For over 25 years, The Software Bureau has been at the forefront of data processing and postal sortation in the UK. Our commitment to innovation and accuracy has helped over 100 clients, ranging from direct mail producers to charities and corporates, navigate the ever-evolving complexities of bulk mail sortation. At the heart of our sortation ecosystem lies USE, the Universal Sortation Engine, a powerful on-premise API that drives our flagship products, Cygnus and SwiftSort.

What is USE?

USE is our Postal Sortation API, designed to automate and integrate the sortation of UK mail in compliance with all major postal service operators, including:

  • Royal Mail
  • UK Mail
  • Whistl
  • Citipost
  • The Delivery Group

Whether you’re sorting for Mailmark, Zonal, or Unsorted services, USE ensures your mail meets the latest specifications, accurately, securely, and efficiently.

Why USE Matters

Bulk mail sortation is a complex, ever-changing process. Postal providers frequently update their specifications, and staying compliant can be a challenge. USE simplifies this by offering:

  • On-premise deployment for maximum data security
  • Full control over sortation parameters to optimise postage discounts
  • Seamless integration into existing workflows
  • Support for all major sortation types and carriers

USE is trusted by some of the UK’s largest mailing houses and data bureaux, sorting billions of records annually. It’s not just software, it’s infrastructure.

Powering Cygnus & SwiftSort

USE is the engine behind our standalone sortation products:

  • Cygnus: A comprehensive data processing suite with 15 modules, including sortation, suppression, deduplication, and more. Cygnus offers a visual canvas-style interface for building complex workflows with ease.
  • SwiftSort: A dedicated postal sortation tool that supports all carriers and sortation types. Fully Mailmark-enabled, SwiftSort automates barcode generation and eManifest creation, and can be run via command line or integrated via API.

Both products leverage USE to deliver fast, accurate, and compliant sortation, whether you’re processing thousands or millions of records.

Meet GeMMA, eManifest Made Easy

To support Royal Mail’s eMHS Mailmark management service, we developed GeMMA, the Generic eManifest Management Application. GeMMA is a standalone solution that:

  • Collates and uploads Mailmark eManifests
  • Supports all major carriers
  • Offers both a user-friendly UI and command line automation
  • Enables multi-user workflows and batch processing

GeMMA is used to manage over 1 billion Mailmark records annually, making it the most versatile eManifest solution on the market.

Built to Last, Owned by Our People

Founded in 1998, The Software Bureau was born from a simple insight, quality data is the foundation of every successful campaign. Today, we remain independent and employee-owned, ISO 27001 certified, and led by a team that cares deeply about our clients and the future of mail. Our ethos, professional, caring, and built to last, is reflected in our products, our people, and our client relationships.