Press Release: 9 May 2011

Signed and Sealed: Pitney Bowes’ New Pen Solution – Accuracy, Speed and Cost-Efficiency at the Stroke of a Pen

Pitney Bowes South Africa has announced the launch of Pen Solution, an innovative digital pen and software and application which has major benefits for paper-intensive organisations.

While digital pen technology has been around for a while, Pen Solution offers the user a unique combination of digital pen and software which allows for the capture of handwritten marks, such as comments and signatures by using specially created patterned areas per document.

Jaap Nieboer, Software Solutions Manager at Pitney Bowes explains: “There are two parts of the process: the printing of required documentation using software which creates patterned zones for signature or other purposes. There is also the Anoto (digital) pen, including an infrared camera and Bluetooth interface, which records the transaction.

“Once the digital pen is docked, all the information captured is transmitted to the server and becomes available for the organisation, which starts a whole workflow, such as invoice generating, proof of delivery and electronically searchable archiving.”

This technology, which essentially bridges the gap between signature capture and document output management, has numerous benefits. Top of the list are significant time and paper savings.

Says Nieboer: “Invoices and statements can now be sent much faster. With Pen Solution.a process that could typically take around three to four days is reduced to less than an hour! There is no more waiting to get the signed copies back to the office for processing, the document just has to be docked and then the process can start.”

The digital pen triggers any business process, in real-time, such as email distribution, fax and archiving, as soon as a signature is captured. “So it saves a lot of time, and enhances productivity – as well as improving cash flow.”

Nieboer goes on to describe other benefits of Pen Solution:

“Because multiple copies of a document, such as a delivery note, are no longer needed, it reduces paper usage, and also eliminates the need for postage. There is one copy of the document only, and that is printed only for the customer. The rest is entirely digitised.”

Nieboer adds that further benefits include more accurate records, as the system eliminates errors generated by manual scanning, information capture and paper handling.It also saves time in relation to filing, and searching for information as the whole process is now digital.

“So often papers get lost, so Pen Solution adds a certain peace of mind in terms of the safety of a company’s records,” says Nieboer.

Michael Springer, MD of Pitney Bowes, comments that Pitney Bowes is very excited to bring such an innovative solution to the South African market.

“For any company that is dependent on a signature to initiate other processes, such as producing an invoice, Pen Solution could have a significant impact. And the fact that it eliminates the need for so much printing and paper records, is also a great way for a company to reduce its carbon footprint,” he concludes.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes is a $5.6 billion global technology leader whose products, services and solutions deliver value within the mailstream and beyond. Founded in 1920, the company’s 33,000 employees deliver technology, service and innovation to more than two million customers worldwide. For more information about Pitney Bowes, its products, services and solutions, visit www.pb.com.

Editorial Contact: Kendal Hunt PR Consultant and Writer Kendal Hunt Communications Kendal@kendalhunt.co.za 011-704-5649