EMI Service Guarantee Expands to France and Singapore

Global Shipping Opens Up New Export Markets for U.S. Businesses

WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service is expanding its date-certain, guaranteed Express Mail International (EMI) to France through Le Groupe La Poste and Singapore through Singapore Post, marking the availability of the service to all member postal administrations in the Kahala Posts Group (KPG). The guaranteed EMI service to France (excluding the island of Corsica and the Principality of Monaco) and Singapore will be available beginning March 14, providing mailers with date-certain delivery at the time of mailing, tracking and tracing capabilities and consistently high levels of delivery standards.

"The addition of Le Groupe La Poste and Singapore Post to our network of guaranteed international EMI destinations provides great opportunities for businesses interested in establishing or expanding product exports," said Pranab Shah, managing director and vice president, Global Business. "The member posts of KPG have proven to be formidable competitors in the international shipping industry by providing cost-effective, time-sensitive shipping solutions for business mailers."

Shah said that guaranteed EMI offered through the Postal Service provides the means for opening new export markets for U.S. businesses, while providing competitive prices with no hidden charges and full end-to-end visibility. "EMI, together with our extensive set of global shipping solutions, provides tremendous possibilities for domestic businesses interested in expanding their markets," he said. Terms and condition of the guarantee are available at http://www.usps.com/international/expressinternational_terms.htm .

KPG is an international alliance of the national postal administrations of Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Through the KPG, mailers have the ability to reach more than 328 million delivery points with access to 176,000 retail locations. Founded in 2003 by six founding members, KPG integrated their operational and information technology networks to provide date-certain international EMI beginning in July 2005. Backed by a guarantee and reliability on par with private couriers, the product has helped national posts regain share in the international package marketplace, and has proven especially popular with small and medium-sized business sector customers.

The Postal Service is a leading provider of international delivery services, providing business mailers with the ability to expand their markets by shipping packages and sending letters, documents and advertising mail to 191 countries.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the third Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service