 
          Matrix F series from Frama
        
        
          A new dimension in
        
        
          franking
        
        
          
            Editor’s Choice:
          
        
        
          
            Business Info
          
        
        
          
            What we liked:
          
        
        
          • first franking systems to support
        
        
          Mailmark technology
        
        
          • Frama’s most highly specified
        
        
          devices to date
        
        
          • outstanding functionality and
        
        
          reliability
        
        
          • clear and transparent pricing
        
        
          with no hidden charges
        
        
          • potential for future intelligent
        
        
          products and services
        
        
          
            Mailmark benefits franking machine
          
        
        
          
            users in a number of ways:
          
        
        
          • A price differential over standard franked mail
        
        
          • Access to a new Prepay Business Reply product
        
        
          that will drive responses to businesses and
        
        
          generate revenue
        
        
          • Automated postal tariff updates (standard with
        
        
          all Frama smart franking systems)
        
        
          • LAN connection for fast and secure online
        
        
          communication for postage credits, postal rate
        
        
          changes, software updates and graphics for
        
        
          advertising stamps. No more need for additional
        
        
          costly analogue lines
        
        
          • A more professional finish to mail items
        
        
          • Potential for future intelligent products and
        
        
          services
        
        
        
           –  01732 759725
        
        
          
            When Frama’s Matrix F series was
          
        
        
          
            launched, it raised the curtain on
          
        
        
          
            a new era in franking. As well as
          
        
        
          
            being the Swiss manufacturer’s
          
        
        
          
            most highly specified devices to
          
        
        
          
            date, they were the first franking
          
        
        
          
            systems to support Royal Mail’s
          
        
        
          
            Mailmark technology and the full
          
        
        
          
            range of franking products.
          
        
        
          Mailmark, a new generation of
        
        
          franking mark that has replaced the
        
        
          traditional ‘town and crown’ die with a
        
        
          2D barcode that carries machine readable
        
        
          information on the user and mailpiece,
        
        
          was introduced into the postal systems in
        
        
          February 2014.
        
        
          Royal Mail invested £70m in the
        
        
          development and introduction of
        
        
          Mailmark technology, which offers
        
        
          the potential to track mail location
        
        
          and delivery and improve reporting
        
        
          and management of tariffs. In time, all
        
        
          business mail will carry this barcode.
        
        
          Business benefits include simplified
        
        
          access to Royal Mail products; increased
        
        
          intelligence, giving potential for new
        
        
          products and services; and a more
        
        
          professional and modern image that
        
        
          helps to add customer value. Further
        
        
          savings can be achieved by eliminating over
        
        
          payment or surcharges for under payment
        
        
          as Mailmark franking systems always apply
        
        
          the correct postage based on the service
        
        
          selected.
        
        
          The lead that Frama has taken puts
        
        
          them in pole position with their new range
        
        
          of systems, from entry level to high volume,
        
        
          highly efficient products. This provides
        
        
          Frama’s channel partners with a unique
        
        
          opportunity in the franking system supply
        
        
          market.
        
        
          When Royal Mail introduced its new
        
        
          tariff in April it said that Mailmark would
        
        
          be the best value option. This commitment
        
        
          gives users of stamps and existing franking
        
        
          machines a strong financial incentive to
        
        
          upgrade to the Frama Matrix F series.
        
        
          In becoming the first manufacturer to
        
        
          introduce a full range of Mailmark approved
        
        
          franking systems, Frama is continuing a long
        
        
          tradition of industry firsts. It was the first to
        
        
          introduce automatic date changes (in 1984);
        
        
          the first to offer tariff calculation within
        
        
          the machine (1993); the first to provide
        
        
          a touchscreen (1996); the first to provide
        
        
          touchscreen navigation for product selection
        
        
          (2005); and the first to launch a TCP/IP
        
        
          converter for franking machines (2011).
        
        
          Frama’s record of technological
        
        
          innovation is evident in the Matrix F
        
        
          series. Meeting the needs of organisations
        
        
          sending anything from a handful to
        
        
          hundreds of letters a day, the F12, F22,
        
        
          F32, F42, F62 and F82 offer outstanding
        
        
          functionality and reliability at a
        
        
          competitive price.
        
        
          Key features include: large colour
        
        
          touchscreens (mono on the F12 and
        
        
          F22); integrated scales with single item
        
        
          weighing mode on all models, plus a free
        
        
          stack weighing mode on the F22-F82;
        
        
          ink and credit level displays on the
        
        
          F22-F82; enhanced throughput with
        
        
          automatic letter ejection into a catch
        
        
          tray on the F12-F22, a semi-automatic
        
        
          letter feeder on the F32 and F42, and an
        
        
          advanced automatic feeder on the F62
        
        
          and F82 (optional on the F42); an optional
        
        
          conveyor stacker for the F62 and F82; TCP/
        
        
          IP connectivity built-in; faster engines – up
        
        
          to 140 letters per minute on the F82; and
        
        
          high quality pigmented (waterproof) ink.
        
        
          Another major selling point of Frama
        
        
          devices is the company’s policy to provide
        
        
          clear and transparent pricing with no
        
        
          hidden charges. Ninety six per cent of
        
        
          Frama customers are on a comprehensive
        
        
          maintenance contract, where the only
        
        
          thing they have to pay for is the ink. And
        
        
          with the recently launched Frama Smart
        
        
          Franking Plan, even that is included.
        
        
        
          21
        
        
          Editor’s Choice Awards