UPS Unit Will Speed Mail Through U.S. System

United Parcel Service Inc. unveiled a business unit that it said will offer cheaper, faster and more efficient ways to send mail through the U.S. postal system, expanding the package deliverer’s access to an estimated $15-billion market. Atlanta-based UPS said the new unit would include its recently acquired Mail2000 business, which electronically sorts and inserts time-sensitive first-class and standard mail, such as bills and financial statements, into the U.S. mail. The world’s No. 1 package delivery company also announced that it had acquired Reno, Nev.-based Global Management Services, a firm that uses ZIP Codes to sort and insert oversized letters, or “flats” as they are called, near final destinations in the U.S. postal system. UPS said its Mail2000 service, which it expects will appeal to high-volume customers, could save as much as 9 cents on each item mailed and cut delivery time in half. UPS shares closed off 34 cents at $56.60 on the NYSE.