NEW BERLIN, Wisc. — FedEx Corporation announced a new brand identity for recently acquired national parcel consolidator Parcel Direct — FedEx SmartPost.

The New Berlin, Wisconsin-based subsidiary of FedEx Ground, the small-package ground delivery unit of FedEx Corporation, will begin operating under the new brand immediately.

“Rebranding Parcel Direct as FedEx SmartPost allows us to leverage the considerable power of the FedEx brand in the emerging parcel consolidator market,” said T. Michael Glenn, executive vice president, FedEx Corporation. “The name also aptly describes a smart, cost-effective way to deliver packages to residences using the delivery strengths of the United States Postal Service.”

FedEx SmartPost operates a network specifically built to tender low-weight, less time-sensitive packages into the U.S. Postal Service system, typically at the local post-office level, for final delivery to residences. Customers in the burgeoning e-tail and catalog industries have increasingly requested this service, which takes advantage of the competitive postage rates available through the U.S. Postal Service, says FedEx.