Leading mail systems provider, Pitney Bowes Inc., has signed sole distributorship rights for the Bermuda market with A.F. Smith.

A.F. Smith chairman Tony Smith said the new relationship is a perfect fit for his company's sales growth strategy and he forecast additional services that will take advantage of technological progress.

His company won out over several other bidders for the business, which was formerly held by Busycomm Ltd., before Busycomm was put into receivership last August.

Mr. Smith conceded, "I have been after Pitney Bowes for many years. It's a very good company and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. They have solid growth over the years, a blue chip company with solid products. They have the right line of products and they are the leaders in their field.'' Pitney Bowes postage metres are found throughout the Island's offices. The banks and some insurers have some of the more sophisticated equipment. A.F.

Smith expects to have three or four people dedicated to the account in the near term, with projected business growth for the future. An additional staff member has already been taken on. More may come later.

Mr. Smith said, "Pitney Bowes is a world-class leader in this field and we are proud to be their new partner. This involves some very sophisticated equipment and we have to back it up with trained personnel.'' Pitney Bowes vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean, Andy Daigle, said, "This new alliance will herald new opportunities for us in Bermuda.

There were several local companies interested in the distributorship and we selected A.F. Smith for their integrity, financial strength, existing distribution infrastructure, and market-focused philosophy.'' Pitney Bowes markets a broad line of mailing, shipping, addressing, and production mail systems. They are in over two million customer sites worldwide and their annual sales in 1995 were a record $3.5 billion. Net income was $583.1 million, a near 113 percent improvement over fiscal 1994 and more than a 65 percent increase over fiscal 1993.

Mr. Smith said, "New developments coming to market in 1997, including Postage By Phone and Smart Mail products, will excite our customers and confirm their belief that they have partnered with the right team.'' Postage By Phone will provide relief for office workers who now have to regularly take their postage metre to the post office to be re-calibrated.

Pitney Bowes has worked very closely with the US postal authorities and others around the world to develop various systems.

A.F. Smith senior manager of marketing, Colin Smith said that mailing solutions will be provided to enhance customer communication, increase productivity and improve competitiveness.

Market research is being conducted to allow A.F. Smith to become familiarised with the hundreds of users of Pitney Bowes products in Bermuda. The local company is also investing heavily in new inventory, showroom displays, sales training and technical service over the next few months.

COLIN SMITH -- Mailing solutions will be provided to enhance customer communication, increase productivity and improve competitiveness.