International Postal System (IPS) — Overview

Alongside freight and logistics, the Freight Management module includes a complete system for running International Postal System (IPS) operations. If you're a postal operator or a courier company dealing with an international exchange office, this section manages a mail item's journey from the moment receptacles arrive from abroad until the parcel is delivered to the customer's door.

Who is this section for?

The postal system is a specialized part of the freight module. If your business is only ocean freight and clearance, you may not need it. Postal and parcel operators, on the other hand, will find a complete workflow here. Both sections share the same frm license and the same Freight Management System menu.

Core concepts

Before getting into the documents, let's learn the vocabulary the whole system revolves around.

Mail Item

The smallest unit: an individual parcel or letter. A mail item carries a unique identifier (Mail Item ID), a description, a mail class, category, and subclass, an HS code for customs, a weight (declared and actual), a country of origin, recipient data, and its value. It's what ultimately gets delivered to the customer.

Receptacle

A container that gathers several mail items for transport between offices — a sealed bag or box with a seal number. The system treats receptacles as a transport unit, and the items inside them as a delivery unit.

Delivery & Receipt Areas

The postal offices and areas the items move between: Received From, Received In, and Next Office. Tracking these fields on every document traces the item's path across the office network.

A mail item's journey

A mail item passes through stages, each with its own document:

1. Receiving receptacles — receptacles arrive from abroad and are recorded with a Receptacles Receipt.
2. Manifesting/opening items — receptacles are opened and the items inside recorded via the Mail Item Manifest.
3. Customs clearance — items subject to customs are gathered in a Manifest for Custody.
4. Transfer between offices — items move to the office responsible for delivery via the Mail Item Transfer.
5. Sorting — items are sorted for delivery, and missing ones and non-delivery reasons are recorded in the Postal Parcels Sort.
6. Delivery and collection — a Delivery Request is created for the customer, then a Delivery Invoice for the service value and customs fees.

And throughout the journey, the adjustment, stock-taking, and retention documents let you correct discrepancies and handle held items.

Postal master files

Defined once under Freight Management System → Master Files:

• Mail Class / Category / Subclass — classification of mail items per postal-union standards.
• Mail Condition and Parcel Status — describe the item's situation.
• Delivery & Receipt Area — offices and areas.
• Delivery Service Item and Delivery Service Price — delivery pricing.
• Retention Reason and Non-Delivery Reason / Measure — handling exceptions.
• Event — item-tracking events.

The following pages detail each group of documents.