STAMFORD, Conn., Sep 10, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Michael J. Critelli, chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) stated that in the future, the mail stream would provide higher value to business, while becoming more affordable, accessible, information-rich and secure.

During a presentation hosted by the Prudential Equity Group, Critelli also cited a recent report by the bi-partisan commission on the U.S. Postal Service established by President Bush that "validates Pitney Bowes' vision about the on-going importance of mail in American life and commerce, and the application of technology to make it even more valuable in the future."

Noting that most organizations today do not manage their mail and document flow to optimize the benefit they can have on business, Critelli said, "This is why we are so excited about the vision we have to add value to each piece mail. We understand that if we can make each piece of mail work harder and smarter, there will be tremendous growth and expansion opportunities ahead for us."

Critelli outlined the company's growth strategies for a higher value mail stream that's more affordable, accessible, information-rich and secure:

Affordable -- organizations that use mail are highly sensitive to postage costs, particularly when mail is used for customer acquisition, cross-selling or building customer loyalty. Large mailers today already enjoy significant discounts off single piece rates because of work sharing discounts they receive from automating and presorting mail. Last year, Pitney Bowes acquired PSI Group, a third-party mail consolidator that helps large mailers save up to 6.5 cents per piece of first class mail. In addition, the company's DM Series of networked mailing systems -- which use Pitney Bowes advanced Intellilink technology to provide real-time linkages between customers and the U.S. Postal Service -- provides access to postal services at discounted rates.

Accessible -- mail products and services need to be accessible to mailers when they want them and in the places they want to use them. Through products such as its Personal Post Office, remote bulk postage purchases are accessible through the postage meter at a lower price than ever before, particularly for small business and offices. Also, the company's web-based shipping solution, DeliverAbility, makes it easier for retailers to compare rates and routes among package carriers as well as track and validate delivery.

Information-Rich -- using "intelligence" to manage mail flow will make mail more valuable to mailers, recipients and posts. This concept, called Intelligent Mail, involves uniquely identifying each mail piece and tracking it from creation to final delivery through the use of data-rich, machine- readable information. Intelligent Mail could also help businesses improve operating efficiency and customer relationships, reduce costs associated with processing and having improperly addressed mail returned, increase response rates, and reduce the incidence of "junk mail."

Secure -- the ability to put a unique identifier on each mail piece and track its route through the postal network makes intelligent mail a way to enhance security as well. The recipient can open the mail with greater confidence when the sender is easily identifiable. It also enables postal carriers to validate an envelope or package contents for security purposes; provides an audit trail for forensic investigations, and mandates security standards to reduce the risk of mail being used as a weapon of terrorists. It also would enable the Postal Service to speed "trusted" mail through the network more quickly.

Pitney Bowes is the world's leading provider of integrated mail and document management solutions. The $4.4 billion company helps organizations of all sizes engineer the flow of communication to reduce costs and increase impact, and enhance customer relationships. The company's 80-plus years of technological leadership has produced many major innovations in the mailing industry and more than 3,500 active patents with applications in a variety of markets, including printing, shipping, encryption, and financial services. With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. Additional information on the company, its products, services and solutions can be found at www.pb.com.

     Contact:  Marianne Fulgenzi
               Director, External Affairs
               203-351-6974

SOURCE Pitney Bowes Inc.

Marianne Fulgenzi, Director, External Affairs of Pitney Bowes
Inc., +1-203-351-6974

http://www.pb.com