In May, the U.S. Postal Service first allowed pieces with the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) to circulate.
This new system is anticipated to make it easier to track mail at each stage of the cycle, along with making things easier for consumers and the USPS.
The IMB is set to replace the USPS’s existing Planet Code and Postnet barcodes on all domestic mail. It is expected to help the Postal Service reduce the number of undeliverable-as-addressed mailing pieces, now estimated at more than 10 billion per year and costing upwards of $1.8 billion annually
The IMB will be mandatory on all mailings before May 2011.
