Corporate Jamaica can now recharge ink-stamp accounts without lugging the postage meter into the post office, which is one step closer to full electronic automation.

Ink stamps are a favourite among conglomerates, banks and utility companies for sending out bulk mail; and now they can manage their stamp accounts electronically instead of mechanically. It will cost roughly US$2000 ($178,000) and US$5000 ($445,000) to purchase the DM100 and the larger DM500 hardware respectively.

“This is the first stage of automating a lot of the functions at the Postal services. This will offer you advantages in terms of security and automated resetting instead of manually coming into a post office and resetting the meter. Those advantages kick in now,” stated Carl Gordon Jamaica Post information technology (IT) manager at yesterday’s press conference at the Central Sorting Office in Kingston. “Credit card online payment, we are growing to that point.”

Postmaster General Michael Gentles stated that that internet payment had been delayed due to legislation. Existing meters were described as old and susceptible to tampering and are being phased out in favour of new mailing devices similar to printers with installed electronic meters.

Appliance Traders (ATL) are the local dealers of the hardware. ATL chief executive officer (CEO) Zachary Harding said that the technology represented a necessary shift for Jamaica. “It is not unlike moving from a typewriter to computer. This is where the other regions have gone and we must follow.”

The electronic meters will eventually allow customers to refill their accounts electronically via the phone line, referred to as postage by phone.

“Postage by phone is simply the technology being used to refill the meter and one of the benefits of postage by phone is that you don’t have to physically take the meter to the post office,” stated Tim Rohach sales and marketing manager of North-American based Pitney Bowes which manufactures the DM100 and the larger DM500 which automatically feeds, seals, and imprints postage at up to 135 letters per minute. “We have two technologies we are introducing postage by phone and then the technology that postage by phone is driving which is the new mailing systems.”

Clients can now recharge their accounts with cash and it would be electronically monitored.

“Unlike the conventional system you will have real time access to your accounts,” stated Dean Knight of ATL group IT department. “There are also added security where only (secured) personnel has access to that account.”