PITNEY BOWES INC DE
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 20, 2024.
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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2023 · Filed Feb 20, 2024
Contents
Item 1. Business
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (Annual Report) contains statements that are forward-looking. We believe that these forward-looking statements are reasonable based on our current expectations and assumptions. However, we caution readers that any forward-looking statement within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are subject to risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially. Words such as "estimate," "target," "project," "plan," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend" and similar expressions may identify such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report speak only as of the date hereof, and forward-looking statements in documents attached that are incorporated by reference speak only as of the date of those documents.
While we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and subject to change. Accordingly, actual results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could differ materially from those projected or assumed in our forward-looking statements. Certain factors which could cause future financial performance to differ materially from expectations include, without limitation:
declining physical mail volumes
changes in postal regulations or the operations and financial health of posts in the U.S. or other major markets, or changes to the broader postal or shipping markets
our ability to continue to grow volumes, gain additional economies of scale and improve profitability within our Global Ecommerce segment
the loss of some of our larger clients in our Global Ecommerce and Presort Services segments
the loss of, or significant changes to, United States Postal Service (USPS) commercial programs or our contractual relationships with the USPS or USPS' performance under those contracts
the impacts of higher interest rates and the potential for future interest rate increases on our cost of debt
declines in demand for our ecommerce services resulting from supply chain delays or interruptions affecting our retail clients, or changes in retail consumer behavior or spending patterns
changes in international trade policies, including the imposition or expansion of trade tariffs, and other geopolitical risks, including those related to China
global supply chain issues adversely impacting our third-party suppliers' ability to provide us products and services
expenses and potential impacts resulting from a breach of security, including cyber-attacks or other comparable events
the impacts of inflation and rising prices, higher interest rates and a slow-down in economic activity, including a global recession, or a U.S. government shutdown, to the company, our clients and retail consumers
competitive factors, including pricing pressures, technological developments and the introduction of new products and services by competitors
capital market disruptions or credit rating downgrades that adversely impact our ability to access capital markets at reasonable costs
changes in labor and transportation availability and costs
changes in foreign currency exchange rates, especially the impact a strengthening U.S. dollar could have on our global operations
our success at managing customer credit risk
changes in banking regulations, major bank failures or the loss of our Industrial Bank charter
changes in tax laws, rulings or regulations
our success in developing and marketing new products and services and obtaining regulatory approvals, if required
the continued availability and security of key information technology systems and the cost to comply with information security requirements and privacy laws
our success at managing relationships and costs with outsource providers of certain functions and operations
increased environmental and climate change requirements or other developments in these areas
intellectual property infringement claims
the use of the postal system for transmitting harmful biological agents, illegal substances or other terrorist attacks
acts of nature and the impact of a pandemic on the Company and the services and solutions we offer
Further information about factors that could materially affect us, including our results of operations and financial condition, is contained in Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report.
General
Pitney Bowes Inc. (we, us, our, or the company) is a global shipping and mailing company that provides technology, logistics, and financial services to small and medium sized businesses, large enterprises, including more than 90 percent of the Fortune 500, retailers and government clients around the world. These clients rely on us to remove the complexity and increase the efficiency in their sending of mail and parcels. For additional information, visitwww.pitneybowes.com.
Business Segments
Domestic parcel services offers retailers a parcel delivery and returns network for end consumers. We operate numerous domestic parcel sortation centers connected by a nationwide transportation network, enabling us to pick up parcels from retailer distribution centers and move them through our physical network. We also offer fulfillment services, providing pick, pack and ship services for clients through three fulfillment centers co-located within parcel sortation centers to facilitate same-day entry into our parcel delivery network.
Cross-border services offers a range of services for our clients to manage their international shopping and shipping experience. Our proprietary technology enables global tracking and logistics services; calculates duty, tax and shipping costs at checkout; enables multi-currency pricing, payment processing and fraud management; ensures compliance with product restrictions and produces all documentation requirements to meet export complexities and customs clearance.
Digital delivery services enables clients to reduce transportation and logistics costs, select the best carrier based on need and cost, improve delivery times and track packages in real-time. Powered by our shipping APIs, clients can purchase postage, print shipping labels and access shipping and tracking services from multiple carriers that can be easily integrated into any web application such as online shopping carts or ecommerce sites and provide guaranteed delivery times and flexible payment options.
We are the largest workshare partner of the USPS and national outsource provider of mail sortation services that allow clients to qualify large volumes of First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail and Marketing Mail Flats and Bound Printed Matter for postal workshare discounts. In 2023, we processed over 15 billion pieces of mail through our network of operating centers throughout the United States. Using our fully-customized proprietary technology, we provide clients with end-to-end solutions from pick up to delivery into the postal system network, expedited mail delivery and optimal postage savings.
Sending Technology Solutions (SendTech Solutions)
We provide clients with physical and digital mailing and shipping technology solutions and other applications to help simplify and save on the sending, tracking and receiving of letters, parcels and flats. We also offer supplies and maintenance services for these offerings. Our cloud enabled infrastructure provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings delivered online and via connected or mobile devices. Our latest offerings are designed on an open platform architecture that have the capabilities to leverage partnerships with carriers, developers and other innovative companies to deliver value to our clients. We offer financing alternatives that enable clients to finance equipment and product purchases.
Through our wholly owned subsidiary, The Pitney Bowes Bank (the Bank), we offer clients located in the United States a revolving credit solution for the purchase of postage, services and supplies and an interest-bearing deposit solution to clients who prepay postage. Additionally, we offer financing alternatives that enable clients to finance or lease other manufacturers’ equipment and provide working capital. We provide revolving credit solutions to clients in Canada and the U.K. that enable them to make meter rental payments and purchase postage, services and supplies.
Seasonality
A larger percentage of our revenue is earned in the fourth quarter relative to the other quarters, driven primarily by higher shipping volumes during the holiday season.
Sales and Services
We market our products, solutions and services through a direct and inside sales force, global and regional partner channels, direct mailings and digital channels. We provide call-center, online and on-site support services for our products and solutions. Support services are primarily provided under maintenance contracts.
Competition
Our businesses face competition from large, multinational companies and smaller, more narrowly focused regional and local firms. We compete on the basis of technology and innovation, breadth of product offerings, our ability to design and tailor targeted solutions to meet client needs, performance, service and support, price, quality and brand.
We must continue to invest in our current technologies, products and solutions, and in the development of new technologies, products and solutions in order to maintain and improve our competitive position. We frequently encounter new competitors as the markets in which we participate evolve and newer businesses enter our existing markets.
A summary of the competitive environment for each of our segments is as follows:
The domestic parcel services and cross-border solutions market includes competitors of various sizes, including companies and national posts with greater financial resources than us. Some of these competitors specialize in point solutions or freight forwarding services, are full-service ecommerce business process outsourcers and online marketplaces with international logistic support, or major global delivery services companies. We also face competition from companies that can offer both domestic and cross-border solutions in a single package which creates pricing leverage. The principal competitive factors include speed of delivery, price, ease of integration and use, innovative services, reliability, functionality and scalability. We compete based on the accuracy, reliability and scalability of our platform and logistics services, our ability to provide clients and their customers a one-stop full-service ecommerce experience and the ability to provide a more customized shipping solution than some of the larger competitors in the industry.
Our digital delivery services business competes with technology providers who help make shipping easier and more cost-effective. These technology providers range from large, established companies to smaller companies offering negotiated carrier rates. The principal competitive factors include technology stability and reliability, innovation, access to preferred shipping rates and ease of integration with existing systems.
We face competition from regional and local presort providers, cooperatives of multiple local presort providers, consolidators and service bureaus that offer presort solutions as part of a larger bundle of outsourcing services. We also face competition from large mailers that have sufficient volumes and the capability to sort their own mailings in-house and could use excess capacity to offer presort services to others. The principal competitive factors include price, innovative service, delivery speed, tracking and reporting, industry expertise and economies of scale. Our competitive advantages include our extensive network capable of processing significant volumes and our innovative proprietary technology that provides clients with reliable, secure and precise services and maximum postage discounts.
SendTech Solutions
We face competition from other mail equipment and solutions providers and those that offer online shipping and mailing products and services solutions. Additionally, the growth of alternative communication methods as compared to physical mail continue to grow, which creates competition to mail and to our offerings that enable clients to use the mail efficiently. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors through our breadth of physical and digital offerings, including cloud enabled SaaS and open platform architecture offerings; pricing; available financing and payment offerings; product reliability; support services; and our extensive knowledge of the shipping and mailing industry.
Our financing operations face competition, in varying degrees, from large, diversified financial institutions, including leasing companies, commercial finance companies and commercial banks, as well as small, specialized firms. We believe our competitive advantage that differentiates us from our competitors is the breadth of our financing and payment solutions and our ability to seamlessly integrate these solutions into our clients' shipping and mailing operations.
Also see Item 1A. Risk Factors for further details regarding the competition our businesses face.
Research, Development and Intellectual Property
We invest in research and development activities to develop new products and solutions, enhance the effectiveness and functionality of existing products and solutions and deliver high value technology and differentiated services in high value segments of the market.
Third-Party Suppliers
Our SendTech Solutions segment depends on third-party suppliers and outsource providers for a variety of services and product components and the hosting of our SaaS offerings. Our Global Ecommerce and Presort Services segments rely on third-party suppliers to help equip our facilities, provide warehouse support and assist with our logistical operations. All of our businesses and corporate functions depend on third-party providers for a variety of data analytics, sales, reporting and other functions. In certain instances, we rely on single-sourced or limited-sourced suppliers and outsourcing vendors around the world because doing so is advantageous due to quality, price or lack of alternative sources. We have risk mitigation programs to monitor conditions affecting our suppliers' ability to fulfill expected commitments. We believe that our available sources for services, components, supplies, logistics and manufacturing are adequate.
Regulatory Matters
We are subject to the regulations of postal authorities worldwide related to product specifications of our postage meters. Our Presort Services operations are also subject to USPS regulations. The Bank is chartered as an Industrial Bank under the laws of the State of Utah. The Bank and certain company affiliates that provide services to the Bank are subject to the regulations of the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. We are also subject to transportation regulations for various parts of our business, worldwide customs and trade regulations related to our cross-border shipping services and regulations concerning data privacy and security for our businesses that use, process and store certain personal, confidential or proprietary data.
Climate Change
Although climate change has had no material impact on our operations to date, the risk of increasingly severe climate events or the risk that those events happen more frequently could affect one or more of our facilities and our ability to conduct daily operations in the future. Increasing regulatory restrictions in response to climate change could also materially affect our costs, especially with respect to transportation.
Human Capital
Employee Profile
We have approximately 10,500 employees, with 81% located in the United States. We also rely on a contingent hourly workforce to supplement our full-time workforce to meet fluctuating demand.
We seek to create a high-performance culture that will drive and sustain enhanced long-term value for all our shareholders. To attract, retain and engage the talent needed, we provide competitive compensation and strive to maintain a diverse, inclusive and safe workplace, with equitable opportunities for growth and development. Our compensation programs are designed to reward performance and contribution. We regularly assess the business environments and labor markets in the areas we operate to ensure our compensation programs reflect best practices and are market competitive. Depending on position and level, elements of our compensation packages include base salary or wages, variable compensation based on individual and company objectives and equity. We provide a competitive benefits package fostered on work/life balance, including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, and benefits that provide additional support for our employees’ mental, physical, financial and social well-being.
Diversity and Inclusion
Maintaining a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment is critical to our success and we view diversity and inclusion as a competitive differentiator that helps us attract, grow, engage and retain the best talent. We celebrate a rich mix of countries, cultures, ages, races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientation, abilities, and perspectives that showcase our humanity, differentiate us as individuals and enhance our businesses. Our global workforce is comprised of over 43% women and 35% of our global managers are women. Our U.S. population is nearly 50% people of color and 36% of our U.S. managers are people of color.
We continue to increase diversity and inclusion awareness throughout our company through enhancements and improvements to our talent acquisition processes, cultural awareness training and the creation of allies and mentors to help advance diversity and inclusion in our workforce.
Employee Engagement and Development
We are committed to creating a culture where our employees feel supported and valued. We offer employees many opportunities to advance their skills, learn new skills and achieve career goals through virtual and in-person development and training programs, professional development initiatives, experiential learning, mentoring and coaching programs and inclusion networks.
Through multiple platforms, we offer employees and candidates varied opportunities to find development opportunities and stay informed about key changes to our business. We conduct an independent annual employee engagement survey with demonstrated high levels of employee participation. We benchmark our results against our previous year’s performance, as well as against other high-performing organizations. We consider the feedback from employees and implement changes where possible and financially prudent.
Health and Safety
We are committed to providing a safe workplace that protects against and limits personal injury and environmental harm. Through regular evaluations of site safety performance, sharing of successes, and creating projects to engage employees in safety improvements, we identify risks, provide guidance and training, review and learn from accidents, and reduce injuries. We also report monthly to both local site management and senior leadership on safety metrics, trends, risks and regulatory activity. Through these efforts and employee engagement, we have experienced significant improvements in our total recordable cases and total recordable incident rates since 2019.
Available Information
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments thereto filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, are available, free of charge, through the Investor Relations section of our website atwww.investorrelations.pitneybowes.com or from the SEC's website atwww.sec.gov, as soon as reasonably practicable after these reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The other information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.
Information About Our Executive Officers
| Name | Age | Title | ExecutiveOfficer Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason C. Dies | 54 | Interim Chief Executive Officer | 2017 |
| Daniel J. Goldstein | 62 | Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary | 2010 |
| Christoph Stehmann (1) | 61 | Executive Vice President, International Sending Technology Solutions | 2016 |
| Gregg Zegras | 56 | Executive Vice President and President, Global Ecommerce | 2020 |
| Ana Maria Chadwick | 52 | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2021 |
| James Fairweather | 52 | Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer | 2021 |
| Debbie Pfeiffer (2) | 63 | Executive Vice President and President, Presort Services | 2024 |
| Shemin Nurmohamed (3) | 52 | Executive Vice President and President, Sending Technology Solutions | 2024 |
(1)Effective April 1, 2024, Mr. Stehmann will be retiring.
(2) Effective January 1, 2024, Ms. Pfeiffer was appointed Executive Vice President and President, Presort Services.
(3) Effective January 1, 2024, Mrs. Nurmohamed was appointed Executive Vice President and President, Sending Technology Solutions.
There are no family relationships among the above officers. The above officers have served in various executive positions with the company for at least the past five years except as follows:
Mr. Zegras was appointed Executive Vice President and President, Global Ecommerce in July 2020. He joined the company in 2013 as President, Imagitas. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Zegras held several executive leadership positions, including at NBC Universal, Sharecare and Hearst Entertainment.
Ms. Chadwick joined the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January 2021. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Chadwick was employed at the financial services division of General Electric Company as President and CEO of GE Capital Global Legacy Solutions. Ms. Chadwick spent over 20 years at GE Capital, where she held several executive positions, including Controller of GE Capital Americas and CFO at GE Capital Energy Financial Services.
Mr. Fairweather was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer in May 2021. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Commerce Services. He has been a leader in the company's strategic digital transformation and technology initiatives across Design, SaaS, Data Science and Analytics, API Management, Security and Mobility.
Ms. Pfeiffer was appointed Executive Vice President and President, Presort Services in January 2024. Prior to this, she was President, Presort Services, Vice President/General Manager of the Columbus and Cincinnati Ohio Operating Centers, Vice President of National Accounts and Vice President Sales & Client Services,
Mrs. Nurmohamed was appointed Executive Vice President and President, Sending Technology Solutions in January 2024. She joined the company in 2016 as Vice President, Document Messaging Technologies France. Prior to joining the company, Mrs. Nurmohamed had a 16 year career at IBM as CFO and Sales Director of various business units at the European and global levels.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.