 million move records from the last 72 months while simultaneously performing Canadian Address Hygiene.
Online Presorting
Mailers Online is the easy-to-use SaaS mailing solution that prepares USPS-compliant mailings and presorts in the Cloud. All you have to do is simply upload your list and Mailers Online will standardize, verify, cleanse, dedupe, and update all addresses to increase deliverability and qualify for First-Class Mail®, Standard Mail®, and Destination Discounts. Mailers Online offers the flexibility for your entire team to process mailings without installing and updating software at each workstation, no long-term contracts, and easy pay-per-job pricing.
Generate New Revenue Streams
Melissa’s LeadGen Mailing List APIs provide access to over 200 million consumers, 15 million businesses, as well as Occupant and Property Owner mailing lists. With wholesale pricing, these lists may be for internal or retail use. Build, order, and download lists that contain demographic and firmographic location information and more, at any time. Define market segments, reach the ideal audience, and gain a deeper understanding of your customers with updated and accurate information.
Solutions for Everyone
Melissa’s address hygiene solutions are available as Web APIs, Automated FTP (fast, convenient and secure processing 24/7/365), SaaS, and desktop software. Stay in touch with your customers and prospects, improve deliverability, cut costs, and increase ROI all with better address quality.
“Melissa is honored to have helped so many large and small businesses in the US, Canada, Europe, and around the world over the last 40 years. It is our distinct pleasure to empower our clients with the clean, accurate, and verified address data they need to achieve their mailing goals in a rapidly changing environment.”
RAY MELISSA
Gluing Systems & Machinery, Inc. (GMS) has been servicing the needs of the converting, graphic arts, and direct mail industries since 1977. Our focus is on providing Americanmade, high-quality, performance-based hot melt and cold gluing systems. GMS understands your business and can provide you with products capable of performing beyond expectations.
microglue® is our complete line of hot melt and cold gluing systems and accessories. It consists of programmable 2, 4, and 8 channel pattern controllers, adhesive melt units, hot and cold glue applicators, and various cold gluing systems. Capable of producing high-quality results at a competitive price, the microglue® line is an effective choice for all your adhesive application needs.
The micromailer® features flow fold tables integrated with a 20” feeder, inline product scoring, inline perforating, card tipping, and gluing in one simple, affordable package. Designed to be expandable for future applications, the micromailer® offers an affordable solution for most direct mail applications and complies with current postal requirements.
microgluer® is a family of small-format buckle plate folding and gluing machines designed to simplify and streamline folding and gluing operations for mailing applications. These machines are available in formats ranging from basic half and letter folds, with or without glue, to more complex mailers that include z-fold and micro-perforation options. The microgluer® features dot, line, or stitch patterns, patented output speed compensation, shutter control output, product and batch counters, and a production rate meter.
The microgluer® is the simplest and easiest-to-use tabletop folder with an integrated glue system, capable of being configured for all small format and direct mail applications. Made affordable and accessible to our customers, expandability and flexibility are just part of the advantages of working with GMS and our microgluer® family of products.
Next Generation Automation
OPEX® Corporation is a global leader in Next Generation Automation, providing innovative, unique solutions for document and mail automation. With a comprehensive suite of customized, scalable technology solutions, OPEX helps clients revolutionize how they conduct business — improving workflow, reducing costs and driving efficiencies. The company engineers, manufactures, sells and services its automated solutions, translating to the highest degree of quality equipment, reliable operations, product longevity and an exceptional client experience.
Proven Solutions
OPEX offers a variety of solutions to address the biggest challenges in mail and parcel sorting efficiency, digital mailroom operations, return mail processing, mail and parcel tracking, and large volume management. Solutions are designed to streamline processes, achieve enhanced operational efficiency, reduce manual labor and ensure scalability.
The OPEX Falcon+® RED™ seamlessly integrates envelope opening, extraction and advanced scanning into one efficient workflow, transforming complex operations into simple, efficient processes, backed by comprehensive software that provides unmatched accuracy and intelligent data management to drive decision-making. The OMATION® Model 606™ Envelopener® high-volume mail processing system can handle up to 40,000 envelopes per hour. It features an intuitive LCD touchscreen, an engineered feeder to prevent misfeeds and interruptions, and performance tracking to optimize operations. Mail Matrix™ quickly delivers mail, flats, magazines, and small parcels to an array of bins, identifying the address and comparing it to the database. And Sure Sort® is a versatile, high-speed sorting system capable of accurately and rapidly sorting parcels up to five pounds — ideal for small parcels and flats labeled with a barcode.
A Trusted Partner for 50 Years
Since 1975, OPEX Corporation has served as a trusted partner to clients around the world, with nearly 1,600 employees continuously reimagining automation technology that solves the most significant business challenges of today and in the future. OPEX is headquartered in Moorestown, NJ, with facilities in Pennsauken, NJ; Plano, TX; France; Germany; Switzerland; the United Kingdom; and Australia. The year 2025 marks a significant milestone — the company’s 50th anniversary under the multi-generational ownership and leadership of the Stevens family.
Pitney Bowes. A trusted leader in shipping and mailing technology. Pitney Bowes is a technology-driven products and services company that provides SaaS shipping solutions, mailing innovation, presort mailing services with a nationwide footprint across the United States, and financial services to clients around the world — including more than 90% of the Fortune 500. Small businesses to large enterprises, and government entities rely on Pitney Bowes to simplify the sending of mail and parcels.
Founded in 1920 to revolutionize the way businesses send mail, the company has continuously redefined its role in the mailing and shipping industry. Today, Pitney Bowes proudly stands as a key player for presort mailing services, mailing innovation, and as a global leader in SaaS shipping technology.
The Pitney Bowes Shipping 360 platform gives businesses complete visibility and control over their shipping and mailing operations. This secure technology platform allows organizations to compare shipping rates, print labels and postage, track inbound packages, and analyze shipping and mailing expenses from a single user experience.
With inbound package management, businesses can track incoming deliveries, notify recipients automatically, and manage delivery to recipients through features like integration with smart lockers.
Pitney Bowes’ powerful analytics and reporting tools track spending across locations, provide insights on carrier performance, and uncover opportunities to reduce costs. These insights help customers make smarter shipping and mailing decisions for continual cost and operational improvement.
For retail and e-commerce shippers, scalable multicarrier shipping software and APIs simplify shipping by automating workflows, finding the best carrier rates, and consolidating orders in a single place. Pitney Bowes faster APIs and integrations to your existing tech stack help increase accuracy and speed in shipping customer orders.
What sets Pitney Bowes apart is its ability to scale across diverse industries for businesses and organizations of all sizes. With the 360 platform, Pitney Bowes continues to be a trusted partner and global leader in shipping and mailing technology.
Delivering the ultimate business management tools for direct, transpromotional, transactional, and cyclical mailing projects
Print ePS, a division of eProductivity Software (ePS), enables the creation of innovative communications and consumer experiences that drive a more engaging, colorful, and sustainable world. We empower print companies of all sizes by harnessing technology to manage their business and manufacturing processes — from point of sale through fulfillment. Whether a single-location business or a multi-site, multi-national enterprise, our deep software portfolio evolves and scales with businesses globally. From entry-level modular solutions to robust productivity suites, Print ePS is a trusted partner that understands business challenges and aspirations, helping customers build a technology roadmap for long-term success.
From first contact to go-live and beyond, we follow a proven process to deliver solutions tailored to each business. We provide proven MIS software and AI-powered tools at the core of integrated solutions built specifically for the print industry and we support all types of commercial printers across segments such as in-plant, digital, large-scale enterprise, mailing, publication, sign and display, and more. And our suites incorporate capabilities such as estimating, job tracking, scheduling, data collection, and eCommerce to streamline operations and reduce manual work. With smart automation and practical tools, Print ePS helps print businesses work more efficiently and make better decisions every day.
Our mailing solutions are designed to improve the efficiency of companies providing mailing and personalized direct marketing services by improving critical business processes, including:
Estimating and pricing of mailing and direct marketing projects
Managing complex order entry, receipt dates, in-home dates, permits, and detailed data and production specifications
Scheduling, production capacity planning, and management of key milestones and critical dates
Managing and communicating approvals, signoffs, change orders, etc.
Providing accurate, real-time reporting and analysis for jobs in production and more
From simple jobs to the most complex, multi-product, multi-version projects or cyclical time-sensitive mailings, Print ePS’ mailing solutions provide a structured, organized project environment that increase the accuracy and flow of all job information, allowing you to complete each project faster and more efficiently.
Our solutions easily break down complex projects into manageable pieces and reduce errors while analyzing the cost and profitability of the processes and pieces within the job. We achieve this through an easy-to-understand workflow with a visual representation of complex multi-level mailing projects that may include hundreds of required components across hundreds of different package combinations and drop dates. A powerful API provides automatic processing of that cyclical work and visual engineering allows for an easy and predictable way to send jobs for production to multiple plants for maximum flexibility.
RENA By Quadient offers a comprehensive line of envelope printing solutions that are built to last. Our high speed monochrome inkjet printers like the AS-450, AS-650, & AS-850 include modern design, HP inkjet technology, easy-to-use color touch screens, the ability to print on UV-coated stock and more! They are great for any size business, including but not limited to entry-level mailers, schools, commercial printers, and packaging/fulfillment companies.
Rena also offers products tailored for the digital printing world as well. The new MACH 7 and MACH 9 color inkjet printers utilize the latest heavy-duty inkjet technology from HP to produce brilliant full color output that is affordable and durable. While the MACH 7 is a productivity boosting tabletop system that can adapt to almost any printing operation, the MACH 9 is a console inkjet system that can run on its own or in line with other solutions for maximum efficiency and cost savings for higher volume customers. They both run a wide variety of applications from postcards to paper bags. The long-life A3 print bar is great for printing long runs, but also perfect for those increasingly common on-demand short runs and jobs requiring personalization.
Rena is a brand of Quadient, a company that is the driving force behind the world’s most meaningful customer experiences. By focusing on four key solution areas including Customer Experience Management, Business Process Automation, Mail-Related Solutions, and Parcel Locker Solutions, Quadient helps simplify the connection between people and what matters. Quadient supports hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide in their quest to create relevant, personalized connections and achieve customer experience excellence.
All of Rena’s products are designed, engineered, and manufactured in the USA with the primary focus on providing the highest quality products on the market. We invite you to learn more about the above products plus more at www.renausa.com.
SmartSoft Inc. is a leading provider of workflow management software, offering address correction, postal discounts, and print workflow automation software for the United States and Canada.
SmartAddresser — All-in-One Postal Software
If you want to switch to a more user-friendly and feature-rich mailing software solution, then now is a great time to try an industry leader. From state-of-the art address correction features and the very latest postal presorting options to advanced features such as automated mail processing with job scripting, SmartAddresser is the USPS® Certified postal software you can trust. Your data will be accurate and your mail prepared correctly, saving you time and saving you money.
AccuMail — Address Verification Tools
Available as standalone desktop software or cross-platform APIs (Linux, Windows, or MacOS) that are easily integrated into most existing third-party applications or homegrown systems, SmartSoft’s address verification tools let you validate addresses one at a time, at point-of-entry, or in batch across your entire database. They are fully scalable to the size of any organization and designed to improve the accuracy of your customer contact data.
PressWise — Print MIS and Workflow Automation
Designed by a printer as an alternative to purchasing independent modules (or custom development) of Print Estimating, Workflow Automation, Print MIS, Shipping and Mail Preparation Software, PressWise provides a single print workflow system, with all the tools needed to streamline your operation and grow your business. Available cloud or selfhosted with NO long-term contracts, and browser-based for instant access — anytime, anywhere. PressWise also integrates with most existing web-to-print systems storefronts and lets you handle more orders with fewer touch points, improving productivity and maximizing your ROI.
Solutions that are easy to use and designed to save you money.
XMPIE: TURNING DIRECT MAIL INTO PERSONALIZED, DATA-DRIVEN EXPERIENCES
In a marketing world where relevance is everything, XMPie, is redefining what’s possible with direct mail and omnichannel communications. By combining the power of data, design, and automation, XMPie enables organizations to deliver personalized, measurable campaigns that span print and digital channels — at scale.
Whether you’re a print service provider, a nonprofit, or a brand marketer, XMPie gives you the tools to create communications that speak directly to each recipient — boosting engagement, response rates, and ROI.
WHAT XMPIE DOES
XMPie’s platform connects customer data with creative content to produce personalized communications across multiple channels. Its modular architecture supports everything from simple variable data printing to complex, automated omnichannel campaigns.
HERE’S WHAT SETS XMPIE APART:
Web-to-Print eCommerce Storefronts: Launch branded portals where users can order customized print materials on demand, with built-in approval workflows and brand control.
Email and Web Personalization: Extend your print campaigns into digital with personalized emails, landing pages, and microsites that mirror the messaging and design of your direct mail.
Omnichannel Marketing Automation: Build automated, data-driven workflows that adapt to customer behavior in real time, ensuring timely, relevant follow-ups across channels.
SEAMLESS ADOBE INTEGRATION
One of XMPie’s most powerful advantages is its native integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, especially Adobe InDesign. This means designers can work in the tools they already know and love, while tapping into live data to create dynamic, personalized content.
REAL-WORLD RESULTS
From retail promotions and donor engagement to political campaigns and healthcare outreach, XMPie is behind some of the most innovative and effective direct mail strategies, and its technology is trusted by thousands of organizations globally to deliver personalized, trackable, and results-driven communications. Discover how XMPie can elevate your mailing strategy. Visit www.xmpie.com to learn more.
team@xmpie.com