PREDES and RESDES message exchanges: overview …

1 Dae PREDES and RESDES message exchanges: overview and benefits Document version: Dae 3 1 Introduction This document starts by providing an overview of what the PREDES and RESDES messages are, from a business perspective. It then describes the current situation regarding exchanges of these messages. Lastly, it lists the benefits of PREDES / RESDES exchanges for all mail. These benefits can be summarized as follows: more efficient handling of irregularities; reduction of manual data entry, which means cost savings; quality improvement through measurements and data analysis.

2 The document also describes and emphasizes the added benefits of upgrading to the newest PREDES : PREDES version 2 What is a dispatch? Although most readers of this document are probably very familiar with mail dispatches, it is felt important to recall the key principles, as they relate to PREDES / RESDES exchanges. A dispatch is the collection of receptacles of mail being forwarded from one office of exchange (OE) to another OE at a point in time. All of the receptacles of a postal dispatch share the same attributes.

3 They all have the same: origin OE; destination OE; mail category ; mail class; mail sub-class; dispatch year; dispatch number. The receptacles of a postal dispatch also all have the same planned transportation. That is to say that the objective is that all of the receptacles of a dispatch travel together and arrive at the same time. For this reason, the planned transportation is included on each of the receptacle labels. Because of operational factors (weather, capacity, poor planning), actual transportation can differ from planned transportation.

4 Each mail receptacle contains mail items. Typically, a receptacle is a bag or a tray. Each receptacle bears a label containing key information and, in particular, a barcode with a unique identifier of this receptacle. Some mail items also have an identifier attached, usually for tracking purposes. A dispatch can be represented as a structure with three levels: 1 The dispatch, having an identifier conforming to UPU standard S8. 2 The receptacles in the dispatch, having an identifier conforming to UPU standard S9.

5 3 The mail items in each receptacle; identified mail items have an identifier conforming to UPU standard S10. 4 A hierarchical view of a dispatch is provided in the diagram below: Dispatch Receptacle Mail item .. Mail item Receptacle Mail item .. Mail item Receptacle Mail item Mail item Mail item .. A dispatch corresponds to one document, called the dispatch bill. In practice, this document is generated when the dispatch is closed: the document is inserted into the last receptacle of the dispatch just before it is closed.

6 This practice allows for easy retrieval of documentation by the partner post. For letter mail, this document is the CN 31 or CN 32 letter bill. For parcel mail, it is the CP 87 parcel bill. For EMS, it is a dispatch manifest/ summary. The dispatch/parcel bill document provides the destination postal operator with summary information about the contents of the dispatch. The information provided has two purposes: 1 Operational: allows the destination postal operator to verify that mail is received properly (detection of missing receptacles or items, etc.)

7 2 Accounting: the dispatch bill is the basis for international mail accounting. In fact, dispatch is an artificial concept created in order to limit paperwork: instead of having a document for each mail receptacle, there is one per dispatch: one per group of receptacles corresponding to the same type of mail and prepared together. 5 3 What is PREDES ? overview PREDES is the name of an EDI (electronic data interchange) message containing information on a mail dis-patch. PREDES stands for PREadvice-DESpatch.

8 A PREDES message is generated by the postal operator preparing the dispatch and is sent to the operator that receives the dispatch ( the destination of the dispatch). PREDES was initially designed for planning and tracking purposes. PREDES versions The first version of PREDES ( ) was developed in the 1990s. It provided the following information: dispatch information; planned transport information; receptacle information (for each receptacle in the dispatch). The second version, PREDES , was developed around the year 2000.

9 It added information at mail-item level, for identified items. The latest version, PREDES , was developed from 2008 and achieved stabilization in 2013. Compared to , PREDES adds accounting information. The table below summarizes the information blocks in the different versions of PREDES : Information block PREDES PREDES PREDES Dispatch Transport Receptacle Item Accounting Important: all the information blocks listed in the table above are also present in the paper dispatch document known as the dispatch/parcel bill.

10 Therefore, PREDES provides all the information in the dispatch bill and can fully replace the paper document, meaning that it can be used in paperless exchanges of mail. 4 What is RESDES ? RESDES is an EDI message . RESDES stands for RESponse on a DESpatch. A RESDES message is generated by the postal operator receiving mail receptacles, in response to a PREDES message . Sending RESDES confirms positive receipt of receptacles, with the possibility of indicating irregu-larities in these receptacles (such as a discrepancy between the weight announced and the weight received).