IPC Tray Pool Services

The IPC Tray Pool is a shared pool of standard, durable plastic mail trays that postal operators around the world use to transport international priority mail.

In the past, priority mail was transported internationally in a myriad of different containers. Sacks, plastic tubs, cardboard trays… they came in widely differing shapes and sizes. As the mail travelled the globe, the containers of each postal operator had to be stored and then returned to their original operator.

A major leap forward was the introduction in 2001 of the IPC Universal Mail Tray, a standard design now used by 22 postal operators. Over 450,000 of these sturdy and practical trays are currently in transit across 900 international routes.

This IPC Tray Pool is an initiative developed under the Upgrading Project in line with the effort to look for practical ways to help member postal operators improve their performance in the exchange of priority letter mail and to optimize interoperability.

Centrally managing the Tray Pool allows IPC to balance and manage the stock, allowing for purchasing economies of scale and effective purchase planning for future requirements.

Tray Pool Benefits

Among the many benefits the IPC Universal Tray Pool has provided members are:

Removed complexity and higher expense of returning individual member-owned trays or bags
Reduced storage, handling, and transport costs by removing the need to store and repatriate different member-owned trays and bags
Provision of a consistent supply of tray units to meet forecasted requirements
Improved efficiency of international priority mail exchange by keeping the mail well-protected so the mail is undamaged, dry and clean which makes automated sorting smoother and more productive. The IPC Tray design is a “one size fits all” concept and can carry C5, C6 and C4 mail, thus ensuring high fill rates and minimizing the need for other types of containers
Uniform size and improved design enables the units to stack and nest, reducing storage space in the production areas as well as in storage facilities
Dedicated “cross-hatched” area on the lid for the receptacle label makes bar-code scanning and removal of old labels easier, and strapping indents on all four edges of the lid allow for cross-strapping to increase tray content security
The IPC Tray is fully recyclable and designed to make lifting, carrying, and handling easier for everyone; there are no sharp edges, the trays have easy-to-carry handles, and a maximum allowed weight of 10 kg