New Inserters Bring Dynamic Results for Mailer

Hands-Off Operation, With A Production Floor That Resembles An Airport Terminal
SACRAMENTO, CA—Document Fulfillment Services (DFS) pumps out 2.5 million time-sensitive mail pieces each month, and a switch in inserting equipment enabled them to maintain this output while eliminating an entire production shift.
The secret: Mailroom Dynamics MB autoSET XT and MB autoSET B4 inserting systems. These workhorse inserting systems feature intelligent machine control and a linear flow of documents without change of direction from the feeding system to the enveloping station.
“By replacing 3 swing-arm inserters with one MB autoSET XT we were able to drop from 3 production shifts down to 2 shifts. This past October we were able to print 23 million impressions and mail 5 million pieces with only 16 operators working 2 shifts,” said Daniel Chavez, DFS General Manager.
The Mailroom Dynamics autoset XT runs up to 23,000 pieces per hour, processing either 10# envelopes or 6”x9”. The B4 handles 6”x 9”, 10# and 9”x12” envelopes.  “The reliability and speed of these units are critical for our success. During our heaviest month we only had two service calls. These units are made to run and they want to run,” said Mr. Chavez. “Adding these units has been a real game changer for us.”
Based on the technology used in their shop, Document Fulfillment Services has been a real-game changer in the mail production arena. The 15-year-old electronic print & mail firm has made technology the foundation for its growth.
The firm is a leader in time-sensitive mailings, with many customers requiring same-day and next-day turnaround of their critical mail. More than 95% of the documents printed by DFS have a social security or account #, so accounting for every document and every piece of mail is a must.
“What sets us apart is our use of technology and automation. We are truly a hands-off operation. Everyone of our operators has a tablet that they use to control the job,” explained Mr. Chavez.
“We also utilize a flight-status system, so our production floor resembles an airport terminal with 20” and 50” screens posted on the walls that show the status of each job.”
When the first shift arrives the day’s work is posted on the screens and real-time status shows the production flow from start to finish. With the US Postal Service slowing delivery of First-Class mail, the speed and efficiency with which DFS gets mail in and out of its shop is critical for business mailers who rely on remittance envelopes.
“Here in California we are one of the State’s biggest first-class mailers,” said Mr. Chavez. “Critical mail is what we do and the equipment, technology and service we get from Mailroom Dynamics has been a true game changer for us and our clients.”
Mailroom Dynamics specializes in providing best-fit equipment and technology to mail production facilities. (www.mailroomdynamics.com.)
Paper Mail Not Going Anywhere
DFS mails more than 2.5 million critical mail pieces each month, and a majority of these statements include remittance envelopes. The firm is an electronic print-to-mail firm that also produces e-statements for every mailed statement, yet DFS General Manager Daniel Chavez said that demand for printed statements remains strong.
“Back in the 90’s everyone was saying statement mail was going away, but we are not seeing that. We only have an 11% adoption rate.”
Mr. Chavez said that more and more of customers are increasing their use of printed documents and he credited the use of ink-jet color printing for personalization as a big reason why his customers are seeing more value in mail.

This article first appeared in MAIL: The Journal of Communication Distribution March 2016 edition.