UNEX
Measuring International Letter Service Performance through UNEX™
If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.
IPC’s UNEX system is used to measure international letter service performance between more than 40 postal operators worldwide. UNEX test letters posted in one country, pass through the world’s postal networks until delivered to the addressee in the destination country. Each letter contains a small Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag. At specific reading points in postal facilities, the RFID tag transmits its identity, anonymously, from the processing facility to IPC’s global RFID Network Centre in Brussels.
The UNEX System uses the transmitted data, with the date of posting and receipt, to calculate the transit time between specific points in the mail pipeline, allowing postal operators to manage the international mail pipeline in accordance with their delivery commitments to customers, regulators and postal partners. Postal operators can identify where bottlenecks may occur and where corrective actions are necessary.
UNEX began in 1994 with just 18 postal operators in 18 countries. Today, there are 43 postal operators on four continents in the UNEX system.
Please click here for a view on postal performance improvements measured by UNEX in Europe.
How it works
The UNEX system is based on a network of volunteer “panellists” – over 3,000 individuals, both in businesses and homes – who send and receive test letters according to a weekly plan, and who enter the posting or delivery time on a central computer system. Over 500,000 International first class/priority mail test letters are sent and tracked each year in the system. Test mail mirrors real mail geographical patterns and physical characteristics.
Once the RFID-transmitted data are sent to IPC’s global RFID Network Centre, the system identifies the progress or delays of the test letter from the sender in the origin country to the addressee in the destination country. UNEX provides measures on both end-to-end and domestic segments of the international mail pipeline (as shown in the figure below).
Flexible Design Models
The UNEX measurement operates at three levels:
- It measures performance between cities in the IPC member countries for operational improvement purposes.
- It measures inbound performance for terminal dues (payment for delivery by one postal operator to another) which are linked to quality of service. Separate components deal with the Universal Postal Union Target Terminal Dues System, with the European REIMS Terminal Dues Agreement and with bilateral agreements.
- It provides the performance on cross-border mail flows which is required for annual publication under the European Union Postal Directive (UNEX Annual Results).
Reports and data are provided to UNEX participating postal operators throughout the year so that they can monitor progress toward the agreed annual targets.
Since UNEX is used to fix terminal dues payments, the accuracy of the UNEX results is all the more important. IPC ensures accuracy by using a solid statistical design that is regularly updated to reflect reality, by advanced data validation and by providing on-line ad-hoc analysis tools.
Independence of UNEX Results and ISO Certification
All parties who use UNEX respect the integrity of the test measurements IPC provides. The validity and independence of the data is guaranteed by an external measurement contractor, which is ISO 9001:2000 certified for all processes, tasks and procedures implemented. The company renews its certification twice a year.